Trying to decide if I should go for a better air shock on my Gen 4 RocketMAX or go for a coil.
Background, I've had Gen 1 with a CCDB Inline, Gen 3 & 4 with a RS Deluxe. Always felt that the rear is not as active or supple as I would like, I recently had a ride on a Chromag Lowdown, and that really shone a light on that. I've never had a Coil before, but some of the RocketMAX reviews seem to speak favourably of using a coill on this bike.
My riding areas are places like the Peaks, Golfie and the Alps.
Warrantied for air only IIRC
Warrantied for air only IIRC
You can use a coil on the RocketMAX as long as you ask Cotic for spring weight and don’t put anymore than 2mm of preload on.
What shock was on the Chromag? What shock are you using at the mo exactly?
What shock was on the Chromag? What shock are you using at the mo exactly?
The Chromag had a 2023 Super Deluxe Ultimate and I currently have a Deluxe Select.
Select stuff is not that great. I think you'd find new Rockshox Super Deluxe air shocks to be leagues better. Or go coil if you want to.
I had a ccdb air in my gen 3 (and also briefly a coil inline that came with it). Usually I'm a coil fanatic but I found the ccdb air suited the frame really well. I had it set up basically surefooted and rocksmashy rather than poppy or jumpy and ccdb air does that really well, I didn't feel a lot of difference in suppleness between the coil and air tbf but another coil shock might be different.
How progressive is the frame kinematics? I love a coil shock and it's my first choice if I'm not being a weight weenie, but only if the kinematics are progressive enough.
Apparently 30% which is ideal for a coil.
I wouldn't worry too much about progression stuff. I've had low progression bikes work great with coil. But anyway, RocketMAX + coil = really lovely IME.
I wouldn't worry too much about progression stuff. I've had low progression bikes work great with coil. But anyway, RocketMAX + coil = really lovely IME.
Good to hear. Which coil did you run?
Tested a lot of coil shocks on the RocketMAX. My faves were a Cane Creek Kitsuma and an X Fusion HC3 RCP.
How about one of the bigger volume air shocks? RS Vivid or Fox X2 perhaps?
How about one of the bigger volume air shocks? RS Vivid or Fox X2 perhaps?
I would not go X2 because of reliability. Considered Vivid Air but they are 670g.
Coil shock body is about 380-450g and a lightweight spring for my weight is 250g so 630-700g so might as well go with coil?
How about one of the bigger volume air shocks? RS Vivid or Fox X2 perhaps?
The X2 will fail at some suitably incovient time, they always do
A forum member kindly sorted me with a Super Deluxe Ultimate C1 with the correct tune.
My old shock was a Deluxe B2 select+ the difference is night and day. I think for a lighter rider like myself the lower IFP pressure of about 200psi in the super deluxe compared to 400psi in deluxe makes a big difference to the low speed sensitivity.
The Super Deluxe has the linear can and I decided to run no tokens and removed the negative volume spacer to increase low speed sensitivity and so it sits a bit deeper into its travel. These bikes feel like they have highish BBs and a progressive leverage ratio so I thinks it’s a decent compromise.
Once I have the Super Deluxe dialled in I might try refitting the negative volume spacer and running a lower pressure/more sag to see how that compares.
