EXT Suspension - Storia V4 + ERA V2.1 Review

Storia V4 Shock and ERA V2.1 Fork - EXT Racing Shox Premium Suspension Offerings 

EXT (Extreme Racing Shox) is known for their premium and boutique suspension offerings, we have been lucky enough to test the Storia V4 Rear Shock and ERA V2.1 Fork for the past few months. The engineering company out of Italy has produced some incredible suspension not only for the mountain bike world but also has a pedigree in motorsport racing, F1, automotive and the motorcycle industry alike. They have a history of high performance and innovative suspension that comes at a price tag and is desired by many looking to upgrade their stock bikes. Building off of their already successful Storia V3 coil shock and ERA V2 fork, they have listened to customers' comments and concerns and have released the updated Storia V4 and ERA V2.1. Each product is hand built and designed in Italy, and catered to your individual bike, weight and riding style. They sent us these products to test for a Yeti SB140 and we have been pleasantly surprised with the performance upgrade to something different than the major suspension manufactures. 

What’s New?

Their newest product is the Storia V4 coil shock, which as the name suggests has gone through 4 different iterations before landing on this most updated version. One major update is an all around quieter shock. It still will make some noise as the oil moves through various circuits, but compared to previous versions, the shock sounded cavitated and the V4 sounds much more normal. They have fixed the top-out rebound sensation with a new rebound down that is position sensitive called PSR.  The LSC and HSC adjustments are now tuned via a 4 and 5mm allen key, a welcome change from the previous socket or wrench adjustment that you would not have been able to do on trail. There is now a 4mm Hydraulic Bottom-out Control (HBC) adjustment that starts in the last 20% of the stroke. There is a pedal switch called LOK 2.0 that has its own separate circuit and will release under a hard compression so that there is no damage to the shock. The 14mm thick shaft is made from steel that has a proprietary DLC coating to decrease friction and improve wear. It is important to note that all shocks are made to order and custom tuned to your specific bike and riding style so the valving aligns with the frame's suspension kinematics. 

The ERA V2.1 fork uses their new HS3 hybrid air system, basically using two positive air chambers and an increased negative chamber, similar to Ohlins, allowing for endless tuning abilities on the air spring curve. Think of it as adjusting the progression of the fork, similar to adding volume spacers. The fork uses 36mm stanchions that targets an enduro type riding style. An update for the 2.1 version is a fixed top out rebound sensation with the new HS3 air spring. A new crown design increases the stiffness of the fork and helps to eliminate the dreaded creaking crown that many forks suffer from. This works because the crown extends upwards onto the steerer tube where the crown race would be pressed on making for one solid unit. There are new DU bushings to keep friction low and to maintain consistency and longevity as well as a floating axle similar to what Fox uses to help eliminate any possible binding. 

Shock Specs 

• Coil Spring 
• HSC/LSC/R/HBO externally adjustability 
• Rebound top out eliminated 
• Climb switch 
• 14mm steel shaft with DLC Coating 
• Weight: 789g (w/ 550lb spring)
• Metric and Trunnion in 24 different strokes and sizes 

Fork Specs 

• 36mm stanchion 
• HSC/LSC/R external adjustments 
• Dual Positive Air Chamber (+,++) HS3
• Travel options 140-170mm 
• 29” only 
• Weight: 2418g (5.3lbs) 
• For enduro/bike park use 
• 15x110 Boost (Torque Cap Compatible) 
• Updated DU bushings 
• V2.1 Retrofittable to V1/V2 Forks 

Setup / Ride Impressions 

Both fork and shock were installed aboard a Yeti SB140. The fork was set at 160mm of travel and the shock was tuned for Yeti’s suspension platform at 210x55mm. I was comparing this suspension directly to a Rockshox 160mm Lyrik and Super Deluxe Air Shock. The testing consisted of local SoCal trails, a riding trip to Mexico City and the Whistler Bike Park. It was a good mix of familiar local trails, slippery and rough singletrack and of course aggressive laps at the bike park. 

For the Storia V4 shock, after getting a couple of rides, I knew the 500lb spring was not giving enough support nor my desired sag, so a 525 spring that was also sent with it did the trick. The additional spring rate gave me something to push off against and kept the bike feeling lively, not sinking into the travel from moderate bumps or undulations. My riding weight is 190lbs for reference. I ended up with all of compression and rebound settings at 6 clicks in from closed and HBO at 4, with varying adjustments made from different terrain and areas. 

This shock really unlocked the potential of my SB140. Historically I have struggled to get along with coils, praising their sensitivity but always bottoming out too aggressively and not providing enough support to push off against. The Storia V4 blew me away with its sensitivity, keeping the bike composed and tires on the ground for small and medium hits. The adjustable HBO allowed me to never feel a harsh bottom out, even when dropping to flat in Whister, or hitting really repetitively rough brake bump scarred sections of trail in Mexico. The shock does still make a little bit of noise as the oil moves through the circuits, but it lets you know how much it is working and it is not nearly as bad as the prior generation. The rebound top out has also been eliminated, even with running a relatively faster rebound set up, I never felt a top out which was a great feeling on trail and especially whilst jumping.  

The ERA V2.1 fork was a little bit more tricky to set up, largely due to the amount of tuning that can be done with the dual positive air chambers, and a bit of a different philosophy from other major suspension brands regarding damping adjustments. For the air spring, I had to use slightly more psi in both the primary + and secondary ++ chambers to get the ride height and support that I was looking for. I ended up around 70 psi + and 110 psi ++ to get to an air pressure I felt confident with, otherwise I would be blowing through travel or sitting at sag in the mid stroke. LSC and HSC I ended up at 6, just like the shock and Rebound at 10. I was constantly playing with the dials to try and find a happy ground, and when riding the Whistler Bike Park, settings were ramped up considerably to allow the fork to give support when hitting big holes and massive compressions, understandably so. As a self proclaimed “fast rider” I tend to run suspension harder than what the manufacturer recommends, this is normal for me, but I felt as if I needed to run this fork extra stiff to make it work. Because of this, at slow speeds the fork felt very harsh as to be expected. The fork came alive when going faster and hitting compressions harder, sometimes feeling the sensation of not feeling the hits at all, or a bottomless feel, something to admire about this fork. 

What's Worldwide's Takeaway?

EXT leaves nothing left to be desired by those looking to really dial in their suspension and have a custom ride on a premium product. With the amount of adjustability that each product gives, you can tune your bike to be the most efficient on varying terrain out on the trail. The Storia V4 shock has been one of the best performing coil shocks that we have been able to test and with varying degrees of adjustments, it can transform the way your bike handles. The ERA V2.1 Fork has been refined into a fork that can hang with the best of them. A highly adjustable air spring lets you really fine tune how the fork feels in all different parts of the stroke and comes in a chassis designed for enduro style riding. It gives the feel of a coil sprung fork, but with the relative weight and adjustability of an air spring. These suspension components really opened up the possibilities of what my Yeti SB140 could take one, punching above its weight class and making it such a versatile machine.