remember i lost my first vivid air? i’m still unsure how a perfectly good shock can suddenly break on the third try to service it … or maybe that’s the answer right there.

we come in peace – take us to your leader.

anyway, i ended up with a vivid coil instead but it’s fair to say we never really bonded. the coil shock did offer smoothness over small bumps but really lacked mid-stroke support and seemed to blow through it’s stroke far too quickly – no wonder we never built a trusting relationship. did i mention it weighs a ton? it added almost half a kilo to the bike’s weight – which given how hard i tried to keep the nomad’s weight down was not appreciated.

more than one kilo?! seriously?!

most importantly, though, it was simply not fun to ride it. it always felt like the bike had to be forced to do what it should and then only did it half-heartedly. and that’s just on the way down: on the way up it got hung up on every little step due to the lack of mid-stroke support.

that’s more like it. move over you overweight piece of shock.

it is possible that there is a bike out there that needs a rock shox vivid coil but i am sure that it’s not the nomad 3. on further consideration that perfect partner of the coiler is more likely a boat in need of an anchor …

that all became abundantly clear when i installed a new (to me) vivid air on the weekend. ok, it has a little air leak but it was good enough to clarify once and for all: my nomad needs a vivid air and that’s exactly what it will have.

even the shockwiz agrees!

and to avoid further disappointment i decided to learn how to service the shock myself. i got a full service kit (pretty exxy but there appears to be a lot going on inside that shock going by the sheer number of o-, quad- and various split rings) and i already ordered the tools, fluid & grease i need to rebuild the shock.

then it can get stickered up in the ‘official’ aqua & magenta nomad colours. i can’t wait.