Are 2 shocks really that much better?
Actually asking one shock to do all the work that these bikes experience is asking a lot! You want it supple on the small bumps, but still soak up big drops and landings, you want the rebound fast for high speed stutter bumps, but you also want it slow enough so you don’t get bucked after landing a big jump. Plus you still want pop for the take off on jumps right? And it can’t overheat or it will all turn to custard. All this plus you don’t want it to bob! A single shock can get overworked being asked to do everything well. With the 2Stage design these elements are divided up and the jobs given to two shocks to handle. One shock is always active but only asked to handle the smaller and more rapid stuff, and has a really low air pressure spring and (in the case of the Elite9) an oil reservoir, so it won’t overheat. It also has its own rebound adjuster to achieve the perfect setting for small, fast repetitive bumps. The second shock is only employed every so often, when a large obstacle
