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dhcrazy
Scuffed
Joined: Aug 09, 2005
Posts: 277
Location: uper hutt
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 Posted: Sat 21st Jun 12:58pm Post subject: Dhx 5.0 Air Vs Dhx 5.0 Coil ? |
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Has anyone ridden with both and could I please have your thoughts on what one you think is better for downhill? and thnik it is worth the investment i currently have the coil and thinking of changing to air?
A question my glory has got a 3.25 inch stroke and the air 5.0 has got a 3inch stroke, would a decrease in the stroke be a bad thing? or affect the bike in a bad way?
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BrentD
Thrashed
Joined: Sep 16, 2004
Posts: 1,922
Location: 20 minutes into the future
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 1:10pm Post subject: |
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The shorter stroke will reduce your rear suspension travel by about 0.7" (~9" becomes ~8.3"). It will also lower your bottom bracket height and slightly slacken your steerer angle. Whether these are bad things is really your call...
I wouldn't recommend it as the bike suspension has been designed around a coil shock which typically have a more linear spring rate than air shocks which are more rising rate.
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JohnnyC
Staying Put
Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 10,697
Location: Christchurch
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 2:07pm Post subject: |
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Your glory is 3" stroke, the spring is labelled 3.25 because that is how far it can compress before coil bind.
the air shock won't change anything as far as angles etc. go
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sham
Ridden
Joined: Apr 05, 2008
Posts: 236
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 2:09pm Post subject: |
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Just to through another question in the mix... On krankin the posted weight of the coil was less than the air...?? eh? Showed a spring mounted in the picture but is this weight minus the spring?
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JohnnyC
Staying Put
Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 10,697
Location: Christchurch
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 2:13pm Post subject: |
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| sham wrote: | | Just to through another question in the mix... On krankin the posted weight of the coil was less than the air...?? eh? Showed a spring mounted in the picture but is this weight minus the spring? |
Yeah that's the quoted weight off the site without a spring. Heavier spring rates use a bigger gauge steel so they're going to weigh more too, making the actual weight vary quite a bit
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dhcrazy
Scuffed
Joined: Aug 09, 2005
Posts: 277
Location: uper hutt
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 2:40pm Post subject: |
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so there is nothing wrong with the size so that side of things is perfact. but what about performance wise? what would is more suitable for downhill performance wise? much diferance?
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slidecontrol
Thrashed
Joined: Apr 09, 2007
Posts: 1,125
Location: over there
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 3:10pm Post subject: |
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the DHX air shocks have been known to blow through their midstroke travel a bit faster than what many would like.
Theres a thread on mtbr about a rider who swapped the hv can for the smaller float can with good results though.
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JohnnyC
Staying Put
Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 10,697
Location: Christchurch
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 6:10pm Post subject: |
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| dhcrazy wrote: | | so there is nothing wrong with the size so that side of things is perfact. but what about performance wise? what would is more suitable for downhill performance wise? much diferance? |
Performance wise a coil is better, the DHX air is pretty good for an air shock though.
A coil spring compresses in a linear and very predictable way so it can be controlled easily by the damper. Air springs are not so linear so its harder to control them, making it hard to make them peform the way you want. They are getting pretty good and for most people they work awesome but the main benefit of it is weight.
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desmond2
Ridden
Joined: Oct 06, 2006
Posts: 226
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 7:52pm Post subject: |
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Matt just stick with what you got Id upgrade those brakes if anything. 
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slowMTB
Scuffed
Joined: Mar 22, 2008
Posts: 412
Location: Crashing on a perfectly groomed trail near you .ChCh
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 10:36pm Post subject: |
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Points of interest:
Coil shock - coil spring does the errrr springing. The spring is mounted onto the outside of the damper. The dampers only function is to dampen the effects of the coil during compression and extention ( note: the coil is directly infuenced by the suspension during its travel ). You dial in your compression and rebound damping to fine tune these effects.
Air shock - air does the springing. The damper basically does the same job as above. Here is where it gets interesting though - as the shock compresses the air pressure inside raises as you would expect but it does not raise in a linear way causing a type of rising rate ( generally rising rate is designed into the linkage system on a well designed suspension set up ). This is where you may find it does not work very well as the linkage set up AND air shocks rising rate may be excessive causing a very quick ramp up ( you would feel this as a hard back end , the plush feeling would seem to disappear ). If you want to do an experiment to see this working then screw the cap on an empty fizz bottle, now push down on it. Notice how it initially compresses but then goes very hard - this is basically what happens to an air shock ( a crude example of rising rate ).
Sometimes it works but I to own a Giant Glory and I have reservations as to whether this would be a usefull upgrade - personally I would not do it but its your call.
Happy trails 
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Stun
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: 34,992
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| Posted: Sat 21st Jun 11:45pm Post subject: |
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My recommendation...
If I had a Glory, I'd keep the stock coil shock, but pop on a Ti spring to save a little weight.
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big_d
Flogged
Joined: May 24, 2003
Posts: 3,636
Location: WELLINGTON .:Johnsonville:.
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| Posted: Mon 23rd Jun 2:41pm Post subject: |
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| Stun wrote: | My recommendation...
If I had a Glory, I'd keep the stock coil shock, but pop on a Ti spring to save a little weight. |
What he said.
If you are wanting to save the weight, get a Ti spring (Although a Ti spring will set you back about the same amount of cash as a DHX air from a online store overseas).
Plus, a Air shock will need to be serviced more often if you are using it for DH.
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CaptainCaveman
Mangled
Joined: Jun 18, 2004
Posts: 10,929
Location: on your nerves!
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| Posted: Mon 23rd Jun 3:16pm Post subject: |
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| Stun wrote: | My recommendation...
If I had a Glory, I'd keep the stock coil shock, but pop on a Ti spring to save a little weight. |
Yarp! Best solution by far.
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Friendly Llama
Mangled
Joined: Aug 04, 2003
Posts: 9,335
Location: Hamilton
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| Posted: Mon 23rd Jun 3:45pm Post subject: |
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How much difference does a ti spring make for the cost? Surely there are cheaper places to lose more weight? Unless you're a hard out racer boy, I'd not worry about it.
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JohnnyC
Staying Put
Joined: Jan 31, 2003
Posts: 10,697
Location: Christchurch
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| Posted: Mon 23rd Jun 8:42pm Post subject: |
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| Friendly Llama wrote: | | How much difference does a ti spring make for the cost? Surely there are cheaper places to lose more weight? Unless you're a hard out racer boy, I'd not worry about it. |
Yeah for sure, wheels are the first place to save weight and really its the only place where you'll notice a huge difference from changing. For the money, you could put it towards new wheels or spend it on something that will make a real difference to performance (like brakes). A Ti spring is pretty much the last thing I'd upgrade.
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