It’s never been done quite like this before. 

Seamless twin air shock operation, entirely predictable with high pedalling efficiency you’ll be popping off jumps and floating over those high speed stutter bumps with the ultimate freedom and control!!  Yes, really!
Take a seat, sit back and enjoy the ride…our website will show you it all.

The 2Stage Dual Shock Suspension System is the basis of being able to create a bike that really performs and helps take your riding to another level.  Here is how it works in its two stages (hence 2Stage!)..

It all started small about four years ago...

Our seriously passionate design team had an aspiration – to build a dream mountain bike that would produce a more aggressive pedalling platform that was rider activated rather than terrain activated, and would remain continually and truly active. 

We are a small boutique outfit and 100% New Zealand owned and operated. Making our own engineering designs in-house with our serious passion for "field" R&D, we are committed to working with our riders in order to produce ‘real world’ applications.
We work hard and play hard.  In the sunny Bay of Plenty we are located amongst some of the world’s most prime mountain biking terrain.

Since rearing our heads in 2003 we have made quite an impression on the mountain biking world with our ‘shocking’ twin air shock system and active stable platform. The bikes and the technology have proved themselves extremely successful acquiring a string of strong podium finishes in national and international competitions, and some rave reviews from the mountain biking industry.

Want proof?! Read up on our team riders and latest race results here, and reviews from Australian Mountain Bike Mag and NZ Mountain Biker

Without getting too techy on you, here's the low-down on how the system works...!

The 2Stage dual shock technology consists of two air shocks - one tailored for small bumps and the second tailored for big bumps.  Whilst the second shock automatically locks out during pedaling efforts, the first shock remains active for the small bumps and its movement is limited to only a few inches of travel which keeps a firm pedaling platform.  
When you hit it the trail, the first shock takes care of the small stuff and when the going gets rough, there is a seamless transition to the second shock where a new axle path takes over for the most efficient big bump absorption you have ever experienced.

The 2Stage suspension design is not only totally active and very plush with 203-228mm travel, but it also retains "jump-pop" which translates to higher/longer jumps with excellent air-borne balance and control. The system is very stable during landing, braking and cornering because the rear axle path compliments the front fork axle movement which keeps wheelbase variations to a minimum all-in-all making it a bike that is incredible at maintaining momentum and conserving energy.

Have any unanswered questions on our system or our bikes? See if these answers clear things up for you…

How come you can "downhill" standard air-shocks?
Within the 2Stage system, two air-shocks share the same load so that neither of them gets overworked. The first stage unit moves frequently and rapidly, but is set to run on very low pressures, about half of what the units are designed to handle. The second stage unit engages only during big hits and landings. This unit is set to run on higher pressures to prevent bottom-out, but moves far less. Each individual unit has an O-ring/seal group and hydraulic damping circuit pumping through relatively short strokes. So although they combine to produce 8 or 9 inches of wheel travel, both shocks are working well below their design limitations.  The shock shafts heat-up only by 5 to 10 degrees Celsius after a 3 minute downhill run, depending on the severity of the course. The seal material can go up as high as 100 degrees and still be well within their theoretical operational limits. During testing (18 degrees C ambient temperature) the shafts cool down at a rate of 2 degrees per minute at rest. As much as we tried, we couldn't heat the shocks enough for it to be an issue.



Does the first shock bottom-out before the second shock can work? Surely that can't be good?
The 1st Stage shock can reach full stroke safely because there is an overlap/transition between the shocks, where the bump force is harmlessly and sequentially transferred to the 2nd Stage shock. The term "bottom-out" is a destructive term usually associated with single shock designs where any remaining bump force has nowhere else to go and directly stresses both the frame and shock. This is not the case with the 2Stage Suspension Design. Our 1st Stage air-shocks are selected based on this overlap criterion, so they reach full travel silently and the transition between the two shocks is seamless, fluid and unnoticeable.

Is the 2Stage hard to set-up, it seems complex?
It’s been said that our design is actually a lot simpler than many bikes with a single rear shock.  Try not to think of it as one cosmic arrangement, but see it as two separate rear suspensions. The first one handles the small bumps; the second one handles the big hits. Set the first shock at 50% sag and set the second shock to whatever pressure you need to stop it from bottoming-out (this depends on your weight and how aggressively you ride). Adjust rebound to your liking (slightly faster for small bumps, slightly slower for big hits), then forget about it. If you can follow the instructions on the back of a 2-minute noodle pack, you can set-up a 2Stage suspension correctly... it should take about the same time too.

Two shocks have been done before in mountain bikes, what's all the fuss about?
Comparing a 2Stage bike to another bike with two shocks is like comparing a pair of “locking vice grip” pliers to a pair of ordinary pliers.  Without the precise pivot location of the 2Stage Suspension System, it’s just another bike with two shocks.

For any further information on the 2stage company, innovation, design and application, or for further FAQs, Images and Videos, please visit the 2stage bikes site or contact us directly by clicking here.