Cane Creek claims this is the definitive high-performance coil shock and its flawless performance justifies its cost and complexity. but make sure you take the time to set it up right.
Cane Creek developed the Double Barrel in conjunction with Öhlins Racing, which has built suspension units for the fastest superbike and motocross teams in the world. Each handcrafted unit is built in the US specifically for your own bike’s suspension linkage, your weight and riding style.
The ride
With the custom 350lb titanium coil, the shock performed flawlessly once we had fine-tuned the set up - which does require patience.
From the off, the shock felt stable when pedalling and didn’t bob too much. That was surprising, because we had the low-speed compression set relatively soft to track well over small bumps – and it did exactly that.
On our first ride down the test track – a rocky, fast descent with high-speed corners – we were amazed at the way it stuck to the ground. It was as if a magnet was holding the back wheel there. It didn’t dive into corners, and just blitzed through braking bumps, which usually jack our rear wheels all over the place.
One thing to bear in mind with a rear shock of this calibre is that it takes time to find the optimum setup. This involves taking along a 10mm socket to adjust the high-speed setting on the trail, and a screwdriver for the low-speed setting.
Once you have it set up right, though, the Cane Creek will really blow you away with its performance. Over drops and travel-eating bumps it was controlled and stable without feeling dull. You really can set the Double Barrel up to take whatever you can find to throw at it
Technical details
Picking up the Double Barrel, you immediately notice its handcrafted quality. That’s because each unit is bespoke – handbuilt in the US specifically for your own bike’s suspension linkage, your weight and riding style. So, that’s why it can take up to eight weeks to get hold of the Double Barrel, and why the price is double that of its competitors.
Having said that, you do get a couple of hundred quid’s worth of titanium coil with this Double Barrel model, which starts to make it look much better value. We’re also happy to report that this shock really does deliver all that it promises.
Dealing with the technical side first, the Double Barrel has low- and high-speed compression and low- and high-speed rebound adjustments. Cane Creek’s independent four-way damping means that each adjustment is entirely separate from the others, and ensures no crossover effect.
The low-speed adjustments are made using a screwdriver and, unlike like the Fox, the Double Barrel is adjustable in a smaller, more usable range, meaning that fine-tuning is easy.
The Double Barrel is fitted with Öhlins’ ‘Twin Tube’ technology. This totally isolates the compression and rebound circuits; it’s essentially a sleeve inside the main body of the shock, meaning oil can circulate around the entire inside of the unit to give superior performance.