Cane Creek Launches New Air IL & Coil IL Rear Shocks
Press Release: Cane Creek Cycling Components
Cane Creek is proud to introduce the next generation of Air IL and Coil IL shocks. Packing class-leading performance in a smaller and stronger package, the Air and Coil IL give riders complete control over their damping with twin-tube technology and an extremely wide range of 4-way external adjustability. Cane Creek’s Air and Coil IL shocks are the absolute best upgrade for any rider’s mountain bike. These shocks were designed and tested for improved suspension performance, increased reliability and seamless compatibility with more trail bikes. The new Cane Creek Air IL and Coil IL shocks are ready to take on anything a rider’s next all-day epic or quick rip has in store.
Available in both Air & Coil - Cane Creek IL shocks have the widest range of damping adjustability on the market - designed to bring a new level of control to XC, Trail and Enduro Bikes.
DB Twin-Tube Technology = More Control
Cane Creek Cycling Components was the first cycling company to provide twin-tube technology to mountain bikes. Now with nearly 20 years of shock innovation under Cane Creek’s belt, both the new air and coil IL shocks feature unmatched on-trail feel, incredible control and the widest range of 4-way damping adjustability on the market.
Coil or Air - Getting dialed in is easier than ever with the integrated tool nested in the climb switch (CS lever). Cane Creek has increased the maximum PSI for Air IL to 350 PSI. The new Coil IL is equipped with a new Preload Adjustment with detents for more precise spring rate tuning.
Both the Coil IL & Air IL shocks are equipped with an integrated tool nested right into our Climb Switch (CS) Lever.
XC LIGHT • ALL-MTN STRONG
Cane Creek has upgraded the next generation of Air and Coil IL with thicker inner damper tubes for increased strength and slimmer valve bodies and air cans for additional clearance on tight frames. Cane Creek hand assembles and individually dyno tests all suspension products in Western North Carolina to ensure quality control, performance and a rider benefit that is unmatched.
STRUCTURAL DURABILITY & COMPACT DESIGN
• Thicker Inner Damper Tube
• Slimmer Valve Body
• Reduced Air Spring Outer Diameter
• Compatible On More Bikes
• Thicker Inner Damper Tube
• Slimmer Valve Body
• Reduced Air Spring Outer Diameter
• Compatible On More Bikes
WORLDS MOST ADJUSTABLE INLINE AIR & COIL SHOCKS
• External 4-way Adjustability
• Progressive & Linear Coil Springs
• Customizable Air Volume Spacers
• Increased Max Air Pressure
• External 4-way Adjustability
• Progressive & Linear Coil Springs
• Customizable Air Volume Spacers
• Increased Max Air Pressure
Pisgah Born = Rider Designed • Rider Developed • Rider Built
Like all Cane Creek Suspension, Air IL and Coil IL shocks are designed, developed and hand-assembled by riders in Western North Carolina. Informed by the endless climbs and technical descents of the Pisgah National Forest the next generation of IL shocks were born from the experience of the hardcore riders who call Cane Creek home. This shock was developed completely in-house by Cane Creek’s engineering team and rigorously tested on some of North America’s most legendary trails.
 | If you are planning to upgrade anything on your trail bike this season, the component that will make the biggest bang-for-your-buck impact is the rear shock. And an IL shock, air or coil, is the best way to immediately ensure you feel a positive difference in performance in your ride. |
Weight
- Air +/- 385g
- Coil +/- 280g (w/o spring)
Damping
- DB Twin-tube independent compression and rebound in two high-speed and two low-speed damping circuits
Adjuster Positions
- Low Speed Compression
- Low Speed Rebound
- High Speed Compression
- High Speed Rebound
Max Air Pressure
- 350psi
Dimensions
- 50.5mm Valve Body
- 51mm Air Spring
- 51.5 - 54mm Coil Spring (depending on rate)
Damper Oil
- Motorex 4wt
Climb Switch
- 3mm Integrated Tool
- Two Position: Descend | Climb
Available Configurations
- Standard: 190x40, 190x42.5, 190x45, 210x50, 210x52.5, 210x55
- Trunnion: 165x40, 165x42.5, 165x45,185x50, 185x185x52.5, 185x55
Manufacturing
- Hand Assembled in Fletcher, NC
- Air +/- 385g
- Coil +/- 280g (w/o spring)
Damping
- DB Twin-tube independent compression and rebound in two high-speed and two low-speed damping circuits
Adjuster Positions
- Low Speed Compression
- Low Speed Rebound
- High Speed Compression
- High Speed Rebound
Max Air Pressure
- 350psi
Dimensions
- 50.5mm Valve Body
- 51mm Air Spring
- 51.5 - 54mm Coil Spring (depending on rate)
Damper Oil
- Motorex 4wt
Climb Switch
- 3mm Integrated Tool
- Two Position: Descend | Climb
Available Configurations
- Standard: 190x40, 190x42.5, 190x45, 210x50, 210x52.5, 210x55
- Trunnion: 165x40, 165x42.5, 165x45,185x50, 185x185x52.5, 185x55
Manufacturing
- Hand Assembled in Fletcher, NC
Availability
The Cane Creek Air IL and Coil IL are available in both metric and trunnion lengths ranging from 165mm to 210mm with a retail price of $629.99 for air and $579.99 for coil (without a spring). They are available immediately through Cane Creek retailers, distributors or factory-direct in North America through www.canecreek.com
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MENTIONS: @CaneCreekCyclingComponents
Cane Creek Cycling Components - DB Rear Shocks
Must Read This Week
155 Comments
@CaneCreekCyclingComponents: are you continuing the 190x51 variants? Seems plenty of folks like to 'long-stroke' their space constrained metric 190x45mm bikes with them eg. the TallBoy & Spur....
I could dial in my bike for anything from primitive single track to Moab Slickrock. And I swear the fluid lasted 4 seasons.
His upgrade claim is exactly right- it’s the shock, stupid!
I tried to get one for my 4th gen Tallboy but even Cane Creek said it wouldn’t fit, so I’m running an Ohlins TTX-2 air. Great shock, not supposed to fit. I believe it’s upside down.
That being said I would love to try other brands, this is certainly cool
The goal of proper engineering is better performance with less adjustment, and the fewest seals and moving part possible.
Not saying the float x is any of that, but your statement about twin tubes is just regurgitated marketing fluff. The perception that more adjustment is better really relies on the owners ability to tune and usually the far ends of the adjustment have negative performance affects.
To get back on topic, I haven't tried the CC and I hope its great, competition is so important to the progression.
I'm fairly sure the Romic twin tube (I had one on a Kona Stinky) was several years before Cane Creek.
However, I do feel like toolless adjustments like the kitsuma as well as HBO (maybe a patent issue?) were missed opportunities. Maybe not an issue on a trail shock, but thats one of the main reasons people are picking Super Deluxe Coil Ult over the Kitsuma.
From what I've seen, lighter weight riders using lighter weight springs have better odds on making it work. But as the wire diameter gets thicker on the heavier spring rates, the greater the chances of getting rub are.
Seems like it works for some people and not others, but since the official recommendation from both CC and Santa Cruz is "don't do it, it'll void warranty" probably best to avoid. YMMV.
"Completely tuned by my tuner..."
That's not really how suspension works - not just on this bike, but on all bikes.
It's a fairly complex relationship, but the basics are this: An air spring by nature is pretty easy to push through until you get towards the bottom, where it ramps up quick and hard. This can have the crappy effect of making it so that you simultaneously blow through travel too easily, and have your bike feel harsh because you're riding a narrow range of the bottom of the travel. Frame manufacturers working from the bike kinemetics angle, and suspension manufacturers building out the dampers/springs themselves have gotten pretty clever at mitigating this and so the reality is your modern air shock is pretty f*cking good, and brings all sorts of tuning options that just aren't available on a coil. But, most of them still have some sag in the midstroke. More powerfully built riders tend to notice this more because they're pushing through the natural friction from the damper and working the spring harder and so they're more likely to notice these shortcomings. The advantage of a coil is that its a linear spring. Meaning that there is no saggy middle spot, and the force required to push it from 0-1" is x, and it requires another x to go from 1"-2". This can lead to a more plush overall feeling, because the spring is less inclined to pack up and keeps the bike riding higher in it's travel. Frame kinemetics plays a huge role though, and for a lot of bikes, and air spring is just the flat out better choice.
But as far as "it'll feel harsh" far from it. A 170lb rider is going to use a different spring rate than a 240lb rider - regardless of if it's air or coil. So as long as the 240lb rider is using a coil spring thats appropriate for their weight and riding style, it shouldn't feel drastically different - other than giving a bit more support in that mid layer and making the overall feel a bit softer and ground huggier.
Not that I've seen it but the forums also claim Cane Creek put out a statement saying stumpjumpers are not supported for their shocks.
This is the info from their site.
The issue with the Stumpy is it's long clevis. When you bottom out the shock it puts excessive lateral load on the shock and this is why you see them snapping coil shock shafts, and air shocks needing a rebuild quicker than other frames.
Looks like the Kitsuma Coil is a go though.
If that was not an issue for you, you got a sick deal on what is basically this new shock.
canecreek.com/suspension-service
This is not standard it is metric.
Thats the attraction of the twin tube setup- you don't really need custom shimming. With independent high/low speed adjusters for both directions, you can tune the same shock to a wide variety of frames and get excellent performance. Put a progressive coil and/or larger bottom out bumper and it can even work on linear frames like mine.
This is per my frame MFR. They recommended getting the damper sorted and running a regular coil vs relying on spring to provide bottom out.
I custom designed it in titanium.
It has a 4% falling ratio, or 4% progressivity, but its a very flat curve. Starlings have a slightly regressive curve, or a rising ratio. My bike performs excellent with an EXT, linear coil, but with a cane creek coil it needs the progressive coil. It also performs great with any air shock if you just stuff in all the spacers.
Starling's design, since its regressive (and varies from size to size) needs even more help. With air & spacers stuffed in the can I'm sure its fine, but using a coil shock is pushing it, even with a progressive spring.
As mentioned above, its hard to manufacture a progressive coil on strokes shorter than 55mm. My bike is a 63mm stroke rear, so the Cane creek progressive coil works great, but on the shorter stroke, higher leverage ratio Starlings you'll get less of an effect.
You are correct that spring rate alone does not control bottom out (damper tune is important) but for more linear bikes these progressive springs work awesome in my testing vs a linear spring...
I have an ext on my starling and the hbo seems to suit it well, but I'm always interested in other riders experiences
You either don’t KNOW or are liars !
ROMIC had Twin Tube MTB Shocks Before the DB
I still have 2 Romics in my shop. Your Claim of being the
First is Not Accurate
v2 InLines were pretty great, which is the most recent generation before this update. No real reliability issues. They worked really well, having been totally redesigned, primarily for increased reliability.
V3 is where we are at with this new release, and to my knowledge reliability was not something that needed to be addressed.
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