Let’s first address that price, though (£950 / $950 / AU$1,300). While the Storia is by no means cheap, what you’re buying here is a quality bit of kit, built by hand for the bike/rider it’s destined for.
Ahead of leaving EXT, the shock is triple checked on a dyno at three different shaft speeds and with three different adjustment settings to ensure it’s reaching the specified compression and rebound forces.
It then sits in quarantine for 48 hours before a final check for any leakage and a second trip to the dyno to check for cavitation.
EXT’s UK distributor, Mojo, can then help with any further setup and tuning. Mojo is run by Chris Porter, the man behind Geometron bikes, and dealt with Fox suspension tuning and servicing for years, so it clearly knows its stuff.
Included in the price is a second Super Alloy Spring (which comes in 25lb increments) plus a two-year warranty on all parts and labour, should something go wrong.
The Storia uses a mono-tube design and features a large, 29mm main piston that allows for masses of oil flow. Porter says: “More oil flow allows the designer/tuner to meter the oil flow through the piston and past the shims really accurately at all shaft speeds to provide the damping necessary.”
The Storia’s IFP (internal floating piston) is nitrogen charged but to a relatively low pressure. Porter says that by using a lower pressure, friction can be reduced, which in turn helps to improve the shock’s sensitivity.
Then there’s the Hydraulic Bottom-out Control (HBC) system, which adds some position damping progression.
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