Review: The Cane Creek Helm Coil Fork – Is it better than the Helm Air?

January 15, 2019
10 Comments
Shortly after releasing its very first mountain bike suspension fork, the Helm, US brand Cane Creek brought out a coil-sprung version. And having amassed no fewer than 7 months of test time aboard this long travel, coil-sprung fork, David Hayward is ready to deliver his review. Over to David! The last time I rode a coil fork was a 2012 Marzocchi. At the time, it was burly and plush. Compared to what we're riding now though, it wasn't great - it only had one rather soft spring weight avail
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David started mountain biking in the 90’s, by which he means “Ineptly jumping a Saracen Kili Racer off anything available in a nearby industrial estate”. After growing up and living in some extremely flat places, David moved to Yorkshire specifically for the mountain biking. This felt like a horrible mistake at first, because the hills are so steep, but you get used to them pretty quickly. Previously, David trifled with road and BMX, but mountain bikes always won. He’s most at peace battering down a rough trail, quietly fixing everything that does to a bike, or trying to figure out if that one click of compression damping has made things marginally better or worse. The inept jumping continues to this day.

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10 thoughts on “Review: The Cane Creek Helm Coil Fork – Is it better than the Helm Air?”

  2. Check out the MRP Bartlett for a dual crown, slightly lower travel, fork. I’ll be getting a Helm or Ribbon Coil in the coming months. Yum yum!

  3. Are the UK not getting the much advertised price drop which the USA are?
    Cane Creek have recouped the development cost on the fork now so dropped the price in the US.

  7. The D-Lock axle is shite tbh. I’ve got a helm and as soon as it gets a little dirty it becomes a faff.

    Much prefer the through axle on my pike.

  8. @robertajobb Additional springs are £36.95 each; Extra UK can advise you on what they have in.

    @chevychase I’ve not found that in nearly two years of using Cane Creek forks – this one, and the Helm Air before it. The D-Loc on the air was a little easier to turn the locking tab on, but the coil one has never become a faff.

  10. Very interesting read, I got a pair a few months ago and am still feeling my way with them. I put the lighter spring in, right for my weight and ran them wide open cos everyone seems to. They were mega plush on small stuff, rooty sections etc but when it came to bigger hits off drops they felt wrong/scary. Seems they were just diving through the travel so I’ve dialled more HRS in and it’s better but still a work in progress. But yeah, going for bigger spring and running everything open might be the simplest way forward.

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