All

My two cents. Tuning trumps all other factors, if it's an off the shelf shock, it may or may not work for you. -Vivid air has been disappointing on every bike I've tried one on. -Vivid coil, pretty decent. -Fox x2 24+, okay, but definitely more seal drag than the old ones that blew up regularly. -Fox dhx2 coil, mediocre at best. -Ohlins ttx2 coil, excellent. -Ohlins air, nope. -Ext coils, excellent. -Ext air, excellent. -Dvo jade or topaz, mediocre. -Push 11-6, excellent, not quite as good as the ext. -Bomber cr avalanche parts and tune, excellent. Vivid coil is...

New FOX 38 is live! Here are all the details and some initial thoughts - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2027-fox-38-fork-tech-info-impressi… TLDR - The 38 gets the same revamp that FOX already gave its 36 and 40 models—new Glidecore air spring, revised Grip X2 damper, new generative-designed lowers with more pushing overlap, less torsional stiffness and more fore-and-aft stiffness; relocated bypass channels in the lowers, new bleeder valves, and new fender/mounting points. Also new 5cc volume spacers which is fun for tinkering, and PM200 rotor instead of PM180 like before. Bye bye brake adaptors. All the changes focus around improving the fork's ground feel and...

My next shock will be a Bomber CR with the full fluid focus DIY kit. Seems the best bang for buck ($150 for used bomber, $50 rebuild kit and fluid, $200 FF kit).

Just a heads up, 2026 X2/DHX2 has a small adjustment window. It’s a design compromise of the monotube design with a shimmed base valve. The aftermarket CL70 tune might work well on the Regulator, depending on your weight and compression preference. I would suggest you try a coil, since your bike has the progression for it, hard to match that small bump, especially with “normal” axle path. Another vote for Push SV8, good adjustment range . Telum at the high end is amazing.

I too think that unless you get a custom tune, there is no guarantee of a performance improvement as the standard tune of many off-the-shelf shocks might not be right for your bike. I have had a good experience with the new RockShox vivid air. It feels supple off the top for an air shock. I'm running it on two different bikes, each with a specific tune for each bike. RockShox sell piston tuning kits which are listed here: https://www.sram.com/globalassets/document-hierarchy/tuning-manuals/roc… So, if this is a shock you are interested in, you could contact Transition and ask them for a recommendation...

Disclaimer, I am very opinioned about suspension upgrades and setup, so take my comments with a grain of salt. On the other hand, playing with suspension setups on various frames of my own and my friends (as well as on other vehicles) would qualify in my top 5 as a tangent hobby to mountain biking. I do not believe you will see much, if any improvement by going to a different air shock with an off the shelf (what is provided as retail aftermarket) tune. I have upgraded the shock on a few transitions, and I have not had an...

Not answering your question whatsoever, but I just wanted mention that the Fox 36 GRIP2 is kinda crap by today's standards. I've tried quite a few over the past 5 years and none have ever felt good or remotely sensitive, I assume due to a combination of stanchion/chassis binding and the GRIP2's sorta harsh damping. I haven't tried the new chassis with increased bushing overlap, so maybe that's fine. GRIP X2 definitely a noticeable step up over GRIP 2 as well. But on an ebike with those travel numbers, 38, ZEB, etc. all day.

Vivid Air Ultimate. I've been running them since launch on 4 different bikes (sold 2), and had zero issues. It's a really nice middle ground of air and coil... easy to dial in, good sensitivity, good bottom out support. I know several other guys who've gotten them for various bikes and all loved them too. New version with minor tweaks is about to launch alongside Zeb in April, so might be able to find a brand new one on sale.

Not on the list but I would def recommend EXT suspension. You can find some Storia V3 for relatively cheap and they rip. I have it on my Regulator CX (160mm rear travel) with a 65mm stroke and it's amazing. Can't recommend enough!