Cane Creek Inline Coil

Cane Creek Inline… three words to send a shiver down your spine.

At least, they were, before the coil offering emerged. Where its predecessor offered sublime damping but a maintenance schedule which would make world cup mechanics wince, this coil counterpart promises all of the performance without the faff.

First up, it weighs in 250-300g above an air counterpart with wiggle room depending on dimensions and spring weight; the ‘lightweight’ in-house Cane Creek offering is surprisingly good at under half the price of a Fox SLS spring. Talking of price… a brand new shock under £350 is great value and certainly provides better performance than a comparable air shock.

But the main thing; how does it ride?

Pretty damn well.

Paired with an Intense Carbine 29er it handled the descents with ease. It’s common knowledge that coil provides a more consistent feel than air due to a spring providing a completely linear relationship between force and travel. The Inline coil never feels outgunned, providing more of a grippy feel that tracks the ground than being ‘poppy’ like a comparative air shock. Personally, I went from a Vorsprung tuned Monarch and the Inline genuinely felt like an upgrade in most departments; it’s heavier and perhaps doesn’t feedback the tiny nuances in surfaces as well as the (frankly, sublime) Vorsprung Monarch. However, the confidence-inducing consistency of the Inline had me pushing harder and harder to find the limits of the bike’s capabilities without a fear of suddenly blowing through the travel on one misjudged landing or poor decision. Likewise, the ‘trail’ capabilities of the inline are brilliant as it tracks the surface and provides seemingly endless grip as your rear tyre is magnetised to the floor. Some articles I’ve read raise fears about the lack of additional chambers like on the CCDB coil which prevent overheating. As a 110kg rider who likes to think that they push their kit pretty hard, I never felt a thing. I daresay on the windiest of alpine descents you might feel some difference, but unless your riding back-to-back Megavalanches most weekends you’ll have no complaints from the Inline on UK trails.

The really outstanding feature of this shock though, is when you point the bike uphill. No leaning, no standing, just sitting comfortably is required as the top of the trail pulls into view much quicker than usual. When the lever is flicked across even the most descent-hungry, high-travel monster becomes a dutiful cross country steed to help shuttle you on to the next fun bit. Weirdly enough, when a shock tracks the ground as well as this, the uphills become a big part of the fun because usual frustrations like pedal-bob or skipping strokes and bouncing over obstacles become a distant memory. The inline holds its composure so well it almost feels like cheating… although those seconds can be quickly lost if one forgets to switch the lever back for a descent. But a seasoned biker wouldn’t be daft enough to do that would they?

We’d better move hastily on to a verdict!

It’s not an air shock, and it doesn’t try to be: it’s undeniably heavier and does require £50-odd on a new spring each time you lose or gain a significant amount of weight.

But that argument has circulated since air and coil shocks have been in production. The real benefit is in the feel: if you like your climbs and aren’t fazed by a bit of extra weight it’s sublime. Despite what people might tell you about its air-sprung predecessor, it is incredibly consistent as it devours descents and hurtles up the climbs. It came to a straight choice: Vorsprung Monarch or Cane Creek Inline. I chose the Inline. In my experience, that’s the highest praise there is; I could’ve written that at the beginning and saved you five minutes!