Mountain Bike Rear Shocks
A rear shock is frame-specific — eye-to-eye length, stroke and mount must match the frame. Spring type and damping are the choices left after that.
The buying advice on this page is retained from the original article. Its 2018 product picks have been removed — the links were dead and the models discontinued. Current model tables live on the brand pages.
To help you find the best parts for your bike, we’ve compiled a list to find the best MTB rear shock for your needs. Having quality parts on your mountain bike is essential for optimum performance. One part that you should consider replacing is the rear shocks. The shocks are what absorb the roughness of the terrain. If you feel like you’ve been feeling the terrain more often, then it might be time to replace this vital piece.
What decides the choice
| Specification | What it changes | Options in use |
|---|---|---|
| Eye-to-eye and stroke | Frame-specific — the wrong size will not fit or will damage the frame | Metric sizing, e.g. 210 × 55 mm |
| Mount | How it attaches to the frame | Standard eyelet · trunnion |
| Spring | Air is tunable and lighter; coil is more consistent when hot | Air · coil |
| Reservoir | Extra oil volume resists fade on long descents | Inline · piggyback |
| Adjustments | What can actually be tuned | Rebound · compression · climb switch |
| Hardware | Bushing or bearing size, again frame-specific | Measured per frame |