|   Air vs coil spring in the rear | aa
May 22, 2003 5:17 PM | | I've had the opportunity to ride 2 identical bikes (SC superlight), one with air shock, the other with coil spring. I can feel the coil spring is smoooooth!
But, what difference does it make out in the trail? While the coil spring feels plush, it's heavier. So I would expect the coil spring setup beats the air shock on downhill. But let's say for technical climbing (semi-steep with rocks), which one would be better? Would the smoother rear shock allow one to, say, pedal a higher gear up the hill? Or is the 1/2 lb weight saved on the air shock still better?
What about the front? Air vs. coil? There's another 1/2 lb weight difference. |
| re: Air vs coil spring in the rear | Quattro
May 23, 2003 4:54 AM | | I have a Tracer frame which came with an air shock.I have an XVERT air fork up front. I bought a Fox Vanilla R(coil) shock for the rear.
The feel of the coil is cushier and more lively. It feels like more travel in certain conditions,but the total travel is the same. The air shock at max bottoming out with a reasonable amount of air gives me 4 in. of total travel. The coil with the rubber bottoming out cushion gives the same. This is measured with real stroke measurements.
With that said, the feel of the coil vs the air shock might be better for some people looking for a cushier and more supple ride. Some people might like the feel of the air shock, as it is less lively and
some people like that in certain technical climbing conditions. I prefer the lively supple feel. I do notice more BOB when in the large front ring and down in the small rear gears(coil). I don't notice any more BOB in the middle and granny gears when climbing. Derby weighed his Fox coil R and mentioned a 3/4 lb. difference with a steel spring. I will probably get a Ti spring to shave a 1/4 lb off. I do need a little more rebound control on the coil shock.
I've owned a couple of coil forks and a few air forks. I find the XVERT Air a great fork. It has a coil spring for the initial small bumps. The air keeps it light. The wonderful TPC+ rebound and compression control enable me to dial the fork in to match the rear coil. The front and rear suspension match. I've been tempted to try the new Fox forks, but will probably wait for them to work out the bugs in their forks,that I've read a lot about on the Susp. board. The new adjustable Fox air fork looks interesting. I do prefer the supple feel of the coil fork over the air fork, but I'm somewhat of a weight weenie. |
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