Press & Reviews

EXT Aria Air Shock

The hype surrounding our new air shock has been brewing for quite some time and we are happy to announce the wait is over! Due to the reputation of EXT’s current line up, it has been highly anticipated that this would be a revolutionary project - and the final product does not disappoint. An air-sprung rear damper has been the missing piece in EXT’s already extensive line-up of high-performance suspension products, entrenched in years of research and development. 

As this is the first air shock from EXT, it is called the ARIA, “air” in Italian, which is saturated in novel technology and design approach. Though the EXT brand has become synonymous with unrivaled performance of coil shocks, their knowledge of air spring technologies actually began in the Williams Formula 1 program developing products for the highest forms of racing. Early on in the project it was clear to EXT’s team that they wouldn’t be satisfied with simply adding an air can to their existing coil-shock structure - high performance necessitated a complete, ground-up, re-design. Thus, EXT took the innovative dual-positive air chamber concept made for the Era fork and formatted a new version of it to fit the unique needs of the Aria application. From this groundwork they have created a shock featuring a noticeably improved air-spring able to reach high levels of sensitivity and support that are currently only achievable with coil sprung shocks.

Blister Gear Full Review of EXT Aria

 https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/press-release/wait-over-check-out-ext-aria

 

EXT Era Fork

"I’ve spent a lot of time on the Era, set to 170 mm of travel, on both the Privateer 161 and Forbidden Dreadnought. I’ve also used it on a handful of rides with it dropped to 140 mm on an upcoming bike that we’re not allowed to talk about yet. You’ll just need to stay tuned for that one. The design of the Era is certainly impressive, but can it live up to its eye-watering price tag?

To be honest, going into the review I was a bit skeptical. I was hugely impressed by EXT’s Storia rear shock when I tested it last year (enough so that I just bought one for my next personal bike build — more things to stay tuned for!). But as I noted in that review, the Storia is in the same ballpark, price-wise, as most of its competitors. The Era kind of isn’t. I didn’t doubt that it might be very, very good, but almost twice as good as a Manitou Mezzer Pro? A whole $700 better than an Öhlins RXF36 m.2? That’s a tall order.

The Era just might pull it off though — at least for the right well-heeled rider who’s willing to spend for some incremental but very real gains in performance. So let’s tease this apart, and see where the Era really shines."

Read the Full Review at BlisterReview.com >>



 

EXT Storia Lok V3 Shock

"Extreme Racing Shox isn’t the most well known suspension company in the world of mountain biking, but the Italian damper developer and its technical director, Franco Fratton, carry some serious clout in motorsport. With an impressive resume building suspension for Formula One and World Rally legends like Mikka Hakkinen, Sebastien Loeb and others, as well as ongoing work in Touring Car, WRC and seemingly everything else that uses dampers, Fratton and EXT no doubt have the expertise to make waves in the mountain bike suspension market."

Read the Full Review on BikeMag.com

 

 

EXT Storia Lok V3 Shock

"There's no denying the fact that the Storia Lok is a specialty item, designed for riders who want to eke the most performance possible out of their bike. It's a luxury, not an absolute necessity, but the Storia does deliver a very high level of custom-tuned performance." - Mike Kazimer

Read the Full Review on PinkBike.com

 

EXT Storia Lok V3 Shock

"The Storia Lok V3 is a very lightweight coil shock, with an aesthetic that exudes technology and an attention for detail that reveals all the passion of a company that is small but with really vast and important know-how. The performance attributes are top notch and are aimed primarily at a race usage, so we are talking about a shock that, to be appreciated, requires time to be aware of the adjustments directly on the trail to get the best performance. This is a product that clearly does not appeal to those who prefer the simplicity of the many “plug & play” shocks on the market but to those who want to significantly improve the performance of their bikes."

Read the Full Review on MTB-MAG.com

 

 

EXT Storia Lok V3 Shock

"When it comes to longevity, we’ve had the Storia running for well over three months by now without any performance degradation whatsoever. Three months is not a particularly long time of course, but all signs point to a smooth ownership experience ahead.

EXT’s Storia Lok v3 checks in at the higher end of the market in terms of pricing, but it delivers the features and the performance to justify the expense. EXT does a good job of tuning each shock to the rider and the bike, and the Storia delivers a smooth and controlled ride even on the roughest trails. The lock-out circuit works really well for climbing, while the unique hydraulic bottom out system is a boon, especially for those looking to run a little lower spring rate."

Read the Full Review on VitalMTB.com

 

 

EXT ERA Fork

 

"The moment I rode that first EXT Storia back in 2015, I knew the company had to make a fork. It took a lot of years and a ton of development, but I'm happy to say that I think EXT nailed its first mountain bike fork. The wait was long, but totally worth it."

Read the Full Review on bikemag.com

 

 

EXT ERA Fork

"I'm usually not one to gush, but after six solid rides on the Era I'm comfortable saying that I've never ridden a fork that felt this good right out of the box. I've even switched bikes with a couple of riding partners mid-ride so they could experience what I was feeling, and in both instances the general consensus was “that's ridiculous.”

Read the full review on PinkBike.com