Metric Shock Sizing, Do really need it in my life?

Metric, do I need it?

  • Yeah

    Votes: 4 33.3%
  • Nah

    Votes: 8 66.7%

  • Total voters
    12

treble

Likes Dirt
Looking at two potential new bikes. Both very similar, one comes in metric shock sizing, the other in the old standard.
Thing is, I prefer the non-metric model and I keep my bikes for quite a few years. Would I be missing out on life changing improvements by not adopting this new standard? Or is it just another meaningless standard?
 

Nautonier

Eats Squid
There's a good chance that most manufacturers will be moving to metric over the next few years, so you might be shooting yourself in the foot by going non-metric. Is the metric one trunnion mount?
 

andrew9

Likes Dirt
Rockshox Super deluxe with a "rocker link mounted bearing system"
Apparently that's better? That guy from Tuesday Tune on Pinkbike suggests that trunnion has the potential to side load the shock excessively

I got a bike recently with a Metric 190x45 deluxe shock, I was speculating it's replacement when I was buying the bike, but luckily I'm happy with the standard shocks performance. Lucky because 190x45 shocks are not yet freely available.
So the limited choice of Metric shocks is currently a negative, but that will possibly reverse in the future? Who knows?
 
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shmity

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Metric sizing is good A) because it does away with excessivly long stroke shocks with relatively short eye to eye lengths B) as a result of A it helps to increase bushing overlap helping reduce the number of blown shocks and C) forces manufactures of frames to work towards a more standardized approach to shock sizes.

None of those points should make you not buy a bike with an old standard shock, they aren't going anywhere anytime soon and there are plenty of great shocks available in those sizes still and for the foreseeable future. You may miss out on a few advancements in tech but its hard to see anything ground breaking coming out in the next few years that would make your life unlivable.
 
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