Which EXT Shock?

EXT offers four different shocks: The ARIA, Storia, e-Storia, and Arma. In choosing one of these three models you will want to consider what frame you have, what you intend to ride with your build, and if there are any characteristics you'd like to prioritize. Below is our list of factors that lend themselves to a particular shock.

ARIA:

EXT's latest and greatest offering comes in the form of a dual-chamber air shock. This shock uses the same basic layout as the e-Storai, so it has adjustable hydraulic bottom out along with the usual adjustments. The dual-chamber air spring lets you fine tune the spring curve in a way that isn't possible with volume spacers, allowing you to be able to tune in added support without creating and end-of-stroke wall. Compared to a coil shock a big benefit of an air spring is near infinite, as well as super easy, tunability when it comes to setting sag. Being an air shock, it comes with a weight advantage. Depending on shock size and what rate coil you would be on, this shock will likely save you around 0.1 lbs give or take. It's essentially the same weight as a Float X2.

Storia V3 Lok:

This is the shock most people end up going with. It has a lock out lever and is the lightest of the options. That doesn't mean you get light weight performance though. The design is just optimized for bikes that apply less side load to shocks. It's also worth noting that, of their shock options, this is the only one that doesn't have adjustable hydraulic bottom out. 

e-Storia

As the name suggests, this shock was designed with E-bikes in mind. It sports things like a plated chromoly shaft and beefier body to help it deal with higher loads generated by E-bikes. That doesn't mean this shock only has a place on E-bikes though. If you have a bike that employs a long shock yoke and/or is notorious for side loading shocks, such as a Stumpjumper Evo, this shock is worth a look. The shape of the reservoir also creates more clearance between it and the frame. On lots of Transition frames this alone is a reason to go with this shock as the axially oriented reservoir on the Storia has clearance concerns. This shock is also the only offering that has both adjustable hydraulic bottom out and a lock out lever.

Arma:

This is designed as a DH shock. It does not have a lock out lever, but does have adjustable hydraulic bottom out. If you've got a DH bike it's an easy choice. However, on enduro and trail bikes that are more supportive when on the pedals this shock is an option worth considering as well. We find there are a number of bikes where we never reach for the lock out lever. If the lock out lever isn't getting used, no reason not to go for something with adjustable hydraulic bottom out.