Gallery: The Shock Of Your Life - BikeRadar

The shock of your life

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  A customised shock tune is a great way to improve the performance of any full-suspension bike

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  The RockShox Monarch Plus RT3 bolted to Jake's Devinci Dixon

  © Steve Behr

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  An exploded view of the Monarch Plus internals

  © SRAM

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  Air volume can be changed with these rubber bands. Less volume equals more ramp-up

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  When lifting the shim stack assembly off the shock, it's essential to make sure everything is kept in the right order

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  With the shims removed, the expert fettlers can start on a new tune

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  Awaiting the new tune, the shock sits on the workbench

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  The shim stack is laid out, with the rebound and compression shims on different sides of the piston head

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  The internal bushes are resized to make for a super-smooth action

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  The revised shim stack begins to go back on

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  With the shim stack complete, the shock is ready to be put back together

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  The shaft goes back on. The shock is overfilled with oil, which then seeps out, to ensure no air becomes trapped in the system

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  An iPad app helps with the tuning of all RockShox suspension

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  Tool trays out. The guys don't leave anything at home

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  The RockShox Sektor fork on Jake's long-term bike gets an oil change and a new compression cartridge

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  The bench is laid out with everything in perfect order. German efficiency at its best

  © Jake Ireland/BikeRadar

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  Jake loved his Devinci Dixon before the shock tune and now it's even better

  © Russell Burton

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  The custom tuned Monarch Plus suits Jake's aggressive riding style

  © Russell Burton