Last year Push Industries simply updated the fit charts and added compatibility for the Santa Cruz Bronson. This year, they updated the shock itself with a slicker coating inside and out and improved oil flow through the rebound circuit.
The new Push ElevenSix Micro-XD uses a new Micro-XD hard coating on the reservoir and main cylinder. It’s super slick, reducing friction for the main piston and the IFP between the oil and nitrogen charge. The decreased friction not only makes the shock work better, but less friction means less heat build up. And that’s just the start…
The benefits to the coating are on the inside, but the anodizing process is done to the entire part, hence the new black appearance on the outside, too.
The oil reservoir also increased in size by 11.6%, giving it greater capacity to shed heat. The prior version is shown on the left, the new Micro-XD version on the right – note how much longer it is.
Inside, there’s a new VRX-III piston that creates a channel under the rebound shim so that oil fills in more evenly underneath it, pushing upward on the shim in a more uniform matter. In the pics above, the rebound ports are the three smaller ones on the inner circle. The prior version is on the left, the new one is black on the right. Note the completely circular channel above the ports on the new one. They say this design gives it a more lively feel since there’s a more consistent flow of oil.
On the flip side, the inlets to the ports have been opened up with angled, chamfered channels to help the oil flow more smoothly without potentially creating turbulence around the hard corners on the original. The ports themselves are the same size, but the path to them is much better. All of that is to make the shock more reactive over braking bumps and repetitive hits, keeping your rear tire glued to the ground.
