Suspension school · Brand-Specific Technology

Cane Creek: Double Barrel, Kitsuma and Helm

Fully independent 4-way adjustment done the twin-tube way

The original Double Barrel coil of 2005, developed with input from Öhlins, brought genuine 4-way adjustable twin-tube damping to mountain biking, and every Cane Creek shock since has carried that DNA. These remain the most adjustable shocks you can buy, which is both the appeal and the trap.

Why Twin-Tube 4-Way Matters

High and low-speed compression and high and low-speed rebound are each externally adjustable, and because the twin-tube layout routes oil through the external adjusters, the four circuits are genuinely independent. On many shocks the adjusters interact; on a Double Barrel a change to low-speed compression really does leave the other three circuits alone.

The Family Tree

• DB Coil (2005): the original
• DB Air (2011): the air version
• DBcoil IL and DBair IL: lighter inline versions without the piggyback
• Kitsuma Air and Kitsuma Coil (2020): the current flagship line, now in second-generation G2 form
• Tigon: the current hybrid model sitting alongside Kitsuma in the range

Adjusters

• Classic Double Barrels adjust all four circuits with a 3mm hex key
• Kitsuma G2 moved to tool-free grooved dials, each a single turn with etched markings
• Whatever the model, record your settings before experimenting, because four independent circuits are easy to get lost in

The Climb Switch

Cane Creek's climb switch is unusual: it firms low-speed compression and slows low-speed rebound together, which settles the bike into a calm, planted attitude on steep climbs rather than just stiffening it. Classic CS models use a two-position on-off lever, while the Kitsuma has three positions covering descend, climb and a firm lockout.

Base Tunes Are Everything

With this much adjustment you need a trustworthy starting point. Cane Creek publishes base tunes for specific frames, and the calculator gives weight-adjusted settings. Start there, change one circuit at a time by no more than 2 clicks, and ride the same test section between changes. Random twiddling on a 4-way shock is how good shocks get bad reputations.

Helm MKII Fork

• Cane Creek's fork line: Helm MKII in 29 and 27.5 versions, plus the Helm DJ
• 12 clicks of low-speed compression, 10 of high-speed compression and 10 of rebound
• The air spring's negative chamber is set independently, equalised manually via a button at the base of the fork, so you can tune initial sensitivity against support in the same spirit as DVO's OTT