Should You Put A Coil Shock On Your Trail Bike?
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 7. 06. 2024
- Air shocks have been the go-to for many bike manufacturers over the last few years, but are coil shocks making a heroic return, and could they be right for you? In this video, Doddy runs you through the differences between shocks and helps you decide on the best fit for your bike!
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Got offered a killer deal on a new Push Elevensix and couldn't say no... so far Im loving it and super impressed on how I can tune it. The shock really doesn't suffer from a lot of usually drawbacks that affect most coils. Its set up to lock out perfectly and improves my climbing better than my dpx2 or RS super deluxe. Super fun through the chunky sutff and jumps too. Very impressed so far!
I've got both types of shock for my trail bike. Air for normal rides and coil for uplift days, takes 20 mins to swap them over and essentially means I have 2 bikes for the price of a shock!
So which shocks is better?
Hi i need an information..what coil do you use?how much travel ??
@@BikeTripBro Seems like he answered that question. Air shock for trails, coil for park. There are pros and cons to each.
@@BikeTripBro Did you not comprehend his post? If one was better, why would he have both?
Now, if you want the best of both worlds, buy an X2. Still not a perfect coil replacement, but damn near it
makes me happy I didn't buy a coil. When I go to the bike park I get in my head about getting one. But, I only get 1 or 2 bike park weekends each year. I prefer the pop and support of my Air shock on the stuff I ACTUALLY ride ,vs what I want to be riding. Sometimes that is a hard perspective to keep.
i used the ACTUALLY method for my tyre choice , watched a video that said buy tyres for 95% of your ride, still ended with Marathon Plus MTB rear and Magic Mary front , GMBN is an amazing channel though ;-]
Word
Coil is good if you like to ride some rough stuff, downhill tracks etc and thats it.
i have coil and i ride it everywhere. no reason you can't put a coil on a trail bike.
@@ebifurai415 I totally get that. But I am a rider that has the biggest volume spacer and my sag set at 25%. And I also just built a hardtail. So for 90% of the stuff I ride I'm looking for the poppiest firmest backend I can get away with. But like I said when I'm riding fast downhill bike park stuff I really do long for that downhill bike feel. But I'll ride any bike anywhere I can, it's always fun!
Thanks.. i was still deciding whether to change to coil, now i'm convinced. Stick to air shock đ€Ł
Thanks a lot doddy
Yeah for most people a high end air shock is more than good enough, way easier to tune and work on. Coils are better but only when they're properly set up which is very difficult to do.
@@nebnollock5198 Coils are better only on certain situations, air shocks are better on certain situations too.
It was great to meet you at BPW Doddy! You come across as well in real life as you do on here. Keep it safe âïž
My favourite is the no rear shock
I have run a Marzocchi CR coil on my Spectral AL6 for the past 15 months and love it. I tuned my suspension to suit my riding style and make the bike more suited to how I tackle enduro events. Looking to upgrade to the new Spectral AL 29er, and the coil will certainly be on the cards when that happens.
I have always preferred a coil shock since suspensions first came out .
Dody gives the best reviews! Super detailed but not pedantic đđŸđđŸ
I'm old enough to have used rear suspension with a spring and no air/oil in the shock.
That is now new technology on Huffy bikes.
department store bikes are just colorful versions of bikes 20 years ago
Excellent piece, dodie, thanks mate
That view under the coil shock đ€«đ
this is a super helpful video
I recently fitted a Cane Creek DB Coil IL to my Cotic FlareMax, just to experiment. So much more grip, that "glued" feeling, but does feel like it sits back a bit compared to air. For what I ride, coil is the better option. If I were to do more jumps, I'd switch back to the DBAir IL instead. It's great having that option, takes 5mins to swap the shocks over.
Excellent video, great info.
Great video, really helpful
Been running a coil for a while and it really nice especially with the smash pot conversion up front , no more adjustments just pick up the bike and ride . Best thing Iâve done to my Sl50 other than the mullet , tbh those two combinations are eminence when point downwards ,
Worth a try if you are curious đ§
Hi, Iâve got a S150 and am thinking of fitting a coil shock. Which one have you used?
@@colinbrown7435 I have used a cane creek db coil IL not sure of the size but TF Tuned weâre very helpful
It makes so much difference to the ride and it feels so much better and no set up either
Hope this helps đ
Really good to see and hear the detailed comparison from a guy who understands the mechanics and physics inside out. Think il be sticking with a fox air shock for the everyday rides. đ
I have a Cube stereo One77 2022 on order. one of the main reasons I got that bike was the shock mounts, you have one position for air shocks and one position for coil shocks. Cube really thought about how the shocks respond and how they want the frame to work with each type of shock.
I saw you there that day, wish Iâd come over and spoke to you now. Iâve recently converted my 2015 Capra to coilâŠâŠâŠcompletely transformed the bike (for the best of course).
I'm thinking about getting the spectral cf mullet with a coil shock. I think i'm gonna buy an air shock extra, the coil for park and more party purposes, the air for touring.
Put a coil on my yt. Dont regret it. Heavier, but worth it on the dh. The confidence is unreal
Coil for life now
All the things that Doddy said sounds like the coil is what I need on my bike.
Doddy, nice to see you riding :) It is very unusual to see you riding in last videos. I like it :) Actually now I ride hardtail, but I plan to buy some new suspension trail bike and I think I will use air shock. Air shock and coil shock has its own purpose. I think each rider should choose what serves their purpose.
I like the adjustability of the air shock
This summer replaced mt 21 year old Heckler that has coils front and back, with, spookily enough, a Spectral and have been chewing this over, but the one thing you says that has convinced me to hold back for now at least, is the reduced pedal clearance, I've been considering getting 165 cranks already, due to low clearance on techy bits.
Cheers, Doddster :)
Yuck
definitely want to get a coil now
I've been running a coil on my trek ex fuel. I got loads of people telling me that it was too linear for a coil but it has been ace. Loads of people running coil on the Starling which is very linear. I get that progressive linkages are better suited to a coil but it isnt black and white.
I run the DB coil in-line on my Trek fuel
Iâm running a progressive coil on my Santa 5010 at 100kg rider weight. Absolutely dialed - plush but poppy - coil on trail bikes for the win. Have own both air and coil on many bikes - will not purchase air anymore
Which coil shock do you have on the 5010?
Coil shock performance as you state depends massively on the bike you fit it to. I've compared the same version (Cane Creek Kitsuma Air vs Coil) on my bike and very much prefer the coil everywhere. It doesn't compromise climbing in any way. The lockout, if you want to use it, is almost hardtail firm, and the descending performance is just stellar. Well worth whatever weight penalty there will be.
Cane Creek named a shock after Kitsuma? That's rad af!
Citroen cars used gas pressure spheres acting as springs. The sphere had a diaphragm across the centreline (equator?). Top was gas pressurised. Bottom contained hydraulic oil. Damping provided by valves in the bottom of the sphere. The oil was pressurised by the suspension strut underneath allowing ride height to be adjusted.
Only one seal (like a bike coil shock) but on the fly ride height adjustment and the gas spheres added zero unsprung weight. Check it out.
Bought a Push 11.6 on sale last year for my Ibis Ripmo AF. Bike originally came with a DVO Topaz air shock with Ibis' "traction tune" which lacked any support deeper in the travel from mid-stroke to bottom out, regardless of air pressure, sag %, volume spacers, or bladder air pressure.
The Push 11.6 changed how the bike rides so dramatically that I don't think I'll ever ride another air shock. It climbs better, it descends better, it eats the gnar, chews through chunky tech, and begs you to go faster than you probably should. And this is on a bike that most people will tell you is too linear with it's 19% progressivity throughout the travel. On a bike known for it's climbing prowess with the DW Link suspension. IMHO the Push 11.6 is THE WAY on the Ibis Ripmo, period.
I went with a air shock when I upgraded my yeti sb130 to the lunch ride edition. Ive got fox factory 38 and float x2 giving me 160/140mm travel perspectively. the yeti's in general have a more linear linkage system with the switch infinity link so the air shocks balances that out quite nicely although you can easily get a 210x55 eye length coil shock in there. Heres the contraverial thing is that I race that bike myself being 6'6" that's 198cm for you metric people out there. I love the bike and although the sb150 has 10mm more travel my bike suits me well for racing because I can ride it on everything every day. not saying you cant do that on the 150 but the 130lr gives you a little bit more of a lively feel and makes you work a bit harder on your skills on the bike instead of letting the bike do the work for you. its fun for me might upgrade my frame sometime soon but for now I love my bike and it's great at the races!
Great vid as ever Doddy. I assume itâs a yes but please could you confirm a coil would go ok on your spectralâs shred fox build spec brother and also the 2022 offering?
Coils are great. They're smooth as butter to the point you can't even feel the trail, you don't have to pump them up and they're always consistent....but I only use them for downhill and freeride. You lose so much energy pedaling as the coil absorbs everything, including your energy. So much more of your energy goes into spinning your tires and you get a great platform with an air shock at the expense of small bump sensitivity.
I am buying a new frame for my dad, and it happens to be the same as my current frame but a size larger. It comes with a coil shock so I am going to swap it out with my Monarch air shock (also why I'm contributing to the purchase) to see how it goes.
I converted my ebike front to coil with Smashpot kit after I got to test my bike against a similar bike with full coil setup and same weight rider. It was just the thing I was missing! I feel more comfortable with the front now and I am faster with the coil. I'm still searching for a good kit for the rear shock tho... Also with ebike the extra weight isn't such an issue.
I'm wondering about the MegNeg aircan for the deluxe shocks, as a middle ground while keeping the good climbing performance
i use a Meg Neg Tuned one. I dont think to get on a Coil, other than somebody will give me a 185x55 Trunnion Coil damper for testing it....
I've put a megneg on my '21 Mega which nukeproof don't actually recommend. Done some telemetry testing with it and it makes the shock perform (on that frame) exactly like the ZEBs up front. If you're gonna get one, spend the time or money on telemetry day to get the perfect setup
i have tried a meg neg its an improvement but for me it ramps up to much towards the end of the stroke making full travel difficult even after a lot of fettleing,so im trying coil
@@daveybmtb I put a megneg on my '21 Nukeproof Mega as well. Ended up with 3 bands in negative and 0 tokens in positive, 30% sag, perfect balance of support and ramp to bottom out on really really hard hits.
Care to share your MegNeg settings from your telemetry testing?
@@jonathane8585 yeah mate, sounds like you have it pretty close, I'm all 4 negative bands and no positive spacers, running about 235psi (67kg kitted) with rebound on 2 clicks from fastest đ€đ»
Ohlins TTX coil ftw đ„
Have One on my CF Demo8 With TI Spring đ Very Awesome
I'd love to see if you van enduro an xc fully or xc an enduro bike (so adapt the bikes that they come as close as possible to the target discipline).
What model is your trousers with protection ? Dainese ? Thank you from France for all of your videos. A lot of detail but accessible đ
When Doddy says that you should be servicing your shocks every 6 months... I wince a little bit. Pray for me.
imagine servicing your shocks! never serviced mine and mine is 5 years old
Maybe if you ride everydayđ got my bike 3 years now, I donât even check the pressure in the shockđđ no problems
@Andrew Dodd if you had a trail bike and nothing else would you run it with an air or coil shock? Iâm thinking about it but really not sure cause I do like the âpopâ of an air shock.
I would love to see you do something on bike wieght. Where does wieght effect the bike most and does rider wieght play into this. Ie. Does bike wieght matter less the heavier you are as a rider.
I weigh 260 pounds of mostly muscle and I can confidently say that bike weight matters very little to me. But when my 130 pound girlfriend is riding my overbuilt steel hard-core hardtail the weight does have a noticeable effect. I think weight as a proportion of total weight of rider and gear is far more useful than just weight. A half a kilo spring on a coil shock is just half a percent of the body mass of anyone over 100 kilos or 230 pounds.
watching these coil shock vids makes me think i should have a play with my stab supreme and its dhx rc4 shock, i dont think i even attempted to set it up correctly
Do you think having a coil fork would better match the coil rear since both would sit into their travel more (compared to air shock/fork). If both fork and shock remain balanced, the geometry should be more stable.
Ride safe sir beautiful bike like bike
still on an anchient fox coil and it's beautiful, 99% of riders can't outride their suspension any way
Incredible, informative video! Thank you, Doddy! Oh..., By the way..., I saw a guy with a coil shock on a Trek Fuel Ex đđđ, now I can say " I've seen it all"! Haha
Did you forget about the Sprindex adjustable springs? :D
How do you find the suspension on that bike overall ? it looks like canyon have beefed it up with the new version of the same bike cf9, has the lyric and the deluxe with the piggy back , Iâm just curious if it was due to negative feedback.
I first tried a coil a couple years ago on my Niner RIP 9 RDO. I could never get the stock DPX2 to feel good on choppy fast terrain with lots of continuous quick impacts. Once I put on a coil, the bike was transformed and was light years better everywhere when traction and control was needed on rough terrain. I never noticed the extra weight climbing and it only lost a little pop on jumps compared to air. I love the coil so much I made100% sure my new bike was designed to accommodate one. I do run a air shock on my 2021 Stumpjumper, which I use on smoother and less gnarly trails where the air shock still shines.
Love coil shocks much more
Yes, the answer to this question is aways yes.
I don't like shelling out money to find the correct coil and hate having to throw them away all the time. Have thrown away about 5 coils during my biking time. For me the Air shock is the choice to go with anytime.
Riding an Intense Tracer 2020, 27.5 how can I see how progressive my frame is?
Doddy did you watch both the coil and Air shock under camera footage ? How much difference was there on the same trail on each shock footage? As in travel used
I run a coil shock on my trail bike, and I absolutely love it! Tracks so so well, so much traction, so plush, yet so little bob on climbs, I never even lock out. I couldnât go back to air to be honest.
For reference, itâs 2021 Commencal Meta TR29 running an EXT Storia V3.
I have the exact same and totally agree, awesomeness
Nice, me too, though mines the meta power TR. It's sweet as.
Running a 2021 meta am with ohlins coil and loving it! Cheers!
Love my storia. Does yours make a honking sound when compressed?
@@jdmbeaner182 nope just squishy noises
Switch from a DVO Topaz Air to a Rockshox Super Deluxe Coil shock on my Ibis Ripmo AF. Fox said none of their coil shocks would work on my bike because of lateral forces (or something like that). So check with your bike manufacturer and the shock manufacturer.
Hi doddy Iâve been told my 2020 spectral is to progress to run a coil set up? Is this true and if so can I do somthing about it
I just put a coil on my canyon neuron and I can safely say it works amazing! I couldnât find any info about it so there you go.
What model year Neuron do you have? I have the 2021 Al 7 and have been thinking about coil but can't find any info on spring curve, same as you.
@@oskarengesvik I have the 2021 6 so same frame. Do it!! I love my coil
Excellent presentation. My take on it: the bigger (rider, travel or terrain) you go, coil performs better. Conversely, the smaller you go (rider, travel or terrain) air will perform better.
As a bigger rider myself, I'd add the caveat that in general a bigger rider wants MORE progression on the back end not less. I actually put a cascade link on my bike to increase the progression curve, which allowed me to drop from 5 volume spacers to 3 on the air shock. I also tend to prefer a poppy bike over a planted one, so personal preference.
My bike is now rideable with a coil. Heavier and faster riders need them. Also can't understand the poppy /lively bullshit. People from Moto background will tell you a poppy bike will throw you off the track into a tree and kill you. To much fashion and not enough factual data.
I fitted a Fox 2021 Factory DXH2 to my 2018 Stumpjunper... it failed after 6 weeks. It unwound and then smashed up my frame. Fox wouldn't do anything about my frame but would only replace with the float version. Specialized gave me a discounted replacement frame. LBS were a great help but something fishy going on. Anyway, back on the trails but it was a long and costly experience.
Had a set of coil spring forks (Rockshox Sektor) on my hardtail for years, best forks Iâve ever ridden - shame 26 inch wheels went the way of the dodo and I had to move on.
What does progressive and linear mean in terms of air shock and coil shock?
Ifp Is not for putting pressure on the oil to force it back through the rebound circuit it is there to keep the oil under pressure so when the damper is compressed it compensates for the volume of the damper shaft.
Any review on rockshox ultimate deluxe single?
Shock maintenance every 6months or year? Holy hell, I've been riding a coil shock on a Rose downhill bike without any maintenance ever. Still works fine. Imagine how many new shocks I couldnhave bought for that kind of maintenance cost.đź
Heard mixed reports on coilâs effectiveness on giants maestro linkage ? Any ideas ?
I own a 2019 Norco fluid fs 2 I would like to put a coil on it but I'm not sure one would fit as there's a bend in the seat tube. Can you help? thanks.
My DVO jadeX definitely stays up at the very top and turns into a hard tail when locked out for climbing. ZERO sag
How do you find it? Been thinking about getting one.
coil shocks are super nice. once you feel it, it's hard to go back to air, especially crap shocks like DPS or deluxe *shrudder*
I have a fox DPx2 running at 300psi and its not right for my nukeproof reactor factory im thinking of getting a coil shock but i dont know which is like the same spec as my air shock i want top line specđ€
Coil shocks don't only track ground well. You can set them up to give you more height when jumping as well.
How?
Fox Float x factory. Perfecto đ
are these vittoria's the trail or enduro version?
My fork is âcrackingâ in the barings when i do stopies. Why?
what track is doddy riding from like 15:00 onwards?
Come one then. Are you fitting a coil for your next EWS race?
And how do you lap times compare between the 2? Thats the real world question. Are you overall quicker with a coil, or air on the usual riders circuit up some singletrack, down a Trail?
can I fit a coil shock to my 2022 canyon spectral ON: cf8?
Provided the suspension progression rate was sufficient for a coil, wouldnt it work better for heavier riders rather than having to run at or near max pressure in an air shock to set the sag to spec?
TrĂšs bon commentaire... je conserverai mon air shock sur mon Treq Rail et mon Reiger sur mon Trial TRRS Merci beaucoup !
Absolutly a very good work ! Remember to have fun always
Got a marzoochi c2r2 on my turner dhr
A nuther great video take care can we get a raffle for a home made bike by u ???????? Shock or hard tail
Just changed to a coil from a rockshox super deluxe megneg on my specialized enduro . So much better more plush tracks the ground very well, no knee pains. Probably never go back to air now.
What year enduro?
@@kentbell6731 its a 2020
@@justing6614 What spring weight did you get? I also have a 2020 Specialized Enduro and run a 450lb spring (I am 155lbs with gear), but I am constantly bottoming it out, even with the compression as firm as it goes.
@@lovebrosracing2559 im running a 600LB spring i weigh 210lb fully geared and bottom out occasionally.... i think a progressive spring or getting the shock tuned would be the way to go
@@justing6614 Thank you!
Itâs your bike, do what you want with it, just be aware that not all configurations of bike will accept a coil shock or will have been designed specifically around an air shock
My leverage ratio on my 21 GT Force is 12.9. I was under the impression that over 15 is the best result. Anything under is more suited to air. Is this correct?
No it's about the progression through the stroke.
Next week- coil forks PLEASE!
just bought a marzocchi with a lightweight progressive coil for my whyte e160s which is linear so looking forward to how it rides
and?
Rides lovely so much so I put a coil in my zeb I got the smashpot and itâs buttery smooth
Is the spectral consider to be a linear or progressive? I have Cannondale habbit and im thinking on a coil shock but dont really know if it will suits the bike?
spectral 29 has progressive suspension
What saddle is that?
What does linear and progressive mean on shocks cheers
it's weird to think all the rear coil force is held by that thin piece that threads for adjustment
This design has been used on motorcycle and car shocks for years
How can I know if my bike is progressiv or linear
I weigh 250 pounds and the 500 lb coil is far better on my santa cruz bullit than all air shocks I have had for the last 2 decades on several other bikes.
I would need to push the air up to 300 lb ( shock limit) to get the sag right on my focus jam 2 and have to check it every ride because it never would hold that high pressure ( drop 10 lb in two days) reliably for more than a day or two since new. same on Focus with Rockshox deluxe, Trek top fuel, SC tall Boy and Haibike all mt 7.
I had max air spacers in it and i bent 3 pedals and 2 crank arms with pedal strikes in 2 years due to sagging rear end on big hits.
the coil shock is far superior supple feel and not bottoming out or sagging & trolling for pedal strikes. I will never go back..
Same experience.
What shock did you put on?
Has anyone tried a progressive spring on the Spectral 29? I just put a Cane Creek VALT 500-610# on my Marzocchi Bomber CR. Looking forward to seeing how that feels. I had a linear Fox 500# spring on there and it felt amazing, but I was getting a pretty good bottom-out on bigger drops.
I had the Spectral AL 29. How did the coil fell on yours ?
Awesome! Now I know I definitely don't need a coil shock :D Showing some graphs to explain the whole linear/progressive things on the bike frames and shocks would have been a bit clearer though.
You should do a video based on how much cars had influenced some of our first mountain bikes
J-Dampers and Linear Dynamos are the future.
Was going to put an air shock on my old Kona Coiler, but then someone pointed out it would no longer live up to its namesakeâŠ
I see walmart when i look at a coil shock cuz thats what you find on cheap bikes. Now you u got me all confused lol