I have the choice of getting my RP23 serviced and keeping it on my Helius AM, or selling it on and using the money to go towards a Cane Creek Double Barrel or similar…

Opinions please! I do a lot of enduro riding, will be heading to the Alps in the summer as well for all mountain riding!

CCDB was awful on my Helius am until I got it customed.

Whereas mine from tf tuned was fantastic…

I currently have a Bos Vip’r that is a brilliant compromise of weight versus performance. I like the way it had been fit, initial setup & forget, with sublime damping a mid stroke support (something that cannot be said for the rp23s I tried).

TLR, wasn’t your CCDB an early version that Stendec had to fettle, or bring up to current spec’?

mildred – no, mk”2″ with the parabolic needles.

stendec sorted it but my AM was ultimately flawed 🙁

Mildred it was more like TLR was the early model that needed fettling before he could ride the bike properly 😀

I would second your comments on the Bos Vipr being the best compromise but the CCDB is still the best outright damping performance I’ve had on my Helius.

The RP23 I could not get to work well for me at all.

What exactly don’t you like about the RP23?
Speak to a tuner to see if it can be made better before giving up on it.

Of what I’ve tried on my AM. My tuned Float is a great shock… although my CCDB coil is better, and the VIPr was great on the short ride I had.
Very impressed so far with my Avalanche tuned DHX Air… feels better than the CCDB.

For myself, I have had a rp23 on the following bikes:
Orange 5 x2
Orange blood (1x mine & 1x extended test)
Yeti asr7
Nicolai Helius cc
Nicolai Helius FR

Every one lacked mid stroke support & blew through their travel. Every one cavitated. Every one was replaced or repaired under warranty.

In contrast I’ve had a few Dhx air series shocks (which are often slated), and although they also lacked mid stroke support none of them went wrong – didn’t even get stuck down in sub zero temps.

I’ve also had a few float R shocks, which again, none went wrong.

Given I’ve never had an RP23 that has lasted more than a few miles, I think they’re utter shite. A tuned basic float gives better performance and never seems to fail. That said, for damping performance look elsewhere.

I know that we all have different preferences but all I can say is that mine are Bos, CCDB coil (didn’t get on with air – couldn’t get anywhere near full travel). I’d like to try an avalanche but I’ve recently picked up a Roco WC very cheap and I’m very impressed so far.

Mildred it was more like TLR was the early model that needed fettling before he could ride the bike properly

Ah yes… If I recall, he had his leg length reduced by 25mm to negate the dreadful pedal strike that afflicts all early AM’s… Or was that why he bought the bike that’s been ridden really hard into a wall and fitted with stilt like wheels??? 😉

Thanks for the advice people. I think I’m definitely going to go for a coil shock because that is what I’m used to. Had a DHX 5.0 on my Heckler and loved it, I know CCDB are meant to be very good on Nicolai Helius’s… So I think that will be floating my boat and I’m going to go for one if I can find the right size.

If anyone has a 200x57mm CCDB or similar coil shock for sale let me know!

Jordan

If anyone has a 200x57mm CCDB or similar coil shock for sale let me know!

I’m guessing that you’ve got an older AM then? I didn’t think I would notice the difference moving from the 200x57mm shock to 216x63mm shock but it does seem to work better; I know this is going to sound a bit shite but the bike feels more ‘fluid’ and composed and it’s also easier to get a good set up, i.e. the bike feels less sensitive to poor damping.

You can buy the new levers and mount from Nicolai UK; not cheap but I think it’s worth the investment if you’re also changing damper.

To your point on wanting coil versus air, I can empathise but honestly the air cans these days are so good it’s a pretty marginal gain. I never liked the RP23 I had but I know they have improved a lot over the last two updates (the Kashima version onwards – not that it’s the Kashima coating that has improved the performance, rather it’s the damping/oil flow).

The Bos Vipr really is very good and by all accounts Messiah’s Avalanche equiped DHX Air sounds like it’s excellence as well.

I’m going to be selling my CCDB shortly; but it’s a 215 x 63 as my AM has the later levers. I’ve really enjoyed owning the CCDB and it’s a great toy for learning about different damping adjustments and how they effect how a bike rides… but it really is a heavy lump to have attached to a bike for long days out in the hills (even with a pimpin Ti spring 😉 ). I bought it for more DH orientated days… but after getting a Float tuned to where it works nearly as well I’ve not been using it as much… although the Float gets very hot sometimes and is not as good for the silly stuff I like hence the DHX Air.

I’m not interested in changing shock setting like Pro-Pedal or CTD… its marketting bullsh!t; a shock (and bike) that works well shouldn’t require the crutch of adjustable settings (or travel)… all IMHO/E etc. So often we faff and change things on our bikes when the best thing to do is change how we ride (guilty 😉 ).

I’ve just had a great weekend riding the Avalanche Tuned DHX Air and so far I’m really impressed… it sucks up the bumps like the CCDB but feels like it pumps better as it doesn’t use as much travel from weight shifts and is able to return quicker from deep in the travel. It feels completely overdamped in the car park much like VIPr’s and my Float do. Pretty much my only complaint with the CCDB is that it sometimes feels like it runs deep in the travel and rebound from down there can be a bit slow (why people describe them as having no “pop”?). This feels like a great trait much of the time especially for fast doonhall trails as it lowers the bottom bracket and makes the bike manual through rough stuff superbly well; the back end sinks through the travel with a rearward weight shift and the shock keeps working deep in the travel tracking the terrain. But for steep techy climbing the similar rearward weight shifts push the shock through the travel and again it likes to stay there which does have a feeling of near falling over the back… and you get more pedal strikes!!! A heavier spring doesn’t seem to help much and I was thinking my CCDB could do with a bit of a custom tune as twiddling the adjusters doesn’t help with these traits… but seeing as I also wanted to lose weight I figured trying the Avalanche tune on a DHX Air.

Clearly I’m a fussy analytical geek 🙄

I’ve still not had a chance to try the tuned DHX Air on all the terrain types I want so I’m not fully convinced of its absolute greatness yet, but I’d be surprised if it falls at the last hurdles.

Best shock so far for me is the Avalanche tuned DHX Air… although the TF/Push tuned Float I have is also very good and probably all I really need 🙄 .