The Cane Creek Helm MKII has a new damper and a revised air spring (there is a coil Helm too, by the way). The D-lock bolt-thru axle design is new for the MKII as well.
- Price: £1,099
- Options: 130-160mm internal adjust, 27.5in, 29in, 44mm offset, 51mm offset
- Weight: 2,010g
- From: Extra UK
The previous version of the Helm was a decent enough fork, as you’d expect from a company as well-grounded in suspension as Cane Creek, and this second generation Helm carries over all the good aspects and adds a real focus on reducing friction.
Although it makes no difference to the performance of the fork, it must be said that the aesthetics and general finishing level of the new fork is just a bit nicer than the original Helm.
Despite the revised compression circuits, on the trail it’s the reduced friction that is immediately noticeable. The SKF seals used inside the fork (oil seal head) as well as outside (wiper seals), combined with the move to lighter 2.5wt oil from Motorex, are evidently doing a fine job. The original Helm offered super supportive damping and felt better suited to heavier and/or more aggressive riders. It was a fairly racy feeling fork.
The new Helm has a much softer feel to it. Even with lighter riders on board, the Helm feels nicely active. It deals with quick, repeated impacts really well, whether they’re small root ripples or big craggy rock chunder. The chassis is plenty stiff enough too, with no noticeable binding or twisting.
Much like their rear shocks, Cane Creek forks have genuinely wide and useful damping ranges. Pretty much all riders from any end of any spectrum can dial the Helm to their needs. The supportive nature of the original Helm is still there whenever you’re really flying at high speeds or going-for-it over the front end of the bike.
It’s a great fork. One that is definitely well up there with anything from the Usual Suspects (Fox and RockShox basically). We would still say that other brands do the whole off-the-top suppleness thang a bit more than the Helm but… that can be a negative trait just as easily as a positive trait. There’s arguably more accuracy and feel with less ‘supple’ forks. As ever, a lot depends on tyre choice too.
Overall
The Cane Creek Helm MKII is a great looking fork that offers top drawer damping and ride handling in an impressively stiff chassis.
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Review Info
| Brand: | Cane Creek |
| Product: | Helm MKII |
| From: | Extra UK |
| Price: | £1099 |
| Tested: | by Benji for Singletrack World Magazine Issue 147 |
