Review: Cane Creek Tigon - The Air Charged Coil Shock

Step one was to weave the progression of an air shock into the suppleness of a coil. By adding a small air chamber to the coil damper, the force at bottom-out is raised beyond their popular Valt progressive steel springs. This feature can also add support all the way up to the sag point, depending on the air pressure.

The second part of the equation comes from reversing the orientation of the shaft to make way for the Ramp Tube, where the air chamber is located. This architecture lends to building a larger diameter shaft which Cane Creek claims stands up against clevis shock mounts, all while remaining minimalist in terms of packaging.


Adjustments

Cane Creek dubbed the air chamber the Ramp Tube, which can be set between 0 and 30 psi. Depending on the coil spring weight chosen, that offers anywhere between 20% - 35% of progression. That’s nearly double the maximum progression that Cane Creek’s progressive coil springs offer. In theory, there’s no issue with installing a Valt Progressive spring on the Tigon, but that would undermine the Tigon’s selling point.

The key difference between the progression that the Ramp Tube offers over a hydraulic bottom-out (HBO) feature, found on coil shocks like the RockShox Super Deluxe Coil and EXT Storia, is that the force is dependent on the position of the damper, not the speed at which it compresses. HBO is positive sensitive, but the damping force depends on how fast that's activated. This design makes the Tigon feel consistent when reaching full travel and return at more consistent speeds. Inside the Tigon, a mechanical negative spring is used to give a supremely supple feel. Inflating the Ramp Tube beyond the maximum 30 psi would overcome the force the negative spring can provide and cause the shock to top out.


In terms of damper controls, the Tigon features high and low-speed compression, a sweeping climb switching lever, and low-speed rebound adjustment. The HSC is controlled by turning a dial between 0-180 degrees, whereas the LSC and LSR feature 12 and 15 clicks. The latter two adjustments are accessed via a 3mm allen key that is nestled in the head of the shock and retained by a small magnet.

Why isn’t a high-speed rebound (HSR) adjuster present on the Tigon but is found on their Double Barrel-style shocks? Cane Creek felt that the return spring force of the Ramp Tube could be better managed by tuning the HSR internally for hard-charging. In Cane Creek's opinion, riders who favor bottom out resistance over pure downhill speed and control would be better suited to the Tigon over the Kitsuma Coil, which is why the Tigon is not offered in DH-length sizing.


Setup

Early this year, I visited Cane Creek’s headquarters in Fletcher, North Carolina, to get the full rundown on the Tigon and sample the demanding, yet diverse trails in the surrounding Pisgah National Forest.

Two popular bikes were fitted with Tigons to demo: the Specialized Levo and Ibis Ripmo. Both feature more linear leverage curves than most and use a clevis lower shock mount. Those specifications would suit the robust, air-charged coil shock well. I’d later spend the most time riding a Levo SL equipped with a Tigon that had arrived for long-term testing around my home trails in Squamish.

In regard to the setup on the Levo SL, I flip-flopped between two opposite arrangements. The first was with a 450lb spring, more compression damping, and 25 psi in the Ramp Tube. The second involved a 500lb spring, less compression damping and 10 psi of additional ramp from the pneumatic bottom-out feature. The 450lb spring equated to 29% sag and the 500 provided 25%.


Depending on the trails of choice and how long I planned to ride the Levo SL for, purchasing two coil springs wouldn’t be out of the question. On longer rides that might involve carrying a second range extender pack or a heavier day bag, I swapped for the 500lb and made the changes mentioned above. For general riding, I settled on the 450lb wound in 1.5 turns with the LSR 7 clicks from closed, LSC at -6 and the HSC about ⅔ out.


Performance

My last experience with an air-charged coil-sprung shock absorber was a system that friends helped me install on my parent’s 2003 Honda Odyssey, but that’s a tale for another time. How does a coil damper with pneumatic bottom-out resistance perform on mountain bikes?

Well, it takes the best of both worlds. You get the suppleness of a coil off the top and the consistency through the mid-stroke, plus the added support of the air ramp to avoid hard bottom-outs. There’s little downside to that added air spring. Even with the maximum 30 psi in there, I never found the ramp force to be too harsh or have any hint of seal stiction.

Moving from 0 to 30 psi will change the return rate from the end of the travel, so depending on the spring and ramp pressure riders who require higher spring rates may need to have the HSR re-tuned, something that Cane Creek is open to.

Cane Creek have worked tirelessly to pack a ton of features and control into this shock without creating fitment constraints, granted your frame can accept a shock with a reservoir. The only issue I could foresee would be the access to the Ramp Tube's air valve on the most convoluted frame shapes, and the accessibility to the climb switch. Even on frames with open shock placement, it took some time to learn where that lever resided.

As for long-term durability, I haven’t had this particular shock for as long as I’d hoped, but it has certainly had its fair share of hucks to flat on the Levo SL. In that time, it hasn’t missed a beat, lost performance during prolonged descents, or suffered any coil-binding issues. For those riders who focus on listening to their suspension while riding, you’ll be happy to know the Tigon is extremely quiet as well.


Price and Weight

What are the benefits of combined coil and air springs worth? The Tigon will be available in North American through their distributors for $899.99 USD, without a coil or hardware. That’s $130 more than Cane Creek’s Kitsuma Coil and considerably more than a RockShox Super Deluxe Coil, at $549-580 (depending on the mounting option).

The Tigon, without a coil, weighs the same as a RockShox Super Deluxe air shock - 475g. The 500lb spring weighed 359g, which nearly doubles the weight over an air shock.

With that said, the Tigon touts the highlights of air and coil shocks in one package - there’s no other shock on the market that can claim all of the Tigon's selling points. Most importantly, the Tigon is strong enough to withstand clevis shock mounts. Simply put, it's supple, strong, consistent, and resists bottoming.

On that note of resilience, Cane Creek offers a two-year warranty on the Tigon against manufacturering defects.


How Does It Compare?

Situated on a one-minute test track, I set out to do back-to-back laps on the Levo to provide a concise comparison between the Cane Creek Tigon and a RockShox Super Deluxe Coil (with HBO).

The major separation between the two bottom-out control systems is the point at which they kick in, and how vigorously they bottom-out. I’ve spoken highly of shocks from EXT and RockShox with their HBO components, but the back-to-back testing proved the benefits of the Tigon.

I’d describe reaching full travel on the Super Deluxe Coil like punching wet sand. The reduced bottom-out force is softer than the plain metal clang, however, the splat feeling can be inconsistent and too late in the travel.

Basically, the additional force of the Tigon’s Ramp Tube increases control before bottom-outs occur. The Tigon stayed higher in the travel through the same compressions and flat landings compared to the Super Deluxe Coil. That’s not to say that you’ll never experience any full stops, however, the air ramp does provide a slower, gentle touch on the bottom-out bumper.

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Pinkbike's Take

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