Looks very nice to me. Like the easy twiddlyness of it.

Any idea which frames don't rely on the shock as a structural element?

You can find out easily enough - try waggling the back wheel around, then take the shock out and try again ;-)

huh...I suppose that might work...

would frames with more than one pivot be less likely to place stress on the shock? The Marins or Horst Links might offer more rigidity than a single pivot because the swing arm is held in more than one place, resisting its lateral movement. But then, if you have a single pivot with broad bearings, it shouldn't wobble too much either. I have a single pivot, i don't think i'd trust it to be honest.

I was pondering that as a rule of thumb, but decided that it doesn't actually stack up - there are floppy multi-pivots and stout singles. 5th Element shocks have funky bushings too, so anything that a 5th is a factory option on should be a safe bet.

I have a SC SLight and it waggles with a 5th Element in and let with a Fox - the 5th is factory option in the SL and I'm going to swap back (I had a 5th off a dead frame to try BTW - I'm not a serial shock horder)

My DT swiss 210SL has been back to switzerland twice under warrenty dont bother. stick with Fox can get serviced at tf tuned as well, not looking forward to my out of warrenty repairs best get rid I think

shock has had to go back to DT again cant put air in or out! load of rubbish!

What bike's it on? I'm assuming it's not your pump that's broken ;-)

I had a SSD 210L on a Sub5 which did waggle about - the thing rode a load better with a Swinger 4 way on it. Serves me right for being an early adopter - I bought it in mid-02, so one of the first around.

In theory the spherical bearings should have protected the shock - maybe they did - but the reliability was awful. After a couple of months oil started to leak out from around the rebound adjustor, so back it went (to Madison & thence Switzerland) & back it came 5 weeks later. Just as well I had a fractured wrist!

It got ridden for another couple of months & then removed as the Swinger went on. After 6 months in a cupboard with no pressure in it I got it out to put back on so that I could compare it to the Swinger again. After such hard use in the cupboard, it failed to hold air, leaking from around the rebound adjustor again. So back it went to Switzerland, and after 8 weeks my LBS gave me a full refund (after playing merry hell with Madison).

Personally I wouldn't touch a DT shock again until they're well-proven.