[Closed] CCDB/Decent rear shocks, how many of you use one on a 'trail' bike?

I'm running a pro-pedal Vanilla R on my enduro that cost me £40 used and is more fun than the RP2 I also have. I'd be interested to try a more expensive shock but the Vanilla works so well it's not something I'd particularily be looking to upgrade.

Yeah I agree. Have never found an air shock I could honestly say I really liked but the weight thing has prevented me going coil on anything other than my big bike. Having said that, if I could justify the cash, I'd have a CDDB with Ti spring on my Blut LTc in a flash. Soooo expensive though.

I just put a CCDB on my Spicy which is used for aggressive trail riding and it decimates the Fox air can that was on there originally...the extra few hundred grammes are insignificant compared to the benefit of improved traction and damping. Im running a Lyrik Coil DH fork too. I dont think Ill be going back to air unless the weight weenie bug catches me again....
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Is weight really that much of an issue on the types of bikes these shocks are installed on? around 300-400g ain't going to make much difference surely?

I'm running the CCDB on my tracer, it adds a fair bit of weight (400g on a 14kg bike!!) but isn't that noticeable when going uphill. Downhill, it is 100 times better than any air shock I have ever owned. The plushness and the way it tracks the ground swallowing any bumps in the trail is totally unmatched by anything else.

Setting up the CCDB is a real minefield. They come setup pretty well out of the factory but 1/2 a turn the wrong way on one of the adjusters can turn the bike characteristics dramatically.

When looking at changing rear shocks, there seems to have been so little choice over the years with little or no innovations that people have just stuck with the stock shocks. The CCDB is so innovative compared to anything else on the market that people seem stunned by its price tag and unwilling to upgrade it even though they would pay £800 for a new set of forks or wheels.

I agree with Si, it does seem that people underestimate the value of a decent rear shock, it makes as much difference to the performance of the bike as a new set of wheels or forks. In fact I would go as far as to say it makes more of a difference than forks as it is constantly under pressure or moving under pedalling forces

Stop it! I managed to convince myself a few days ago that I didn't need/couldn't afford a CDDB...

Yes CCDB on Chumba XCL. My thoughts echo those of the above CCDB users, not noticed the extra weight but I have noticed the benefits, a mind blowing difference and it continues to get better and better as you get used to how it rides, probably the best upgrade I have ever made to a bike.

There is a good choice out there now, CCDB, Elka, Avalanche etc. They are expensive, but no more so than wheels and forks.

The biggest problem is the lack of understanding about the damper units, to help people achieve what they desire from the shock.

pedalhead - you need it do what you can to get one 🙂

Everyone (almost) needs a CCDB. Once you have ridden one, guaranteed you will want one. They are expensive but you will definitely notice a positive difference

The biggest problem is the lack of understanding about the damper units, to help people achieve what they desire from the shock.

Agreed. The CCDB manual does give you guidance on it but it does require several rides and a lot of patience turning dials one click at a time until you find the correct setting. One click too far and you will totally bugger up the settings

I shall be reading this thread very thoroughly. I have got an Intense 6.6 and the DHX5 Air is horrible! My first try of an air shock and I am not impressed. Been looking at what to go for. Fox, Rock Shock, Elka, Bos or CCDB. Of those the CCDB is getting really rave reviews so seems like its worth the price.

One click too far and you will totally bugger up the settings

at least 2 of you have said this - seems a bit OTT if they really react that massively to tiny adjustments ?

One click makes a noticeable difference thats for sure, not sure its enough to totally bugger it up but one click can takes things beyond optimal.
I was pretty surprised at the range of the CCDB TBH - its incredibly versatile.
I also found the instructions pretty helpful and fettled understanding what changes I was making and able to sense the changes. having said that - it aint dialed in totally yet! 🙂

If I'm honest I have doubts that I'd be clever enough to dial in a really complicated shock very well, and hence might not get the best out of it. I'm kind of a "set it & leave it" type of person.

ccdb on my nicolai helius am and my turner 6 pack before that.
trail set up is high preload with lots of lsc and hsc. dh / am set up is less lsc and hsc.
stunning shock, totally adaptable.
weight penalty to be countered with ti spring. vikingboy - is that a cane creek spring ?

Having said that, if I could justify the cash, I'd have a CDDB with Ti spring on my Blut LTc in a flash. [b]Soooo expensive though[/b].

Thats the funniest thing i've heard all day - when you've spent [b]£2400 [/b]on a frame..................

Everyone has a budget, that was mine.

pedalhead, what size shock does your LT take?

Using my old Enduro as a baseline, I fitted a Romic shock which did wonders for traction and downhill plushness.

I had the Fox Float PUSHed and much to my amazement, I preferred it to the Romic...

When it's all said and done though I don't think I'm that good enough a rider to really appreciate the difference, all I can say is that the PUSHed shock felt nicer.

Si, it's 8.5" (215mm) eye-eye, with a 2.5" (63mm) stroke.

Mounting hardware is 21.8mm with a 8mm through hole.

(scraped from SC website)

Si, it's 8.5" (215mm) eye-eye, with a 2.5" (63mm) stroke.

Shame, i could have let you have a go with a CCDB, but i only have 200x57 🙁

Very kind thought nevertheless, thanks 🙂

I'll try a 200x57 if its going spare- been keen to try a coil on my Nicolai 😉

I have a PUSH'd VAN R on my zesty as I do not respect air shocks, but, realistically, do you need a super spec shock with hi\lo compression on a 140mm trail bike? especially when you generally don't have that on your fork?
First point of contact is your fork, so that where to put your cash, surely?
IMO The limiting factor is your fork, not rear suspension (see the ancient technology know as "hardtail")
Of course, a DH bike with with 8" travel is a different matter, Fox 40 + DHX RC4 makes complete sense.

In the end, I think it comes down to too many middle aged men with lots of expendable income, riding trail centres and spending silly money on bike parts.

Custom tuned Avalanche on my Turner. CCDB's are common as muck.

oh and vikingboy, so I can understand your comments, can you please define the

aggressive trail riding

I have one on my Nicolai Helius FR and it is is brilliant.Takes a bit of time to fettle and get it right. Very little LSC/lsr running on mine,Tracks the ground like nothing on earth.

I had a pushed dhx5 coil before and the ccdb is leagues above it.I am faster over the rough stuff on this.

When i order my next bike xc/trail i think i will miss the plushness/smoothness of the ccdb(i will make sure that the ccdb can be fitted though) going to try a monarch air can.

as usual, a thread with lots of noise and no substance

IMO The limiting factor is your fork, not rear suspension

And how did you come that amazing conclusion? Are both parts not in direct contact with the earth? Why not just buy a cheap FS frame and stick a top end fork on it then?

So why did you bother with a pushed Van? or suspension at all?

Not sure what that has to do with anything, my point was if you are going to have suspension then you may as well as have it working to its best ability.

Its a do it all bike so it basically does everything from trail centres through to DH. Its doing the Megavalanche later this year as I move towards more enduro type stuff.

I was actually thinking of sending the discarded Rp2 to tftuned to see how it performs with their mod's given all the positive press I read about them.

Dasnut - Your Zesty is a excellent platform for adding on a high end shock like a CCDB due to its inherent stability and resistance to pedal induced bob. Even though its "only" 140mm, you'll get far more control when using a shock which can track the ground as excellently as something like a CCDB. I was shocked just how much more traction was afforded by the swap....Id love to see what a Ohlins developed fork could do too....

OOC, what "substance" do you want exactly?

And how did you come that amazing conclusion? Are both parts not in direct contact with the earth? Why not just buy a cheap FS frame and stick a top end fork on it then?

my point is whether you need a £600 shock with hi\lo compression adjustment, or a £250 shock tuned to your weight, and usage.

fair enough, if you take a look at your trail and say, "today I am going to need more hi speed compression damping and I'll get to the bottom of the hill .2s faster"
but I am not a downhill racer, surely the purpose of these shocks is to be constantly tweaking them for the terrain - whereas most trail riders find a setting they "like" and leave it. So get a VAN R tuned to how you "like" and save yourself £350.
And how many people know how to tweak a shock correctly? VAN R theres nothing but rebound to get wrong.

and vikingboy, good to see the spicy being used for its intended purpose.

Anyone tried the new RS Vivid 5.1 shock?

http://www.sram.com/node/177/brand/rockshox/src/cat

So get a VAN R tuned to how you "like" and save yourself £350.

plus the weight difference is a little more than 400g as well (unless you are a midget), tis nearer 630g for me

si_progressivebikes - Member

Shame, i could have let you have a go with a CCDB, but i only have 200x57

My Intense 6.6 has an awful DHX5 Air and its 200x57. Would love to have a go with a CCDB! 😉

Sorry to drag this thread back up, but i finally had the chance to ride my VF2 with CCDB yesterday at Llandegla, and all i can say is wow!

Small bump compliance, big hit and control are massively improved over the RP23. What suprised me most was how well it climbed. Even though i was running around 35% sag the bike felt balanced and composed, but still taught, without the feeling it was wallowing in its stroke, which i always felt the RP23 was doing without the pro pedal switched on.

Traction was amazing, felt like i was running the best tyres in the world if you know what i mean?

All in all very impressed, and i have had only a couple of rides with it!

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This is not good news for my wallet si 🙄

I have one on my DH bike and it is quite frankly amazing. Personally, despite their cost not being a big issue to me I don't see that much point in running them on my trail bikes. I've not yet found a point where I felt my trail bike [i]needed[/i] a back end that good. Infact I wouldn't want my trail bike rear end to work that well as I feel having a front bias for grip on a bike with the saddle running higher is only a good thing. Also you simply don't need that level of performance on a trail bike and it adds needless weight to the bike.

Yes they are nice but overkill if you are only using a trail bike, as a trail (xc) bike.

Have to say, for me weight is a limiting factor. My AM bike is 32lbs with a DHX 3 (which I must admit isn't great) and am really keen to swap for an RP23 in order to lop an extra half pound of weight off as well as improve performance.

If a coil could get down to air weight, I would, but as it is they're too weighty. I don't want my 32lb bike to weigh even more than that.

I really do have to disagree. Why should the suspension on a 3k bike not be as good as it can be? Weight is the only reason I can think of for not wanting a good coil, but it's a trade off worth having IMO

Why should the suspension on a 3k bike not be as good as it can be?

Because being overbiked is boring and sanitises trails.

I can see it if your bike weighs sub 30lbs, but not a lot of bikes like this do, and for me air is sill the answer. Riding a bike over 30lbs all day is a real bind.

I use mine for DH (personally I'm too light and scrawny to muscle a DH bike, I just can't ride the things as fast), big mountains and trail centres and only for the proper DH would I perceive the benefits of the shock being more important than the weight on my bike.

Because being overbiked is boring and sanitises trails.

Depends what trails you ride and how you ride them.