BOS S**toy Shock Review

[S.]

BOS Engineering shocks, with Olivier Bossard at the helm, have been on more senior men’s downhill World Championship-winning bikes than any other brand of suspension. Their custom dampers and forks, initially developed for 10 times world champion Nicolas Vouilloz, were not readily available to the public “back in the day” due to their prohibitive cost and custom-tuned nature.

​

Check it out here.

 

[kalem]

Wow Steve, great review. Almost a bit too unbiased!! It's nice to finally read a review where the writer doesn't have a ridiculous hard-on for the part/bike/etc. It's a far more convincing that way really, that review is more likely than a standard 'i love this thing' review to get me to buy one just because i believe what you've said.

What happened to you getting a Double barrel?

 

[Ryan]

You are cool and handsome Steve. Excellent review mate, good to see that all the fellatio nicho promised didn't sway you one bit

 

[Tazed]

Not nearly comprehensive enough, mate!
Great to read a review by someone with some time on it, back-to-back with other gear.
Most interested in the different approach - I'm sure Fox could do the same customisation if they weren't in the volume market. RockShox, too. Mind you, their pro riders have very similar products to the Stoy, so maybe BOS's increasing presence will open them up to custom tuning to the public if the demand is there.
Looking forward to what else you discover about it as you go. Keep us informed!

 

[No Skid Marks]

S have you ridden a custom tunned for you and bike Avvalanche?
Have you spent time on a Double barrel in the same bike. Would be great if you could get either of them for your bike.

 

[Ryan]

Luckily, the extensive farkin.net testing budgest ensures that Steve will have time on a CCDB, Vivid AND a custom tuned Avalanche in the next 6 months. Because we're rich, rich as nazis!*

*Some or all of this post may be a lie. A lie and a Simpsons quote.

 

[No Skid Marks]

Ryan, hit yourself with the stick.

 

[nicho]

HEy guys,

Thanks again for spending time on the shock Steve.
The shock is tuned for a certain leverage ratio not just for steve and or his bike. The shock is as stock standard as can be for steve except for the fact that i provided him with the right spring rate for his weight and the bike's leverage ratio. Which is a standard thing anyway.

Nicho

p.s.: ryan don't be jealous. What would you like to test?(please don't say my body)

 

[Adamski]

Be nice to compare it to a DHX with a PUSH kit. They are for more lively when the kit is in them and show many of the characteristics that the Stoy apparently has. Benefit over the Stoy I think would be that you still run relatively low sag instead of close to 50% on the BOS. This means you aren't 4 inches closer to the ground but more 2.5ish. Makes a difference when pedalling through rocks. BOS does sound beautiful but you could buy a brand new DHX5 and whack a PUSH kit through it and it would work out cheaper and provide 95% of the improvement that a BOS would make.

 

[No Skid Marks]

you could buy a brand new DHX5 and whack a PUSH kit through it and it would work out cheaper and provide 95% of the improvement that a BOS would make.

OR NOTbe anywhere near as good.

 

[Oddjob]

First he gets a new Banshee Legend, then he gets a Stoy to stick into it.
Screw you Steve!

Like everyone else, I'd like to see the Stoy compared to some competition in the same sort of price bracket. If it was my money I'd be looking at a Pushed/Tftuned or Tekin tuned Fox as an alternative. I think an Avy or Cane creek would be going too far as it would be tough getting support in Australia.

 

[Adamski]

OR NOTbe anywhere near as good.

You reckon? As Steve says in his report. The BOS is most likely to aid in already brilliant riders being capable of more brilliance. In terms of performance attainment for your average rider who can't justify a BOS....which is most riders, a PUSHed DHX is just another option. Direct comparison with CCDB, PUSHed DHX, well sorted Vivid and Avalanche back to back would be nice.

P.S. That Tekin tuning sounds on the money too.

 

[nicho]

Ask steve his result on the last barjag race with the bos shock.

nicho

 

[Rider15]

Ive read somewhere that BOS springs are available in 25lb increments? Will the springs fit other shocks apart from the stoy? Any chance of getting Steve to review the Idylle forks as well?

 

[S.]

S have you ridden a custom tunned for you and bike Avvalanche?
Have you spent time on a Double barrel in the same bike. Would be great if you could get either of them for your bike.

My CCDB just arrived actually, but since it's my personal shock, it won't be getting reviewed like this - it's not even distributed in Australia. Before anyone goes "well the BOS must suck if you bought a CCDB instead", the CCDB was OEM-spec (and OEM price) and I ordered it before I'd ridden it or the BOS, so don't read anything at all into that.

Oh yeah and as Nicho mentioned, my only race on the BOS shock netted my best race result so far (and probably ever haha), 8th out of a field of 34 in elite. However, it was also my only race so far on the Banshee...

For those wondering, yes I'd love to compare the BOS to its direct competitors price-wise, but they weren't made available for me to review, nor are most of them distributed in Australia (eg Cane Creek, Pushed DHX [though I think Dirt Works are starting to do this shortly?], Avalanche), and since the DHX is basically the "benchmark" shock that everyone is familiar with, I think giving a comparison to the shock that most people would be changing over from is a reasonably good way to convey how the BOS works.

 

[Oddjob]

My CCDB just arrived actually, but since it's my personal shock, it won't be getting reviewed like this - it's not even distributed in Australia.

To have a CCDB on hand and not compare it to the Stoy just seems like a waste.

 

[S.]

If you don't want to review your CCDB because you can't be assed then that's your prerogative. But to have a CCDB on hand and not compare it for the above reason is sophistry.

Oh it'll be compared at some stage, but it won't be publicly/officially reviewed under the Farkin banner for the above reason. I don't think that's unfair - Rouler supplied me with the test shock at their own expense, and they offer distribution and support in Australia. I'm not going to spend dozens of hours of my time (and trust me there is plenty of time involved aside from riding the thing) reviewing something that I paid for, in order to generate publicity, be that positive or negative. Will I comment on the shock once I've got time on it? Yes. Will it be on the front page of Farkin with a 3400 word writeup going into extensive detail? No. If Cane Creek, or any other company, wants exposure in the form of a review, they have to come to the party in some way or another.

That probably sounds like I'm accepting payment in return for good reviews - that's not the case, cos I don't get paid.

 

[sikpuppyonglory]

was a great review there S. I would like to think that the ccdb will be close if not on par with the stoy due to the motorsport technology used within both of these shocks.

certainly would like to hear a quick overview of your thoughts when you get a chance to ride & race on the ccdb.

 

[Incontinent]

"Unfortunately since this was a short-term test over the space of a few weeks, the reliability of the shock cannot be commented on, however it would be surprising if these had any significant problems, given the level of detail that has gone into their development and manufacture."

8 months use and no probs at all with the young fella's as yet.

 

[Viv92]

That probably sounds like I'm accepting payment in return for good reviews - that's not the case, cos I don't get paid.

You should get paid by magazines or something. Lots of the stuff they write is complete crap, your review was probably the best I've read. Top stuff.


Definitely didn't fix your cornering style though! I suppose it doesn't really matter if you're coming around it as fast as you obviously are, 8th in elite speaks for itself.