RS Vivid Air vs Fox X2 vs coil

At the moment I have a Transition Sentinel v2 with a cascade link and running 155mm of rear travel (160mm Lyrik on the front) with a Cascade link and 57.5mm stroke shock.

I have a Kitsuma Coil with a 500lb spring and a Fox Factory X2 with the 2024 seals and upgrade bits to hopefully fix the issues that X2’s have had for a few model years.

I like the coil for its plushness over small bumps etc, but I fancy trying a coil shock with an hbo on it. Thinking Rockshox Super Deluxe coil or Vivid coil which now seems to have replaced it.

Whilst looking into this I’ve seen a few positive comments / one review about how good the Vivid air actually is.

I like the X2 as it’s lighter and maybe a touch poppier than the coil – but it’s quite harsh over small bump stuff. I suspect I’m running it a bit on the hard side to avoid it wallowing into the mid stroke (like a lot of air shocks seem to). The last few times out where I’ve been going at speed (for me) over lots of repeated roots it’s felt and sounded a bit crashy. I’m going to try lowering the air pressure a bit and add in some more hsc if I find it bottoming out as a result of lower pressure.

Either way I’m sticking the Cane Creek Kitsuma Coil up for sale and once gone I’m thinking of getting either a Vivid Air or Vivid Coil with hbo.

Anyone got experience of either of the Vivid shocks and an X2?

Just coming back to this – played about with the X2 factory on my sentinel and got it feeling a lot better over small to mid size stuff. Less air pressure and a little more hsc damping. Lsr a bit faster. Lsc is wide open.

I think it’s just banging through its travel a bit too much / too quickly on drops so I’ve ordered some volume tokens to pop in to get it to ramp up a bit more towards the end of the travel.

Still thinking about selling the Kitsuma Coil and trying a Super Deluxe or Vivid coil for the hbo. So if anyone has any thoughts / opinions on either of those shocks that would be grand.

After many years of failing X2’s that were supposed to be ‘fixed’ I wouldn’t have another.

I’ve already got the X2 – it came with the frame I bought. I almost instantly sent it off for a service with the new 2024 bits being put in. It was more than half a new shock according to the list of parts. I’m not yet convinced it’s better than the Float X I had in my last Sentinel but it’s hard to be objective as it was a while ago I had it.

Got the new Vivid Ultimate coil in the end. So far it’s absolutely mega – can run a softer coil then on the Cane Creek Kitsuma I had before, but the damping / hbo on the Vivid means I’m not bottoming out at all. Feels bottomless at times. Yet more plush over roots than the Kitsuma as it’s a softer spring.

Out of interest, why the Vivid over the Super Deluxe coil?

was going to reply that I really like my Vivid air so far, seems you went for it already. Quiet, plush, hbo is great, can’t fault it

@rockthreegozy

I think the Super Deluxe coil is being replaced with the Vivid coil. Couldn’t track down a super deluxe coil in stock in the size for my bike. Vivid has the ‘touchdown’ damper thing that the Vivid air has – meant to disengage compression damping for the first small bit of travel to make it track the ground better. In theory.

It seemed to grip really really well – stutter bump root sections were much smoother.

I’ve gone 50lb lighter on the spring and first few runs down the little drop line at FOD I was bottoming out I think. Dialled in some hbo and a little hsc and it suddenly feels bottomless instead. Looking forward to riding it some more.

My favourite air shock is fox floatx . Hated the x2, have ohlinns tx22 air too. Used tx22 coil and ccdb coil but float x wins

@jedi – I liked my float x as air shocks went. Expected my x2 to be better (once rebuilt with 2024 bits by Silverfish) but can’t feel any discernible difference really.