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CRC have a great deal on a Yeti SB5 specific Super Deluxe RCT shock.
As far as I can see, it is a 210mm x 50mm with a 8x25 and 8x40 hardware.
I have a Transition Smuggler Carbon frame which takes a 210mm x 50mm shock with 8x25 and 8x 30 hardware.
So correct me if I am wrong here, but if I buy a 8x30 set of hardware for +/-£15 and swap out the 8x40, it should go straight on....?... worst case scenario it is the wrong way up, but I think it can either way on the Smuggler, and if not, I will just buy another 8x25 and turn it around.
In terms of tune, i think it is Medium/Low as opposed the Transition suggestion of Low/Low, but I've read that Medium works brilliantly.
Trying to match this up with a Pike Ultimate out front, so the stock fit Deluxe RT isn;t really cutting it.
What am I missing?
Wait a while and there’ll be an even better deal on a second hand one with one weeks ride time. I bought the same for my Hightower as my stock shock is borrrrrked and now so are the forks so the bike is sat unrideable. It’s a waiting game to see which comes back first. I won’t keep it as a spare because I need the dosh more than a spare shock.
The Hightower is a 210x55 or 52.5 shock isn't it?
Also the hardware is 8x30 rear (so bottom in my case) and 8x25 front (so top), so that would mean swapping both bushings also?
no reason it shouldn't fit. Should be able to remove the current hardware and swap that over.
Yeah I lost a little travel but rather that than no shock! I only needed to put top hardware in as the bottom was luckily identical and a bearing mount type.
Update on this. New shock from CRC arrived. The standard Smugggler shock has a 30mm bearing top mount and 25mm eyelet bottom. The Yeti SB5 shock has an eyelet top mount and a 30mm bearing bottom mount (40mm hardware and 25mm hardware comes unfitted).
Doh!
Shock doesn't clear upside down (which would be super-easy), so it's now booked into TFTuned to have a new eyelet damper shaft installed (not hugely expensive but annoyingly a 3 week wait for the job to be done).
End result will be a Super Deluxe shock set up properly for the Smuggler Carbon with a spare Deluxe RT to either keep or sell (and, and some spare hardware and a spare unused damper shaft for Yeti/Santa Cruz fitment.
Adds another circa £100 to the 'project' but still keeps me up under £300 all in (much less if I sell the other shock).
All good fun.
I did not like the medium compression tuning on a replacement shock I had on my smuggler, found it very harsh. ymmv
I guess that when you have a bike with very limited rear travel but which begs to be ridden like a bike with much much more, the limited travel that there is becomes much more sensitive to fine changes simply because there is less of it.
My (uneducated) take on it is that moving to a piggyback shock gives more capability (thanks to added volume of air) to deal with the demands that the bike may present on it, so it must surely be one step forward from a regular shock. After that it is down to tuning which can be done over time in accordance to weight and riding style.
I am probably wrong on all of the above, but failing all else, it looks pimp.