Professional data acquisition has long been standard practice in the World Cup, helping riders squeeze the last hundredths of a second out of their suspension. But can amateur riders also benefit from a technology that costs € 2,799? We spent months putting the BYB Tech Telemetry V3 Pro system through its paces on the trails to find out.

If you want to compete at the sharp end of today’s Downhill, Enduro or Cross Country World Cup, instinct alone will no longer get you there. Delicate cables and small data boxes are now a familiar sight on race bikes, recording every movement of fork and shock with millisecond precision. Among the leading names in this field are the telemetry specialists at BYB Tech, based in Italy. Founded by former Elite Masters downhill champion and automation engineer Enrico Rodella, the small team has grown from an ambitious Kickstarter campaign in 2018 into one of the leading telemetry suppliers on the World Cup circuit. Today, the company runs on three full-time employees and one part-time team member, delivering data insights once available to only a handful of professional teams.

So why go to all this effort? Aren’t a good feel for the bike and the classic rubber O-ring on the fork stanchion enough anymore? BYB Tech claim their V3 Pro system turns subjective impressions into reliable data, making suspension setup both understandable and fully repeatable. But does this flood of data justify the hefty price tag? And more importantly, can you actually make sense of the analysis without a degree in aerospace engineering?

What’s included and what can it measure?

For the substantial price of € 2,799, you get a system with an IP65 rating, which makes it resistant to dust and water spray. At its core is the central data acquisition unit, which processes data at frequencies of up to 1,000 Hz, equivalent to 1,000 measurements per second.

BYB Tech Telemetry V3 Pro | € 2,799 excluding VAT

The box includes:

• V3 Pro data acquisition unit: stores all measurement data and features a three-axis accelerometer and a gyroscope
• Two linear potentiometers: measure suspension travel on the fork and shock
• Brake sensors: detect when the brakes are applied
• External GPS receiver: records your route and speed
• Magnetic wheel sensor: measures wheel speed with high precision directly at the wheel
• Comprehensive mounting hardware

If you want to dive even deeper into the data, the unit can be paired via ANT+ or Bluetooth with external sensors such as heart rate monitors and power meters. Action cameras can be synchronised with the system too. Camera synchronisation is a particularly powerful feature, allowing you to overlay telemetry data directly onto your video footage. This makes it possible to analyse exactly why a load spike occurred in a specific trail section, whether it was caused by a riding mistake, poor line choice or simply an untidy landing.

Installation: Zip ties, double-sided tape and a little patience

Installing the BYB Tech system for the first time calls for careful attention and a bit of mechanical confidence. If you know exactly what you’re doing, fitting the system takes around 15 to 20 minutes. For first-time users, however, the process can take considerably longer. Frame designs with the shock positioned deep inside the down tube or routed through the seat tube require a more creative approach when mounting the shock sensor. On our test bikes, a Trek Fuel+ EX and a YT DECOY SN, installation was straightforward and completely trouble-free. For selected bike models, BYB provide dedicated mounting brackets as free downloadable 3D printing files, allowing you to print the required parts yourself.

3D-printed mounting bracket for various bikes

For most bikes, however, the supplied universal mounts are all you need. Everything is secured using cable ties and double-sided adhesive tape. If you plan to fit and remove the system regularly, it’s worth switching to hook-and-loop straps instead, because they accelerate the whole process and save a lot of hassle.

Precision is crucial. Every sensor must be mounted securely. Even the slightest movement in a mount can cause the system to register false vibrations, leading to inaccurate data and distorted results in the software.

Data analysis: In-depth insights, but not for beginners

The software, which is included in the purchase price, is the real heart of the system. This is where suspension travel, suspension performance, speed, braking events and a wide range of other parameters are visualised and analysed.

The feature set is extensive and offers plenty of scope for detailed analysis. At the same time, it’s clear that the software is aimed at experienced and highly motivated users. If you’ve never worked with a telemetry system before, expect to invest a significant amount of time learning your way around it.

The key features include:

• In the „Dashboard“ average and maximum values as well as other key metrics for the fork and shock are displayed, including position and compression and rebound velocities.
• The „Stack view” provides a good overview of how much travel was used in which sections of the trail, and how that usage was distributed over the ride.
• The „Position distrib” shows the percentage of travel used over time. This makes it easy to see whether the fork and shock are working in a similar way and whether the suspension as a whole is sitting harmoniously in its travel.
• The „Velocity distrib“ shows the percentage distribution of compression and rebound speeds over time. From this, you can determine whether rebound and compression are balanced in relation to each other and whether the suspension is working cleanly.
• The „Summary“ brings together the most important average key metrics from a ride in a compact overview, making it easier to quickly compare different runs.
• The „Auto tuning” feature also provides automatic setup suggestions for SAG, bottom-out, and low-speed and high-speed compression and rebound based on the recorded data, serving primarily as a guide for further fine-tuning.

The „Stack view” is one of the most important displays in the BYB software.

To help you get started, BYB Tech also offer a two-hour video tutorial, although this must be purchased separately. It’s particularly useful if you’re using the software for the first time, making it much easier to understand the more complex graphs and the relationships between the different data sets.

The smartphone app is well suited to quick analysis directly at the trailhead. For more detailed evaluation, however, the desktop software is indispensable.

The Auto tuning feature is particularly useful, generating setup recommendations based on the recorded data. In our test, the direction of the changes suggested by Auto tuning generally made sense. However, the available adjustment range of the suspension was not always sufficient to achieve the recommended target values exactly. As a result, it wasn’t always possible to reach the green zone identified by the software as the optimal setup.

The „Auto tuning” feature provides useful recommendations for your suspension setup.

On the trail: Quick to get up and running, with a few minor shortcomings

One of the BYB system’s biggest strengths is how easy it is to get started. Once installed, there’s virtually nothing to calibrate or configure. The system automatically detects the zero point as soon as the suspension is fully unloaded during a ride, for example when you jump the bike or briefly lift it off the ground. That means you can head straight out on the trail and start collecting data without having to work your way through setup menus first.

The connection to the smartphone app or desktop software is established via Wi-Fi and proved reliable throughout our test. In practice, however, it’s best to record individual descents rather than entire rides. Large data files significantly increase transfer times. During our first test, we recorded a ride lasting around three hours in one continuous session, resulting in a file of roughly 600 MB. Transferring it turned into a real test of patience and had to be restarted several times before all the data had been successfully copied to the smartphone and computer. For everyday use, it’s therefore advisable to limit tracking to the runs that actually matter.

The buttons on the data acquisition unit are less convincing. Their tactile feedback could be more defined, and we occasionally had to press them several times before recording actually started. Fortunately, the automatic pause function is a practical workaround, automatically starting and stopping recordings based on movement or speed. During our test period, we repeatedly forgot to press the record button before a measurement run. When, as in our case, you’re riding the same trail ten or more times in a single day, missing a data set is particularly frustrating.

The buttons on the data acquisition unit could do with more defined tactile feedback.

Another aspect we noticed is the amount of noise the system makes. On rough trails, the sensors and cables can be heard rattling clearly. While this is somewhat distracting, it quickly becomes a minor issue when you consider that the BYB system is designed primarily as a diagnostic tool for testing and suspension setup sessions, rather than something intended to remain permanently fitted to your bike.

The system tends to rattle on rough trails.

What does telemetry actually bring to the table?

Telemetry provides a wealth of fascinating insights, especially if you already understand the fundamentals of suspension setup. If you’d like to refresh or expand your knowledge, our guide How to set up your MTB suspension explains the key concepts and adjustment options in detail.

As part of our test, we deliberately changed just one parameter at a time on either the fork or the shock, which allowed us to assess its effect in isolation. The aim was to understand exactly how each adjustment influenced the suspension and then identify those changes in the telemetry data.

Our benchmark was a varied test track featuring flowing sections with berms and jumps, as well as rough terrain and steep descents. Over the course of several months, we completed more than 80 recorded test runs on the same trail, creating an excellent data set for direct comparison. The suspension setups developed on the basis of these findings were then put to the test and validated in the Alps, at bike parks, and on a variety of trails in the low mountain ranges.

This approach laid the foundation for understanding the software and its analysis tools properly. Only once we could clearly see how individual adjustments to rebound and compression damping were reflected in the graphs did we begin using the data to systematically develop our own suspension setup. Our focus stayed firmly on fork and shock. We deliberately left out the analysis of braking behaviour, line choice and speed, since these features feel primarily aimed at racers comparing their runs against the clock, whereas our goal was simply to develop the best possible suspension setup for us.

That wasn’t always straightforward, though. Depending on the fork or shock, the adjustment range can be relatively limited, meaning that rider error or taking a different line through a section of trail can sometimes have a greater impact than fully opening or closing the high-speed compression damping. Even so, clear trends began to emerge over time.

Rebound damping proved to be particularly easy to identify with all forks and shocks we tested. Compression damping, on the other hand, depended heavily on the specific suspension model. With some units, the differences were barely noticeable, both on the trail and in the software, whereas others showed much more distinct changes in both the telemetry data and the ride feel.

One of the most valuable metrics was the analysis of dynamic SAG. Unlike static SAG, which is measured while the bike is stationary, dynamic SAG describes how much suspension travel is actually used on average while riding under real-world loads. In other words, it shows the part of the suspension travel in which the fork and shock spend most of their time on the trail.

Before using the BYB system, our setups typically resulted in the forks running with a dynamic SAG around 5 to 10% lower than the shock. This was most likely based on habits developed over years of suspension tuning. We mainly adjusted fork support by changing the air pressure, while leaving the compression damping largely open. Closing the compression damping further often made many forks feel harsh and uncomfortable. With the latest generation of forks, however, this behaviour has changed. Mid-stroke support can now be adjusted very effectively using the high-speed compression circuit, without sacrificing ride comfort to the same extent.

The BYB system makes dynamic SAG visible for the first time, clearly showing where the suspension spends most of its time during a ride. By bringing the fork and shock into closer alignment and fine-tuning the high-speed compression damping, we found that the suspension remained stable even with a higher dynamic SAG, without diving excessively into its travel. Instead, the bike felt more balanced, more composed and noticeably more comfortable.

After over 110 test runs, we managed to fine-tune the dynamic SAG and maximum travel usage so that the fork and shock used their travel in perfect harmony.

The system is particularly valuable in combination with coil shocks, as there is no traditional O-ring to provide a reliable reference for the maximum suspension travel actually used.

Another fascinating finding was how clearly the suspension’s progression could be seen in the data. One of our test bikes featured a flip chip that allowed us to switch between 20% and 25% progression. With identical air pressure, the 25% setting resulted in around 2.5% more dynamic SAG than the 20% setting. At first glance, that may sound like a small difference, but on the trail it represents a genuinely noticeable change. For comparison, we observed a similarly significant effect on dynamic SAG when switching from a 375 lb to a 350 lb coil spring, or by reducing the air pressure by around 5 psi. The telemetry confirmed that even small adjustments to air pressure, coil spring rate or suspension progression don’t just make a theoretical difference. Their effects are measurable and clearly reflected in the way the suspension performs on the trail.

Image: 25% fork SAG / 30% shock SAG (Stack view)
With 20% frame progression, the dynamic SAG was 33.6%. Increasing progression to 25% raised the dynamic SAG to 36.1%, an increase of 2.5%.

BYB recommend setting the dynamic SAG correctly first. Only once this is dialled in should you move on to fine-tuning the compression and rebound damping. The goal, much like when setting SAG, is to match the compression and rebound velocity curves of the fork and shock as closely as possible, allowing the suspension to work as one balanced system.

It was also noticeable that the „Auto tuning” feature frequently recommended running significantly faster rebound damping. As a result, we ended up riding a 2025 FOX 38 paired with a FOX DHX2 shock with the rebound damping fully open, a setup we would never have arrived at using the traditional car park bounce test alone. In that situation, such a fast rebound initially feels unusual, and for a rider weighing around 75 kg, most manufacturer recommendations typically place the rebound adjuster somewhere around the middle of its range.

In the „Velocity distrib“ view, the velocity curves for the fork (green) and shock (white) are tuned so that they overlap as closely as possible. This indicates that the compression and rebound damping are working together in harmony.

On the trail, however, the results painted an even clearer picture. Braking bumps and fast, consecutive impacts became noticeably more comfortable to ride. The faster rebound setting allowed the suspension to recover quickly after each hit instead of packing down deeper into its travel. To illustrate the opposite effect, we also tested the suspension with the rebound damping fully closed. The software showed a clear increase in dynamic SAG. The reason was easy to understand: after a series of consecutive impacts, the suspension no longer had enough time to return to its original position before the next hit, causing it to ride progressively deeper in its travel. Interestingly, the increase in dynamic SAG was only around 2 to 3%, yet the difference on the trail was immediately noticeable.

Across all the suspension systems we tested, we ultimately arrived at the same conclusion. In every case, our final setup featured significantly faster rebound damping, combined with slightly lower air pressure or a softer spring rate. For damping, the sweet spot consistently proved to be a setup with plenty of high-speed compression damping and little to moderate low-speed compression damping. With this configuration, the suspension felt noticeably more lively while remaining better controlled. It absorbed both small chatter and big hits more comfortably, yet stayed well supported in its intended operating range and made more effective use of its travel. In terms of ride feel, the telemetry-guided setup elevated the suspension’s performance by another level.

We also shared our findings with Enrico, BYB Tech’s automation engineer, who told us he had observed strikingly similar patterns with professional riders. In one case, for example, they reduced the air pressure in a rider’s fork by 25 psi. The rider’s initial feedback was that the bike felt significantly slower, but the stopwatch told a different story entirely: the rider was 2.5 seconds faster on the same track. Enrico explained it with a simple analogy: riding an overly stiff suspension setup is a bit like driving a Fiat Panda on the motorway. It feels fast. It isn’t.

Who is the BYB Tech Telemetry V3 Pro for?

The system isn’t aimed at occasional riders, and even for many ambitious mountain bikers it will only make sense to a limited extent. Both the retail price and the time required to learn how to use it properly are considerable.

It’s a different story for the following groups:

• Racers: Riders chasing the last few hundredths of a second who need to optimise their suspension setup for each individual race track.
• Professional suspension tuners: Workshops and suspension specialists who want to offer customers a data-driven, tailor-made suspension setup rather than relying solely on subjective rider feedback.
• Enthusiasts and tech nerds: Riders who want to extract every last bit of performance from their high-end suspension and genuinely enjoy diving deep into telemetry data.

If you’re looking for an excellent suspension setup but don’t necessarily need the final fraction of race-winning performance, BYB Tech also offer the more affordable standard V3 system. The main differences are its lower sampling rate of 500 Hz, the omission of the brake sensors, and a reduced range of software features. However, the core analysis tools described in this test remain available, making the V3, priced at € 1,399 excluding VAT, a compelling alternative.

Conclusions about the BYB Tech Telemetry V3 Pro

Let’s return to the question we asked at the outset: do you need a degree in aerospace engineering to understand it? Quite clearly, no. What you do need is time, real time spent analysing the data in depth, if you want genuine value from the system. For many recreational riders, booking a session with a professional suspension tuner is therefore the more sensible option. In our test, the system noticeably improved our suspension setups and, above all, helped us develop a much better understanding of the relationships between individual suspension settings and their effects. The telemetry data gives you a far clearer sense of exactly what each adjustment changes and how those changes influence the bike’s behaviour on the trail.

Testers: Reynaldo Ilagan and Peter Walker
Intended use: Mountain bikes, eMTBs
Test period: 6 months

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Words & Photos: Reynaldo Ilagan