The first air shock from French suspension fanatic BOS is expensive and stiff over the small stuff, but a belter if you’re a big mountain rider. Developed with French DH legend Nico Voullioz, BOS’s Rare coil shock has been a cult item amongst gravity riders.
The Vip’R is relatively heavy for an air shock but the low-speed compression lever makes a difference for climbing. Even at the minimum setting stiction means a chattery ride over smaller bumps, and it’s hard to detect the subtle position sensitive damping changes the rebound dial makes in the car park too, which makes initial tuning difficult.
Start pushing hard on the trail and there’s amazing mid stroke support and control. It always looks to be at the same point in travel and seems to drive the bike forward on rolling or rocky sections. Control over larger, faster hits is phenomenal and it rarely bottoms out even at lower pressures. Its performance comes at a cost, but includes custom tuning for your bike and relevant hardware.
