The "sucking" or "squishing" noise you hear when the shocks are stroked is perfectly normal. It occurs as oil is displaced throughout the damper while the shock is compressed and extended. This noise is a result of the damper's function, which is to counteract the rebound of the spring after compression, preventing the shock from feeling like a pogo stick.

We use oil-filled dampers to achieve this, regulating the rebound by making it harder for the shock to extend fully. As the shock extends, there's a suction effect that forces oil through various orifices in the damper, increasing viscosity and slowing down the extension of the shock shaft.

If you have our REVO-A or AIR-A shock with rebound adjustment, you may notice the noise becoming louder as you increase the rebound setting. This is because higher settings force oil through smaller orifices, increasing viscosity and pressure, resulting in a more pronounced "suction" noise.

Not hearing this noise, or a lack of change in noise between different rebound settings, could indicate improper oil flow and potentially degrade ride quality due to increased rebound and insufficient damping.