We Ride FOX Coil & Air Shocks Back-to-Back
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- Опубліковано 4 вер 2024
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Coil vs. Air, which is the best mountain bike shock? There's not one single answer that question, it's much more a case of matching your suspension set-up to your bike, the type of riding you do, and the type of terrain you do it on. To help you figure out what's what, we rode the same bike with an air and a coil shock back to back, and here are our impressions. For more, check out the full article on vitalmtb.com.
By the time a got to the end of video I remembered I was buying a hard tail 😂
Lol
I think everyone’s first bike should be a hardtail so they learn good bike handling skills before getting a full sus.
@@keirfarnum6811 A good full suspension is crazy expensive. You can get a good hardtail for 800. I can afford that, not the full suspension.
Wdym crazy expensive. Get a used one
@@LifeofLeium Even then, it’s still upwards of 2k most of the time.
Just put a coil on my 5010 and I'm amazed. all the 'forum experts' saying this won't work, and that won't work etc etc... I took a gamble and I can't see the coil ever coming off. Worlds better in every way. Used to ride trials and bmx so I like my suspension a bit harder, I went up a spring rate, run 25% sag so I still get a poppy playful bike but with better small bump sensitivity and more mid stroke support. The extra grip around corners is almost unbelievable! Well happy
which coil did you put on your 5010? I have a medium C S build that i want to throw a coil on too
Joey Thomas went for a cane creek double barrel inline. Ordered it through 'tf tuned' (if you're not in the uk, they're a suspension company) it came with their recommended base settings, based off of my bike and weight. Downloaded the cane creek app and got it sweet within 2 rides 👍🏻
I have a Bronson but probably going to get a 5010 frame. Do you reccomend and if so what shock? Bearing in mind I am going to put quite a lot of money towards this.
Marc Doucette yes it is!
this guy gave the most impressive review/explanation I have seen in a great while. Very well delivered and I learned some useful info. Thanks!
That's why Ohlins designs their coil shocks to be frame specific. They adjust the progressiveness of the damping to match the suspension. That's a coil shock done right.
I have a 2017 ohlins coil edition spesh endure and it feel so much better than all of my buddies bikes who added a coil shock at a later date and it didn't come with one (nomad, Bronson, reign)
Join
All shocks get frame specific tuning regardless of their spring. But the tuning of compression/rebound damping still doesn’t change the characteristics of the coil spring.which is linear. If the bike suspension design is linear no Ohlins/Fox/RS can make a coil shock that works well with it.
Is the Rockshox debonair good ? Please tell me before I waste £750 on one 😭😭😢😢😢😢👍🏽
Paul Cartwright i would go ohlins ttx22m. Reviews are amazing. And it’s £100 cheaper!
I’ll be getting one in a few weeks. 👍🏻.
Would have to disagree with you. I have way more mid stroke support with my coil than I did with my air shock. Yes, spacers and tuning was utilized and it helped but still prefer coil for all out performance and grip. I do miss the pop from the air shock, I have my rebound fully open on my coil and its no where near as poppy
what shock are you speaking? and what tuning, midvalve??
i too have a capra, ridden with float x2 and then dhx2 both 2018 models. really prefere the suppleness of the coil. air is now for sale. also due to the very progressive linkage of the capra i opted for the Light Tune Shimstack feels even better than the stock medium one...
I both rode coil and air shocks and forks.
I prefer coil over any air shock or fork.
I can't say that I agree with this comparison because if are basically the same shock you should be able to set them up pretty close to the same that's why they recommend different air pressures and coil springs as well as having the damping and rebound adjustments. You need to take time and set them up for how you want and feel is best for you. The air spring can be adjusted quicker than changing out springs but everything else is pretty much the same.
You'll find a lot more answers if you head over to the site and read the article. We've been covering the inherent differences between how coil and air shocks behave all this month.
They are the same “shock” this is true but they are not the same spring. A coil spring is linear (unless wound to be progressive), an air spring is naturally progressive. What this will mean in real terms is if the frame is not progressive mechanically then the coil is likely to bottom out over bigger objects and drops just like his did in the video, now your stuck with three options and none optimal. You either live with it, jump up in spring rate to resist bottoming but not you suffer on small bump and possibly end up even less supple than the air (something they should have tried in the video, jump up spring rates until it doesn’t bottom on that same drop and then compare its traction to the air), or last start firming the high speed compression to resist bottom but at the expense of a harsher hit.
when I race I definitely use a air shock. but in the normal day training or messing around on my local trails I switch to coil
that was some amazing riding there
Thanks for the effort to do this test.
Fun looking trail.
Air shocks are still the better purchase at the moment but as company's such as ohlins, fox and rockshox put more time and money into researching coil shocks they will get better and will be able to properly to compete with air and within the next 2 years I think we will see Coil shocks becoming the staple shock.
I think he needed to increase to high speed compression damping a lot on the coil. Coils are great as they provide a very predictable feel all through the travel range. It can be super supple for slower, smaller bumps and chater yet still respond great to big hits with a well tuned high speed compression damper.
philkism he purposely skewed the so-called back-to-back test of course this wasn't a back-to-back test he had no control group he didn't do the exact same test in the same manner and fashion the whole thing is ridiculous and a waste of time. 😂 you have to love these meme boys... show them any new product for mountain biking throw in some hip hop music and they think it's the latest and greatest 😂😂😂
Great review! thanks! looking to buy a coil shock for my Capra mostly for the enduro races... will keep the air shock for playing! cheers
I'd like you to compare the DVO Topaz to this coil shock because the small chatter just disappears using it at least on a Kona Process. I'd be curious how it compares on a Capra as well.
Why doesn't that Coil shock have a bottom out control and bottom out air chamber? My older DHX RC4 does. I had to put a spring on for my weight and dial in my bottom out control chamber for what I normally ride.
The DHX2 doesn't have an air chamber, but has more adjustability for rebound and compression. This version has high and low speed for both. I've found that bottom out can be typically fixed with adjusting high speed compression. This video fails to attempt adjusting any of these settings...
In addition to HSC adjust, some coil designs use a rubber bumper for bottom out. For instance, the Cane Creek DB, if you purchase a 210x55, it will contact the rubber at 45mm of stroke and compress it the last 10mm.
Been waiting for this video for a LONG TIME!!!!!
Air for life!
This helps a lot I’m about to get a dh bike and I wasn’t sure what rear shock to run
dh bikes are best with coil
COIL on a DH rig for sure.
Depends on what the bike is designed for, a few of the newer dh bikes don’t seem to have has much mechanical progressiveness built in as some of the older I think the new Phoenix is one designed for air and doesn’t even offer a coil option as example (might e wrong there). There is a site I think it’s called linkagedesign.com or similar (google) and you can find a frames specific progressiveness to see if it will match a coil well.
Always Ryding do yourself a favor buddy for the best reliability and long-term performance go with the coilover. Air shocks require more maintenance intervals and consider this, if the seals blow on an air shock you have zero suspension. If an oil seal leaks on a coilover you still have suspension via the spring. #coilovers 👍
Probably a dumb question, but what is a "progressive frame"?
The suspension gets harder at the bottom.
The geometry of the frame decrease changes rate of the shock compression progressively as it flows through its travel.
you are looking for DH bike 🤟
go to linkagedesign.blogspot.com to compare leverage ratios. Look at the YT capra or Intense Primer (both very progressive) vs something like a Radon Swoop 160 with a flat lr curve.
I have a good idea for a coil shock and I'm sure that in the future Good coil shock's will be like that... having several coils after each other to make it more progressive so AF you bottom out the main coil it's a harder stronger but a lot shorter coil which is like a third of the length or less and maybe one really short and stiff one in the end,, making it so right before the main one is bottomed the next one has already started to be compressed and when those two are bottomed the last last one is there to prevent it from being completely bottomed out... The other idea is to add a coil on a air shock making a hybrid so you choose a coil that gives you about 45 percent sag then fill up air until you are between 25 and thirty percent of the travel length.. mixing those two ideas again would make the absolute Uber chock... one last thing is to have a Piggy back with oil and use oil to adjust the rebound
You don’t need multiple springs you just have a wind on the spring that changes through the travel. So you can achieve a progressive spring rate on a single
Spring. They have been using them
On motorbikes for years and they also make them for bikes. I
Great back to back review
Read the article and watched the video. Awesome. Still trying to decide which is for me. I like hitting medium to large sized jumps. The bike I'm looking at has the coil you tested and is a pretty progressive bike. I really like riding steeper gnarly stuff with decent drops. Does that mean the coil would be just fine (will be able to get a spring for my weight) or should I look into getting the float x2 air. While I haven't bought the bike with the coil yet my friend has the exact same bike with the air for me to ride. Thanks
Excellent educational info!
Why arn't these coil shocks using double springs. IE: two springs stacked instead of one so you have a softer spring for the inital bit of travel and a firmer spring at the end. My racing quad suspension had this but with 3 different spring rates.
everyone blasting on about coils even though it's been there from the start
That was very enlightening!
This dude looks like he's ready to go at it with hulk Hogan in a cage 20 feet above the ground
So basically the air shock is good for flow jumps trails and coil for tech
Sick ponytail bro
Sick as bro.
What’s the go for a heavy e bike
U should of put a go pro on the Angle of the coil and air shocks but thanks 👍
I think coil shocks look badass with the big visible coil
So... Coil shock for Downhill Racing when it comes to acceleration and descension and Air shock for Freeride and Enduro when it comes to movement and ascension?
thank you
What’s happening to the cats in the back?
Nice bike buddy
You should test the Rockshox Vivid Air
coil-over for me on velotilt.
I guess you need both.
link to the article would've been nice guys
Daaaang! 99 thousand views and counting!
Hello there, i have a Marzochhi moto c2r with a 400x3 ti coil and i weight like 77 kg. I don;t get it how do you use allmost the same coil spring rate and you don;t bottom out. I can bottom out mine even if i push hard on the parking lot but with the compresions fully open. Most of the time i'm ussing 20 LSC (28 max ) from open to close and 8 HSC ( 10 max ) from open to close should i try a 450 spring ? Thank you !
no view on climbing? :/
Get low speed setup right and the coil will not bottom so easily. . Both of these shocks are so adjustable you need a full week of setup on both to see witch is best really. But of course it’s not a comparison lol. 😂
It will be great if you could make a video comparaison between float X2 and float DPX2 on the same track, thanks
Hi guys. Did you time which was faster down the track? I like to ride a lot of technical tight twistly descents. I think coil shocks look amazing. Is the coil going to give me an advantage on rocky tracks with lots of small drops etc. I am a Strava junky and all about the KOMs. Cheers, Jonny
Hi! No, for this test we focused more on how the shocks behave, vs which one is quickest. For your specific question, you say "tight and twisty" single track which makes us think that the air shock might give you an advantage when getting back up to speed again after a tight turn for example, however you then go on to say your tracks are "rocky with lots of small drops", where the coil shock should do you well. Choices, choices... ;)
Vital MTB some professional 'fence sitting' there boys ;). I think it's got to be the Dvo Jade. Coil shocks just look better.
Jonathan Howson the coil shock stick to ground far better, if you are racing enduro or downhill go with a coil because conditions change and no matter the condition coils remain the same performance. Air are lighter and tend to be a bit more playful but there performance can change depending on humidity. Air shocks are also easier and cheaper to tune, you don't have to buy a new coil spring to make it a little more plush for a certain ride. With air you can also use volume reducers which stiffen up the shock towards the end of the stroke which stops you from bottoming out. I was in a familiar boat as you and chose to go with an air because I climb allot and like a playful bike. Will be switching to a coil for my next shock thought because I intend on racing downhill and you need the traction. Air shocks also die out on long DH runs, which means if you are racing your shock might stop working 3 quarters down lol. If you do go with an air shock make sure to get a piggyback shock which has the oil chamber on the back, makes it a smoother ride and the air shock won't die nearly as soon on the long DH runs. hope this helped.
What do you mean die out? They lose air or overheat? I ride both air and coil, I prefer coil but I have never had the air shocks die out.
Anthony Petrucci Yeah they can heat up on a long track.
Back to the past Samurai FOX
can you gyus make video about how to find riht set-up to Float x2. Because Where do to start adjusting? low or high and so on
open high and lowspeed compression adjusters, close high speed rebound completely, close high speed rebound from fully open to adjust your rebound. check out vids from steve from vorsprung suspension in whistler. he explains it very well.
great comparison. can you make a coil over resist bottoming by increasing hsc damping? likewise can you increase sensitivity of air shock by reducing hsc damping?
Yes you can. More info on this in the article on our site!
I wish he would have done a little bit of climbing for comparison :) Isn't this really why air shocks exist?
Whats the measurement for the coil shock¡? Is that a 230 * 60?
so in summary whooo...
איפה רכבת?
Which size coil is best for the capra. 8.5 x 2.5? 222x70mm?
Do you wash your bike
איך קוראים למסלול
Did you run the same damper settings on each shock?
Coil for less maintenance .. 😋
Quick questioon: How do you determine a rear shock's travel (because online it usually just says dimensions like 135×190) hope you can help me out 😊
Gerb Arcega Search online
Gerb Arcega you have to look at the frame
135x190 is not possible but mine is 200x57.
200mm is the space of the frame from bolt to bolt and 57mm is the stroke. On the fork it would be the full 160mm but on the back it only is 57mm because of the linkage...
Are those ofer trails? I didnt know you are israeli
So basically you are saying you need a stiffer coil
when I think of the money I've made and spent in my life ? why not get them both and go play ?
I'm kinda confused, should I run air for freeride or coil for freeride?
Coil.
Sounds like a dog going wuff, on landing
What's up with the kittens in the background around 8:00 ? ;)
Lol ikr
Is this trail in Ben Shemen? I saw the 'קקל' sign ;)
NC HighScore Shvili Ron Ofer :)
I keep hearing a kitty!
Same here , thought I had hallucinations
slap a Rockshox vivig air on it, that will change your opinion.
Where old intro?
שולחן של קקל 👍🏼
Which is lighter?
Riam Mey air
Which brand are the brakes from
Magura
same company, air vs oil. Guy saying air harsher, w/more feed back but doesn't bottom out, & more fun, & seems lighter. The is the price, bc I con't see how u go wrong w/air.
You can't bottom out even with the coil spring at proper sag on a Capra because it is the most progressive Enduro bike out there with 75% progressive suspension design...I have a YT Capra and I ran coil shock so I know.
certainly not on this trail at the speed he is riding.... i ran a dhx2 2018 with light compression shim stack to match the suspension design.
Norkis Serrano How does the coil feel? I have a capra too and I'm considering moving to a coil
Norkis Serrano surely it depends on the trail and how hard you ride it
איפה אתה רוכב?(כן שמתי לב שאתה ישראלי חחח)
i like air shocks a bit more
what is the sized of your fox 2x air. thnx
you cant the difference in weight!
Like the video and topic but the wind noise is excessive.
Well, dude stated that this bike's linkage rate happened to be 'very' progressive, which means it's set up for a coil shock.
If/when you run an air shock with a heavily progressive linkage rate, the shock is gonna resist bottoming more than what it was designed for, since air shocks-by nature- are a lot more progressive than coil shocks-which basically aren't.
Also, judging by the way he filled up the air shock-he failed to equalize the negative and positive air chamber(reading the set up instructions in the X2's manual would've given him this info), which will just make the shock ride that much worse.
The test(at least on this particular bike) therefore is moot, and so is dude's 'evaluation'.
Just because you have a UA-cam account and the ability to shoot a video, that doesn't make you qualified to give advice on anything.
You'll find a lot more answers in the whole article (on vitalmtb). For example, the "dude" certainly did not fail to properly equalize the positive and negative chambers on the shock, even though only a 1-second part of the clip was shown in the edit (to not bore you with 60 seconds of pumping). This particular air shock was also tested on this same bike at length by the same "dude", in two different versions even, the results of which were also published on the site (the air shock was given a well-deserved excellent rating BTW - it's an awesome product). As for your initial observation, yes, this bike is among the most progressive we've ever tested, so it's particularly well-suited to a coil shock. It still works great with an air shock too, as you can see from the video, but as you pointed out, the end of the suspension stroke really ends up being VERY progressive thanks to the addition of the mechanical and air spring progressiveness.
thats why you should at least change to a light compression main shimstack for the capra...
Everybody says something different 😂
I thought this was a trail bike. . . .? Doesn't that mean that they have flat sections and climbing involved? Not just an 'enduro' slam to the bottom? Meh.
the pony tail and glasses did it for me, did someone dare you?
Glad you found something you liked in our video!
Am I the only person that hates loud hub clicking and doesn’t make stupid “yoo” noises when I do outdoor sports?
If your bike doesn’t make that sound, your cranks suck and you don’t ride fast enough if you’re not constantly fearing death.
Yes yooing is dope bra
Stick to towpaths pal
Whoo!
I need FOX Suspension, I had ROCKSHOX I hate it!
#nomoney
COIL IS BETTER
If the answer is to get the rear shock with the most stiction so that you can still pedal the bike then I am glad I went hardcore hardtail. Good riddance!
Where is that trail?
Looks like Ya'ar Mishmar HaEmek....
David Alper כן פשוט נראה לי לא הגיוני שצילמו בארץ
יער עופר שבילי רון
What if there was coil front forks.
Delirious Rabbit there is.
Most non high end forks are coil
troll or dumb?
תרגום בעברית ....
You cant tell the difference in how much,lighter the bike is! Stop,it!
You need to learn to land drop offs
seen way better video's then this guy trying to explain things stick to many ad's on your site and let the real testers test the products
han är ju fett med svensk
israel?
Red dich deutsch
Bottoming out at 10 mph / more responsive bike with the air shock and coil is not for linear bikes (specialized - Yeti...) Cm'on ???? You should not make videos like this - shame on you Vital MTB !
Jure Spendal at what point did the shox bottom out?? Don't remember that happening
Woooh..!? Trying to sound like BKXC? Boring trail, get to the point bro!
425 lb?! Of course you're bottoming out. Plus you didn't even take the time to set the shocks up to similar specs. So the back-to-back test is not a direct comparison, consequently the results are just an opinion at best nothing based on actual science. The whole air shocks versus coil shock is not much of a debate there's a lot of marketing hype behind the air shock. consequently when people ride an shock they only 'think' it's better, because they are under a preconceived notion and very easily swayed. Of course the average Rider would never be able to tell the difference, if you think you can tell the difference in weight from an air shock to a coil shock that is just laughable! Also all you have to really know is that the top Motocross and Supercross riders and teams are still using coilovers, only a handful are using air shocks. And the downhill mountain bikers are going back to the coilovers because they are more reliable and offer better stability. Check out Curtis Keens video. Öhlins offers an air shock only because a lot of these silly boys who buy into the hype think the air shock is better so in order to grab a piece of the market share they offer an air version of the absolute best shock in the world which is the TTX. Majority of Super MX, MX, and all WSBK and MotoGP are utilizing coilovers because they are the best.
FYI, this bike has a very low overall leverage ratio (because it uses quite a long shock body in relation to its travel). Most spring calculators put me at 390-400 for my weight, so 425 is already above the recommended weight for 28% sag. Additionally, if you head to our site to read the whole article that accompanied this video, you'll see that we most definitely took the time to "set up the shocks to similar specs" as you put it. In fact, we ran the same compression and rebound settings on both shocks with the exception of HSC, to which we added 3 clicks to help resist bottom out.
Fair enough on the spring rate, but still not a direct comparative analysis. mate.In the end it is rider preference, but what I don't agree with is anyone emphatically stating that air is superior because blah, blah blah. It's mostly hype, not fact. Air shocks have their place and I will say that with regard to adjustability, they have a bit better range. But In the end, choice is key to the individual needs and wants. Just don't try to 'sell' us on an absolute....
How did you manage to get the impression we were trying to "sell you" something? We offered neutral observations on the actual differences in feel and performance, followed by a "make sure you pick the one best suited to your needs", and you somehow inferred that we were pitching one as superior to the other?
Vital MTB it's a figure of speech buddy... listen put your tail between your legs and accept the fact that you're comparison was a fail. Man up and stop with the butt hurt.
may i ask you weight? as it seems we around the same weight and i also want to go with 425 over the 400 with 76kg, around 80kg dressed up.