The shock will come to you having been fully custom tuned, setup, spring fitted and mounting hardware fitted, so you just have to bolt it on and ride!
A spring is NOT included in the price. Upon receipt of your order, we will calculate a spring rate for you and get in touch with your options.
Mounting Hardware is supplied for FREE when purchased (worth up to £35)!
Free Tuning
We offer a calculated tuning service – using endless data acquired from hours of testing and data logging, we can make calculated and informed decisions on what settings, re-valving, and modifications are suitable for you. Your suspension will be thoroughly tested with our dyno facilities and tailored to you and your riding style.
Since EXT first emerged in the mountain bike scene, the pedigree of its product line has solidified expectations for both premium Italian craftsmanship and industry leading performance. Over the years, this effort has been generationally compounded into a product that we consider to be our highest offering of damper performance, the Storia and Arma V4.
In order to expand our ever-growing EXT family, we have pulled from our mountain biking past and picked the things that will both check the boxes of performance that our riders demand, while being conscientious of their budget. The hope is to further extend the EXT advantage to those who value what makes EXT unique.
With this, we are introducing EXT’s new budget conscious damper, the Vecta. Vecta was designed to bring the standards that have come to define our products into a slightly more streamlined package. This includes uncompromised performance, durability, support, our 5 year warranty, and of course, our classic aesthetic design that has come to distinguish our dampers.
HYDRAULIC BOTTOM-OUT CONTROL
The HBC system is a position sensitive damper valve made of a secondary piston assembled below the main one, and an inner tube near the bottom of the damper. When the rider gets close to the end of the stroke, the secondary piston goes inside the inner tube, forcing the oil flow through a calibrated orifice that characterizes the end stroke ramp up. EXT’s HBC system engages just in the last 15% of the stroke and it’s also externally adjustable to match your weight, riding preferences and style.
This system makes the compression progressive, allowing lower spring-rate settings of the dampers and offering a balanced feeling and better traction. So, you can rely on a very plush feeling and great support on the last millimeters of your bike’s rear travel. On the graph, it is shown how HBC controls the last part of the stroke. The peak on the right side is the strength achieved by the shock when the HBC is fully closed. The Hydraulic Bottom Out Control adjuster is located just above the compression valve.
LOK 2.0. SYSTEM
All of our MTB dampers feature the LOK 2.0 proprietary EXT technology (aka pro-pedal switch), already well-known throughout the product line up. A 2-Way lock-out system improved to avoid any kind of bobbing while you pedal on every type of surface. Completely customizable, the LOK system has a blow-off valve that prevents any kind of damage if you forget the LOK lever before a downhill ride. It is made up of a completely independent valve system that controls the oil flow in a separate chamber and allows you to get the support needed for the best pedaling efficiency. In open mode, the LOK circuit is excluded, and when closed, the oil must flow through a preloaded shimmed valve, increasing compression force. This shim-based design provides enough sensitivity and support to increase overall traction on rough terrain. Now, the LOK 2.0 system can also be custom tuned based on rider preferences.
AIR SPRING 3
The core of the Aria is in the innovative dual positive air chambers and a large negative self-equalizing chamber. This system allows for extensive control over the shock’s air spring curve characteristics, giving you fine tune capabilities throughout the entire stroke. The dynamic nature of EXT’s twin positive air chambers virtually eliminates all negative aspects intrinsic to the volume spacer systems of competitors.
+ AIR CHAMBER
The + chamber, characterized by the black color valve, provides the primary support for the system and controls the sensitivity of the top and mid stroke, also called, dynamic sag position.
++ AIR CHAMBER
The ++ chamber, characterized by the nickel color valve, controls the sensitivity of the mid-end stroke and final ramp up characteristic.
The control and adjustability given by the dual positive chambers is more accurate and precise than volume spacers, allowing the rider to focus on just a specific part of the stroke. Additionally, this dynamic system does not force the rider to compromise mid-stroke support and initial sensitivity in favour of end stroke ramp up or vice-versa. It enables the modification of stiffness across the entire stroke length, rather than just the final portion, unlike volume spacers. The rider will feel more support in the middle part of the stroke without having the typical excessive force increase of the single-chamber air spring.
Specifications
- 3 way adjustable: monotube design with high and low speed compression and rebound
- Wide range of adjustments to easily fit most of the rider and bike needs. Tuning specifications for different rider needs will still be available as for the V4
- Same valve as V4: riders can now adjust high and low speed compression with a common multi-tool, needing only 5 mm and 4 mm allen keys
- No risk of cavitation: high turbulent flow valves keep damping forces independent from viscosity and temperature changes to perfect pressure balance, eliminate aeration and cavitation, all with very low hysteresis to improve dynamic response
- The HBC is factory-set to meet the needs of riders seeking maximum performance without the complexity of extensive tuning
- Lok 2.0 technology: separate circuit that is tunable by its own shim stack for further customization
- Ø14 mm hard chrome-moly shaft
- Negative spring: a harder negative spring to avoid any harsh top-out knocking sound
- Improved durability thanks to a new main tube coating, assuring very high wear resistance
- EV2S fluid, a high viscosity index fluid & phenomenal viscosity ratio
- Spring thrust bearings ensure alignment, prevent spring rub & minimize spring noise
- Reservoir with a large volume bladder design, inflated to 55 psi only
- Weight: 477g in 210×55 mm (without spring)
