The Aria has two chambers for control over the shock’s spring curve
The EXT Aria is the brand’s first air rear shock. The shock features two separate air valves on the positive chamber to control sag and ramp-up, removing the need for volume spacers.
EXT says it expects the first deliveries of the Aria to be with customers in May, with pricing not yet confirmed.
Designed from the ground up
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The new Aria shock has been designed from the ground up, with EXT saying it didn’t want to just put an air spring onto its existing coil-shock structure.
That said, the shock’s hydraulic damping system is based on the brand’s E-Storia electric bike-specific coil shock.
The Aria features a dual positive chamber and a large self-equalising negative chamber. EXT says this enables extensive control over the shock’s spring curve.
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EXT has named the chambers ‘+’ and ‘++’.
The + chamber, which is pressurised using the black valve, provides the primary support for the system and controls the sensitivity of the top and mid-stroke (also known as the sag position).
The ++ chamber, which is pressurised using the nickel valve, controls the sensitivity of the mid-stroke and the final ramp-up characteristics.
EXT says this eliminates the need to use volume spacers to customise the characteristics of the shock. Volume spacers are commonly used to add progression to the end of the stroke, but affect the performance of the shock throughout the whole of its stroke.
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The brand says its design removes this compromise, enabling riders to dial in mid-stroke support and initial sensitivity, while also maintaining ramp-up at the end of the stroke.
This system is also claimed to be easier to set up because only a shock pump is needed to tweak settings, rather than disassembling the shock and adding volume spacers.
Low-pressure protection
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EXT has given the Aria what it calls a Hydraulic Bottom-out Circuit. This is essentially an adjustable hydraulic bottom-out, which the brand says gives the Aria a more progressive compression while allowing the shock to be run at lower air pressures for greater traction.
The Aria also features a lock-out.
In the closed setting, the shock uses a pre-loaded shimmed valve to restrict oil flow to increase the compression force, while the open setting bypasses this valve.
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EXT says this setting gives the shock a good pedalling platform, while still being sensitive enough to provide grip on rough ground.
The shock uses EXT’s own EV2S oil, which it claims doesn’t affect the shock’s damper characteristics when temperatures rise.