These all are very basic ideas. They all act by compressing the material- be it an elastomer, air or a coil. Elastomer forks are cheap and do not work very well, and I would avoid them at all costs. Coil shocks are the best bang for the buck on most bikes. The best shocks are air shocks, which are the lightest and easiest to regulate, and are found on the top of the line race bikes. However, on downhill bikes, air shocks are combined with coil shocks to provide more strength.
