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I plan on getting myself a coil shock for Christmas. On my previous bike I swapped the air shock for a fox dhx rc4 (this was some years ago) and the difference was night and day. The obvious choice now would be a fox dhx2. Is there anything else I should be considering? Perhaps the rockshox equivalent would be equally as good but cheaper or maybe another brand altogether?
I should add that although I say for Christmas I'll probably wait until I see one heavily discounted so am happy to wait a while, I would like it by spring though.
I’d suggest getting one with a hydraulic bottom out - gives you more options and can use a softer spring without harsh bottom out.
Cheapest one that does that is the Rockshox Super Deluxe Coil - though you have to make sure you spec it as not all of them have it.
If you’re feeling fancy then the EXT equivalent is very very good.
Careful with the Fox one - just make sure you don’t have a bike with a yoke thing - the shaft is quite thin on the Fox shocks so if you put them on a Specialized / Ibis Ripmo etc you can end up snapping them.
DVO has a 14mm shaft if you have one of the above brands (or similar designs) so a Jade / Jade X might be a better option in those scenarios.
The bike is a 2021 santa cruz nomad if that makes a difference
ohlins ttx22
My Ohlins feels awesome but I haven't ridden a coil shock since 2010 previously so can't compare it to anything.
I did treat myself to an EXT but the bike got nicked immediately afterwards.
CC Coil IL is easily overlooked because of the lack of piggyback… great trail shock though.
I think Cane Creek get overlooked because they're the Crank Brothers of suspension manufacturers.
Does anyone have one that works?
depends on the bike. i prefer the fox air can that came on my ebike to the cane creek coil i put on it
I really rate Avalanche Suspension for tuning and they suggest that the best shock to tune is the Marzocchi Bomber CR with is a pocket friendly shock.
came to say what onzadog said, but it’s still about $800 US
i have an inline coil. the lack of piggy back is useful on my bike if i want to use a bottle, but i wouldn’t buy another. it is broken after every summer. i have it serviced every 12 months.
that said, they have just updated the design
I'd say to either get a shock with wide adjustments, like a cane creek (great performance and pretty reliable, contrary to the post up there) - or one tuned to your frame (EXT do this as part of the service).
Yes EXT is the best shock I've ever ridden, but I'm totally happy with the Formula Mod on my big bike at the mo. Those are worth a look because you can change a compression widget to give them a totally different tune.
But yeah, see what's going cheap really.
Thanks for the info everyone.
I’ve got a cane creek Kitsuma coil - it works great. However with the standard linkage on my sentinel I was bottoming out without a really heavy spring.’changed for a cascade link and it works perfectly with that. Hence why buying again if get a shock with an hbo.
Does a nomad have enough clearance through the tunnel for a piggyback coil shock?
I picked up and ex demo Storia Lok V3 from mojo Rising a couple of months ago, for an entirely reasonable price
It has completely transformed the bike, most notably in ways I wasn't expecting. Frankly, I'm blown away. Knowing what I know now, I'd not hesitate to buy one at fill price. I'm unable to compare it to anything other than recent X2s though.
Does anyone have one that works?
Cane Creek coil IL on my GeoMetron has been both brilliant and reliable. Many times better than the Fox X2 it replaced.
I have a Formula MOD. I got it at an excellent price with a new frame bundle. It very sensitive off the top, even for a coil. It also feels totally bottomless, even if that is achieved with the crude application of a big foam bottom out bumper. I have the damping fairly closed to offer some support. As a value option I think it's good, but I would be interested to try something more fancy too. The only narratives are that that it makes a small ticking sound when changing direction, and the lockout lever is quite stiff
I would have chosen a CC kitsuma, but the hydraulic bottom out of the RS options is intriguing too.
As a value option I think it’s good, but I would be interested to try something more fancy too.
I have an EXT on one bike and Mod on the other, and there's a lot less between them than I expected.
Did yours come on a Bird Aeris 9? Are you using the stock medium CTS widget?
Does anyone have one that works?
My Coil IL has never put a foot wrong. It’s from the days of 26” wheels as well, now on its third frame. The Kitsuma Coils are also very reliable.
There was a year of production when Air IL needed fixing from new. That reputation has stuck quite a bit. All shock brands have had something similar with lightweight air shocks at some point, but CC rely on word of mouth rather than marketing heft (in my opinion) so have failed to erase the memory of their mistake in the way others seem to manage to.
I've owned and maintained a few. The Bomber CR is a cracking shock for the price. But.... many DHers are going for Air now, with the air being easier to adjust in smaller increments and tech getting better and better, more are switching to the Fox X2 and the Super Deluxe Ultimate DH shocks, they seem to give the feel they want and seem happy.
CC rely on word of mouth rather than marketing heft (in my opinion) so have failed to erase the memory of their mistake in the way others seem to manage to.
I dunno, I think the "hot take" you're responding to is the exception rather than the rule.
I suffered 2 or 3 dodgy early Air Inlines, but was impressed with how they owned the problem and resolved it. Now have the latest-but-one model on my short travel bike and it's great.
Fox's recent issues with the X2 have probably tarnished them more as they had their head in the sand about it for too long. And I'm still wary of RS rear shocks after those Monarchs that kept losing their anodising.
Just my 2c though.
They’ve literally only just fixed the X2, third time lucky, yet you’ll still see them recommended (rightly so now they’re sorted) but people will warn you off CC completely because of problems with an entirely different shock that was sorted long ago.
I saw you mention you had changed the CTS, did you go to the lighter option? How has it been?
I'm not the best critiquing suspension but always feel it could be better.
Still limited mileage on my A9..
Yeah, great shocks. I’m looking at one when I move to a frame requiring a metric shock. Probably worth getting his swapped for the revised version though.
I saw you mention you had changed the CTS, did you go to the lighter option? How has it been?
Yes I fitted the soft compression widget in the summer, it's a big improvement.
The medium CTS was OK at slower speeds and in the wet but felt harsh and kicky when the trails had dried out.
With the soft CTS I can ride faster and it's more comfy and planted. I took it to the Alps for two weeks and it was great on some very long, fast and rough descents.
I haven't spoken to Bird direct about it, but another owner with an air shock said they told him the frame needed a very light compression tune.
Soft CTS should have been fitted as stock IMO. I think you'd need to be a very fast (or heavy?) rider to need the medium.
I was going to buy a Formula Mod but the prices shot up and I don't love my current bike enough to spend the cash as I'm not sure how long I'll keep it.
I did buy a Cascade linkage in the half price sale though and that went a long way to solving my biggest problem, which was using all the travel, all the time or pumping it up and losing traction and sensitivity.
They’ve literally only just fixed the X2, third time lucky, yet you’ll still see them recommended
They ‘claim’ they have fixed it, still too early to tell I would suggest. I tend to see what the tuners say, as they can see a lot of the inherent design flaws which cause the (many) failures in the Float X2.
When they work, they do feel nice, but I would never run one.
Personally, I am running a new model Super Deluxe coil, with a WPS kit in it on one bike, which feels lovely & a Fast Fenix on another, which also feels lovely.
I wouldn’t run an Ohlins again, too much faff & retuning to get it how I like & I wouldn’t run an EXT shock again, as I think it felt worse than the above two (which I bought second hand, had them serviced & tuned) which was significantly cheaper than the Storia.
Also, I don’t want to have to argue with Chris Porter about what I want from a shock feel, Vs what he actually wants to do. 🤦♂️
The Santa Cruz is built around the Rock Shox, I replaced mine with the RS ultimate coil, and its fantastic.
I have a Fox DHX RC4 on downhill bike. I think it's one of the best shocks I've ridden and nicely tunable with the air bottom out shame the newer Fox coils don't have this.
I've had the Cane Creek DB Inline Coil, apart from the first one having a knock (which was fixed by TF straight away) it ran perfectly for a few years with zero servicing. Performance was very good.
Have an EXT now and it's brilliant. Spendy though, and if the frame is progressive enough, the CC Inline is close in performance. Only got the EXT as it was during lockdown and nothing else was availalbe that fitted new bike.
The RS ultimate coil on one of my bikes is very good, pretty faultless.
The MOD formula on my main bike is epic. In particular, the way it takes really big hits is nothing short of magical. For example, washing out sideways when hitting the take off on a decent sized gap, followed by a massive case, it literally just shrugs it off in a bizarrely comfortable way. I’ve seen other people case the jump in the same way and it didn’t end well.
I have an Ohlins TTX and it's brill. It's the only coil I've had though, so can only compare it to air shocks
My tuppence worth.
Having had, CC DB Air, RS Monach, Fox DPX2 and Fox X2 (plus some other oldies), the only one that i ever felt worked wthout killing the feel of the bike was the DBAir. I've got the X2 (replaced version) on my Rune at the moment, and it feels over-damped and dead -i've fettled a bit with it, but cant be bothered now.
Now - i've got shinny new stuff on order in the name of the CC Tigon - i have high hopes for this, but feel i may be beta testing. I avoided the CC Kitsuma as it's just too much IMHO, so hopefully the TIGON is a good compromise.
Storia is silly money, formula MOD i was looking at, but with only a rubber bump stop im not convinvced it will stand up to harsh hits too often.
formula MOD i was looking at, but with only a rubber bump stop im not convinvced it will stand up to harsh hits too often.
It's a bloody massive bit of rubber though 😀
Definitely worth trying if found at a reasonable price.
Do share your thoughts on that Tigon once you've ridden it anyway.
I've had a CC inline air and now have an inline coil, on different bikes. Had no Issue with either in over 5 years combined. In fact the Mrs has had an inline air for the last 2.5 yeas, again, no issues.
However, I'm in the process of trying to decide if I want to try something new and shiny, probably an EXT.
sharkattack
Full Member
I think Cane Creek get overlooked because they’re the Crank Brothers of suspension manufacturers.Does anyone have one that works?
Yep I have a double barrel coil and air for my G13.
The air broke and has been fixed once in the 5 years I've had it. The coil (non climb switch) has been faultless.
I had an inline coil on my old bike. It did transform how it felt. It did also fall to pieces at one point, but TFTuned were able to repair it for me.
depends on the bike.
Often gets overlooked. Got a Ohlins TTX and after quite a bit of faffing about, is now good on the back of a Spesh Enduro. Dis take a bit of swapping springs about though, and while they're not the most expensive things ever, they ain't cheap either.
Did yours come on a Bird Aeris 9? Are you using the stock medium CTS widget?
My MOD is on a Tyee. I have the standard CTS, but at 87kg and compression mostly closed I'm tempted to try a firmer one.
My MOD is on a Tyee. I have the standard CTS, but at 87kg and compression mostly closed I’m tempted to try a firmer one.
Ah right, as I posted above, I've gone from medium to soft and it's much better for my bike.
It's a great feature, like getting a re-tune that you can do yourself in 10 mins.
My pal went to the firmer CTS on his Orange and said that worked well.
I avoided the CC Kitsuma as it’s just too much IMHO
It was literally a DB air but metric sizing
sorry should have said Coil Kitsuma vs the original DB Air
I've had a DVO Jade X for about 4 years now. It was the cheapest decent option that fitted my medium Rail and I'm very happy with it. When I switched it over to my Kenevo SL I noticed some scoring on the shaft and Windwave replaced the shaft with the updated black version and serviced the shock FOC in short order.
I've got an RS Super Deluxe coil with WPS piston on my AM9 and an Ohlins TTX on my AM170.
Both feel great, would buy either again.