Avalanche Suspension - Colchester, Connecticut

shane M.

I've had avalanche do 4 bikes worth of fork and shock mods for my Wife and I , WORTH it, great company to deal with, keep in mind this is a small business with a TON of orders, it takes time to get it done but it's always right and always worth it. When you speak with the owner Craig, remember he has most likely forgotten more about suspensions than we will ever learn so be ready to listen and you'll learn a lot. check your Ego, you are not a PRO or even a semi pro unless you raced Worldcup, you don't want your suspension tuned as such either. listen to his advice, he's never been wrong for us. I always budget their mods into my bike purchase budget, it's not a matter of if I need it, only a matter of how quickly can I get it done, blows away everything out there, the Air Coil Fork hybrid makes the grip 2 damper feel harsh and clunky in comparison. great company and great product period. I'm not getting anything out of this review, just thought I'd put my 2 cents in

Brian S.

The negative reviews here complain about Craig telling them what they need in their suspension. Get over it! He knows more about suspension than you ever will, so what if he's not the best at sugar coating his words. I always thought I was good at setting up my suspension. In my long conversation with Craig he was able to tell me my pressure, compression and rebound settings without me ever giving those up. He told me I was running too much pressure which caused me to slow my rebound to get the feel I like. That's the drawback with stock suspension designed for everyone. I consider myself an expert. Raced mx for years and was nationally ranked in bmx back in the day. Modern, steep jump faces have always been my weak point. With avalanche proper settings I'm better at the dirt jumps, chatter is non existent and even my climbing is improved. Don't expect next day service, but do expect thre best feel you ever experienced in your ride.

Tim F.

From the very beginning, my product inquiries and concerns were addressed promptly and succinctly by Craig and company. I was informed of a 2 to 3 week lead time which was appreciated, as they tend to get busy (which happens when you provide a good product/service).

My SSD modded Bomber CR shock for my Megatower is sublime! I set sag as precisely as I could and started with the suggested settings. I was amazed how little time I spent thinking about what the back end of the bike was doing during the first ride! Several small tweaks in either direction for rebound and lsc respectively, provided spot on performance that transformed my bike. Thanks so much guys!

BRUCE M.

FOX 36 Coil Hybrid Damper & FOX X2 Tune

I’ve had Avalanche tune the suspension on three of my bikes (Ibis Ripley LS, Turner Czar, and my Ibis Ripmo). I’ve basically had the same issue with all three of these bikes, either I could tune the stock suspension to absorb the small choppy terrain fairly well, or tune it to handle the big rocky technical terrain to be the sweet spot of the stock suspension. However, when I tried to tune it to be decent with a balanced tune; it just lacked on all terrain (big, small, flat, and worst of all Flow).
The first tune that I had Craig do was for the Ripley LS. I had so many problems with properly tuning the FOX Float, so I replaced it with a Cane Creek Double Barrel IL, the DBIL did make it better across the board. I was interested in the AVY Damper cartage for the 140mm Rock Shox Pike. After speaking to Craig about the tune that he was to do on the bike, he claimed that he could tune the stock rear shock better than the CCDB IL. I did like the Cane Creek (Maybe because it was so much better than the stock FOX), but if he could make it at least close it would be great for back up. After receiving the suspension, I mounted the shock, and installed the fork damper (the shock = 10mins, the fork = 45mins), then went for a ride. The first thing I noticed was how firm the fork was in the parking lot and how softer the rear shock was (as previous reviews have mentioned this, I expected the suspension to feel this way). On the trail was a different story (front and rear)! The bike was faster! The faster I went, the smother it felt! One of the things that other reviewers have mentioned was less hand fatigue, which is a true statement, less hand fatigue by a lot!
The suspension on the Ripmo was a no brainer for me. This time Craig tuned an FOX X2 rear shock and a 160mm FOX 36. I had a lot of trouble tuning the factory X2, the shock was always so harsh (no matter the tune). The FOX 36 Factory had a lot of adjustment, but for me a very small range of the adjustments were affective, beyond that specific range of adjustments the fork felt harsh or non-supportive. After the first tune, I knew I wanted the endure tune on the Ripmo, I ordered it the same way (shock tune and fork damper), with one exception. I got the coil hybrid damper. After receiving the suspension back, it took about the same amount of time to install it. The rear shock felt so much better than the stock X2 (coil-like), I am now able to use all of the tuning that the shock offers (but Craig seemed to have it set damn near perfect), but the real story here is the difference the coil hybrid made compared to the Ripley Pike tune (without the coil). On the parking lot the fork felt like it might be on the soft side and it would nose dive in the technical sections, but on the trail, the fork eliminate almost all the small chatter, but the mid stroke to the end stroke did a great job of keeping you up in your travel. The coil hybrid damper virtually eliminates hand fatigue. I’ve had the bike out on a few three hour rides, and I never thought about my hands. This fork builds confidents and is a blast to ride. The suspension rides as my mind imagines what suspension should ride like.
Avalanche is a pricy investment, when I paid for the service it did sting, but after riding it, the sting quickly became easy to live with. This is one of the upgrades that can (and will) truly make a difference in both feel and performance.

Timothy B.

I visited their website and was looking forward to installing the upgrade parts for my 2017 fox float x2. I ordered the parts and PAID with PayPal. I never received an invoice and two days later I receive a notice that they refunded my money to paypal.. No phone call no email.... I emailed them and was told I am not allowed to buy the parts. That they are only available for purchase if they do an SSD service modification. Website says nothing about this and allows you to order and purchase the parts. Then I was told I would have to buy the $249.00 upgrade service which clearly states the modifications are included with the exception of one. But when I ask how much it would be total I am told the service charge plus the cost of each part..... not what your website says.. bad business do not use this company!

Kid R.

You're better off going with Push Industries, they're not bipolar. I called this place before ordering a cartridge for a 130mm Fox Float. The guy talked my ear off which I didn't expect but was very welcomed, so I went ahead and placed an order. A day before it was set to arrive I called the shop to ask if there were any special tools I'd need, that's when i discovered the owner/ operator is a bit bipolar. Instead of just answering a simple question he kept arguing with me and insisted that I go to his website. He kept talking about things I didn't inquire about like telling me that fluid isn't oil and that I needed shock oil yet the very product he recommends is labeled "fluid". He would rather spend his time making customers feel stupid so he can flex his self proclaimed superiority which is rather ironic because he said my inquiry was wasting his time, yet he wasted more of his own time and mine by just not answering a quick question.

His product performance is so-so. I ride in Park City, Utah (big mountain riding) and this cartridge doesn't live up to the hype. DOes it soak up all the small chop? Maybe, but not enough to really distinguish between his cartridge system and a really well tuned float system.

Brian P.

Great service and excellent products. I have had Craig set up 5 different bikes front and rear. Always ends up being a major upgrade from stock. Well worth the purchase.

Mitchell R.

Avalanche Downhill Racong Inc .I give them A+ excellent work on my two Fox DHX coil rear shock and Marzocchi 888 RC3 Ti Fork.Mitchell Roche