Real life comparision: RS Vivid Air vs RS Vivid Coil

[Capricorn]

Full article over here at VitalMTB, but the conclusion is:

 

End of Season Conclusions

I would rather have the Vivid Coil on the lower section of A-Line after a full Garbanzo run, where there are half a billion inch-high chatter bumps. Every shock heats up, everything fades a bit, and the Vivid Air can feel the effects of heat after a 15 minute, full-pace run that has 3000 feet of descending.

Race runs around the 4 minute mark? No question...the added control and responsiveness of the Vivid Air is a worthy trade off for the occasional washboard section at the bottom of a run. If that sort of thing bothers you, get the coil. For everywhere else? I prefer the Vivid Air.

I have gone back and forth with shocks for the better part of the year and the Vivid Air feels better to me. It feels faster, skims over bumps better. Making my bike a pound lighter? That’s a nice bonus, too.

 

Whatever the suspension products you use, experiment, one click at a time. We live in a time where suspension is incredible and with some time, you can make your ride feel as good as ever. If you happen to be riding in Colorado next year, stop by SolVista, we help with suspension adjustment for free. The trails are rad too, but hey, I’m a bit biased with that.

 

*The Vivid Air shocks that were given to us had been run on a testing machine for the equivalent of 10 years of riding. Oil was changed, shims replaced, but seals left in. It was our job to break these for RockShox, but we haven’t been able to do that yet.