penske vs ohlins?

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sillywilly
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penske vs ohlins?

Post by sillywilly »

what would be the best shock for fast road riding?The roads were i ride are not pool table smooth have had my susp revalved resprung the bike is good but i want better.What do u blokes think?Every susp bloke i have talked to has a diff opinion any input would be appreciated?
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penske vs ohlins?

Post by Blurr »

Yep everyone will say different. From the few suspension guys I have spoken to, Penske seems great on the road and even medium fast track riding, but it does struggle a bit once the pace get up there eg racing. Not sure why but it does struggle with the fast squat compared to the ohlins and probably in other areas also. Not something you will experience on the road I dare say. Penske is def more affordable and great value for money.
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by sillywilly »

yea cheers blurr i might get a penske of zenodamper ive only heard good things about him thanks for fast reply
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by Johnnie5 »

sillywilly wrote:yea cheers blurr i might get a penske of zenodamper ive only heard good things about him thanks for fast reply
zeno knows his shit

and with the penske he carries all parts,

he knows the penske product well

and when you change bike he can easily reconfigure the shock for your next bike instead of having to
buy a completely new shock like you would have to do with the ohlins

and on the plus side he will spring and valve it to suit you for the new price for the typre of riding you intend to do
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by Glen »

Wilbers.
It's really all about standing around drinking Dave's beer.
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penske vs ohlins?

Post by Wattie »

Glen wrote:Wilbers.
haha

You feeling sorry for everyone with Ohlins still? ;-)
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by Strika »

It won't matter if you buy Penske or Ohlins or WP or Wilbers or whatever. If you want to track it seriously, like try and get close to a lap record seriously. Then they will ALL need revalving and respringing. What the Ohlins/Wilbers/Penske/WP men wont tell you, is that the new XYZ669 shock, doesn't have that new valving which makes the factory one work. ;) Bring it back when you're outriding this shock and I'll chuck it in! :lol:
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penske vs ohlins?

Post by Wattie »

Lucky he's putting it on a
Road bike eh Marty?

The good thing about Zeno, he will have pulled the Penske apart an rebuilt it before it even sees the bike.

He's good that way, if you come back and see him with feedback, he always has a mountain of options to try.
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by sillywilly »

The shock is just for my road bike but thanks anyway cheers i appreciate the opinions
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by Strika »

sillywilly wrote:The shock is just for my road bike but thanks anyway cheers i appreciate the opinions
Which is why I answered your question first with the words... "It won't matter if you buy Penske or Ohlins or WP or Wilbers or whatever".......... ;) The only time it will start to make any real noticable difference is on the track at the limit. Hope that clarifies my response?
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by sillywilly »

strika what shock do u think would be best for me?whats your prefered susp for road use?i just want the best road setup i can get
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by sillywilly »

Thanks for all your opinions much appreciated
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by Nelso »

sillywilly wrote:the bike is good but i want better
You need to be more specific in how you want it better. What is not good enough about it? Also, who did the revalve and respring? How hard do you ride? How heavy are you? Do you ride just as hard on really rough roads? etc.
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by sillywilly »

Laurie smith did the susp revalve the front forks are a major improovment the rear is a good improovment He said i could get even better improovment with after market rear.I also talked to zeno and stuart winton they said the same .I ride around albury river road.granya.falls.happy valley.hotham.Some of them are smooth some are not .im 95kgs . i ride hard enough .I cant feel that much difference with rear shock . I still push along on the rougher roads.I want better feel and control .Lots of blokes ive talked to recon penske is a better shock for road riding especially on rough roads .Some blokes say a revalve respring is all u need ?
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Re: penske vs ohlins?

Post by Strika »

On the roadbike, I run Gazi shocks on the rear of mine, but they only make them in twin units, not monos so I can't comment on that.

As far as road use, I have never had a bike with aftermarket suspension for the road apart from the current ZRX. They were really only replaced as they had done 70,000klms and lost all there damping. For road use, I don't really need anything more than the standard stuff until it's worn out. The forks will get a service as soon as i have the cash.

I do have a good friend who steers as good as me. He has a 954 Blade. It's his 2nd one. The first did 200,000klms before he piffed it. It had an Ohlins in it, which had been in it since day 1. So 200,000klms. All with no issues. He services it every 60-70k. He then put it into his next 954. This 954 has now done 150,000klms, still with the same shock. So as far as an aftermarket shock that not only works, but also lasts, then that to me stands out as an amazing indication of quality.

I have a WP in my race bike. But, that is a 1995 model, with 2005 internals and only get's used infrequently, so I can't comment on longevity really.

I guess the good thing with an Ohlins, is that parts are usually easy to get as there are several people who fettle them. But, if I were to give an Ohlins to anyone, it would be to Steve Mudford. Stuart Winton is good from what I hear, but, for my thinking, I'd rather deal with the master than the apprentice. ;) PM me if you want his number.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me" Hunter S. Thompson.
There are really only two questions in life. 1.Which way do i go? 2.What is the lap record?
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