There is an unpolluted difference with the Ohlins TTX rear shock. We’re not just talking hygiene here, although Ohlins are unashamedly obsessed with cleanliness, something that was hammered home when we visited the Stockholm R&D facility recently. For a company that deals primarily in oil and washers, there’s not much of the former to be seen.

‘A very muscular unit that hides some incredibly articulate oil and shim combinations”

And when it comes to Ohlins, and the TTX shock in particular, the brew is a strong one. Maybe this is where the difference lies, the purity and strength. For example, whilst Bos has a calculated hold on matters it is nevertheless carried out in rather more delicate chassis structure to Ohlins. Here we have a very muscular unit that hides some incredibly articulate oil and shim combinations.

It’s very difficult to characterise Ohlins damping simply because much of the time it actually feels like noting much is happening. But there’s business going on here that puts it in a higher place than any other damper. Not massively but enough for there to be a difference when charging into beaten up terrain, a shock that has that edge in body and balance, a very fine edge. But that’s all it needs right?

This latest version of the TTX differs visually, with a revised piggyback design – but the performance remains.