Cane Creek db inline reliability

[Mattl]

Who's had issues with their dbinline leaking oil or blowing the bladder seal? I had mine serviced by nsdynamics last month after noticing a lack of damping performance & it worked great again for 3 weeks but after riding this morning I noticed that it appears to have leaked a decent amount of oil from either the top cap or the LSR adjuster. After googling the problem it seems that reliability is still a major issue with these shocks which is a shame as when they work as intended they are fantastic.

 

[teK--]

Mine was great for a year until I sold it. Some frames with side loading do cause an issue with this shock.

 

[B Rabbit]

Mine has been 100%. My mates had been 100%, went in for a service..... came back from said service and failed instantly. Got sent back up to be repaired and hasn't missed a beat since.

 

[The_Taurean]

I put one on my Spicy and had nothing but trouble with it. The bladder went so I sent it to NSD and it came back totally buggered. Sent it back again and got it fixed properly only to have the bladder go again almost immediately. The LBS gave me a different inline off one of their demo bikes (so they knew it worked) and the bladder shat itself on the first ride.

It wasn't a side to side movement issue in my case, the lower shock mount is such that it doesn't transmit movement to the shock shaft. I think it is simply a design flaw in the shock. I'm 100kg and I ride hard, I guess the inline doesn't like that. The only other possibility I can think of is that the shock doesn't like something about the bike's suspension system but that seems pretty unlikely given it's very similar to the Spesh Enduro.

Having said all that, it was by far the best feeling shock I've ridden. If you're not a fat hack like me it might work brilliantly for you.

 

[NUTTTR]

On what frame?

Specialized side load quite a bit and ruin the shock... Allegedly Ibis do too. Mine lasted a year before it started getting slightly stuck down... NS dynamics fixed it and it is better than new now. Let's see how long it lasts.

I'm ready to buy another shock though as the failure rates aren't brilliant

 

[mitchy_]

I put one on my Spicy and had nothing but trouble with it. The bladder went so I sent it to NSD and it came back totally buggered. Sent it back again and got it fixed properly only to have the bladder go again almost immediately. The LBS gave me a different inline off one of their demo bikes (so they knew it worked) and the bladder shat itself on the first ride.

It wasn't a side to side movement issue in my case, the lower shock mount is such that it doesn't transmit movement to the shock shaft. I think it is simply a design flaw in the shock. I'm 100kg and I ride hard, I guess the inline doesn't like that. The only other possibility I can think of is that the shock doesn't like something about the bike's suspension system but that seems pretty unlikely given it's very similar to the Spesh Enduro.

Having said all that, it was by far the best feeling shock I've ridden. If you're not a fat hack like me it might work brilliantly for you.

inlines hate enduro's! every enduro owner with an inline i've spoken to has had failures and replaced it with its bigger brother... or a monarch/ohlin. presumably why there is nothing cane creek on any 2016 spesh's.

 

[Mattl]

I put one on my Spicy and had nothing but trouble with it. The bladder went so I sent it to NSD and it came back totally buggered. Sent it back again and got it fixed properly only to have the bladder go again almost immediately. The LBS gave me a different inline off one of their demo bikes (so they knew it worked) and the bladder shat itself on the first ride.

It wasn't a side to side movement issue in my case, the lower shock mount is such that it doesn't transmit movement to the shock shaft. I think it is simply a design flaw in the shock. I'm 100kg and I ride hard, I guess the inline doesn't like that. The only other possibility I can think of is that the shock doesn't like something about the bike's suspension system but that seems pretty unlikely given it's very similar to the Spesh Enduro.

Having said all that, it was by far the best feeling shock I've ridden. If you're not a fat hack like me it might work brilliantly for you.

Not what I wanted to hear but the shock will be going back to NSD this week & hopefully I don't have ongoing issues like you have. I weigh about 80kg and was riding the bike hard down some very rocky trails today but this is exactly what this shock was designed for so it shouldn't cause problems. My Norco Sight C shouldn't cause any side loading on the shock either.

 

[johnny]

If you're not a fat hack like me it might work brilliantly for you.

Kind of glad I didn't buy one after reading that...

 

[Mattl]

I sent the shock back to NSD today to get repaired & Aaron seemed to think that Norco and Specialized bikes both have frequent problems with this shock and he should know better than most people. This is the 1st I've heard of Norco bikes having a problem with Cane Creek shocks and if this is the case why do they still fit them to all the higher model Sight and Range bikes?

 

[allan.taylor64]

I sent the shock back to NSD today to get repaired & Aaron seemed to think that Norco and Specialized bikes both have frequent problems with this shock and he should know better than most people. This is the 1st I've heard of Norco bikes having a problem with Cane Creek shocks and if this is the case why do they still fit them to all the higher model Sight and Range bikes?

I'm assuming they fit it to the sight as it doesnt have clearance for most piggyback shocks

 

[MRO]

I sent the shock back to NSD today to get repaired & Aaron seemed to think that Norco and Specialized bikes both have frequent problems with this shock and he should know better than most people. This is the 1st I've heard of Norco bikes having a problem with Cane Creek shocks and if this is the case why do they still fit them to all the higher model Sight and Range bikes?

I had two warranty replacements on my Inline. Then Cane Creek offered me a $100 upgrade deal to the CC DB Air CS. Apparently this was a deal arranged with Specialized due to the high number of failures.

5 of my mates have the same shock and we have all had them replaced/repaired. 3 of us have had the upgrades.

- my bike is an Specialized Enduro 29er

 

[link1896]

The side loading comments have me intrigued. I think maybe the yoke attachment makes the effective eye to eye length longer and the damper rod bushing and piston head guide ring can't deal with the forces and the assembly flexes. The damper rod is very thin. The flex would be trying to bend the assembly like a banana in the vertical direction. Still side loading of the shock, but not left right with reference to the frame.

 

[mxh]

The side loading comments have me intrigued. I think maybe the yoke attachment makes the effective eye to eye length longer and the damper rod bushing and piston head guide ring can't deal with the forces and the assembly flexes. The damper rod is very thin. The flex would be trying to bend the assembly like a banana in the vertical direction. Still side loading of the shock, but not left right with reference to the frame.

I was also wondering why there should be 'side loading', but that explanation makes sense. Does this side loading damage the shock in any way, or does it just help wear out / damage consumables much quicker - ie is the problem 'resolved' by a service, or is it causing more major damage that needs other components replaced?

I had two warranty replacements on my Inline. Then Cane Creek offered me a $100 upgrade deal to the CC DB Air CS. Apparently this was a deal arranged with Specialized due to the high number of failures.

5 of my mates have the same shock and we have all had them replaced/repaired. 3 of us have had the upgrades.

- my bike is an Specialized Enduro 29er

And what do you think of the upgrade? Is the shock any better, or is there no noticeable difference apart from (hopefully) it doesn't break.

I'm on a 650b Enduro with the DBInline and have had the shock serviced / repaired once so far. It's no longer under warranty (bought secondhand) but I'd rather pay out once for something decent than have to get the existing shock repaired regularly.

 

[Knuckles]

And what do you think of the upgrade? Is the shock any better, or is there no noticeable difference apart from (hopefully) it doesn't break.

I'm on a 650b Enduro with the DBInline and have had the shock serviced / repaired once so far. It's no longer under warranty (bought secondhand) but I'd rather pay out once for something decent than have to get the existing shock repaired regularly.

DB all the way mate. The inline was a compromise from the start, for weenies and bottle cage devotees. The inline does get the rough end of the stick, it's really only a XC shock, and you can't compare it with the DB in anything other than name.

It really shouldn't be on an Endubro, or even a Stumpy, Camber down, yes, but not on the big girls. I'd suggest that was a purely economical decision on Specialized's part. Came back to bite them on the bum, that one, didn't it, spend a $100 to save a $1...

In short, get the DBCS, its is that much better.



Or get a coil.

 

[Boom King]

I had two warranty replacements on my Inline. Then Cane Creek offered me a $100 upgrade deal to the CC DB Air CS. Apparently this was a deal arranged with Specialized due to the high number of failures.

5 of my mates have the same shock and we have all had them replaced/repaired. 3 of us have had the upgrades.

- my bike is an Specialized Enduro 29er

$100 to fix a problem that shouldn't exist? I would argue the upgrade should be free under warranty.

 

[slowmick]

I blew the inline twice on my enduro 650b before doing the upgrade to the dbair ($190). the dbAIR lasted a month before two days at falls creek let all the oil out. am waiting to hear what happened on that one. the dbair was a lot more reliable on my 26" enduro so this last failure is weird.

 

[MRO]

And what do you think of the upgrade? Is the shock any better, or is there no noticeable difference apart from (hopefully) it doesn't break.

I'm on a 650b Enduro with the DBInline and have had the shock serviced / repaired once so far. It's no longer under warranty (bought secondhand) but I'd rather pay out once for something decent than have to get the existing shock repaired regularly.

The upgrade is great, feels similar to the inline but no reliability issues.

My bike was secondhand and over a year old. Just contact Cane Creek direct by email or even call them. They wont fight it at all - so many replacement they just go straight into offering you a new one.

 

[dug8713]

I was also wondering why there should be 'side loading', but that explanation makes sense. Does this side loading damage the shock in any way, or does it just help wear out / damage consumables much quicker - ie is the problem 'resolved' by a service, or is it causing more major damage that needs other components replaced?



And what do you think of the upgrade? Is the shock any better, or is there no noticeable difference apart from (hopefully) it doesn't break.

I'm on a 650b Enduro with the DBInline and have had the shock serviced / repaired once so far. It's no longer under warranty (bought secondhand) but I'd rather pay out once for something decent than have to get the existing shock repaired regularly.

I think "side loading" (non planar loading) is a fairly common problem on a lot of suspension designs, but it tends to be more of a problem on bikes with a yoke extension on the shock. As mentioned above, the extra length of the yoke is creating more of a leverage arm acting against the seal head & piston which combine to provide the bending resistance on the shock.

The inline only has a Ø8mm shaft which is supported by a tiny guide ring & a 6mm long DU bush in the seal head. The piston itself is only supported by a 3-4mm wide guide ring/wear band. In other words there's not much support against bending when the shock is fully extended.

The first thing to wear on these shocks is the DU bush & tiny guide ring. It'll allow enough movement in the shaft to wiggle & weep oil. If it is left too long & too much play develops, the seal head starts exerting a lot more force on the inside of the inner tube.

The pic is of a Inline that came off a Enduro 29er (they seem to be the worse of the lot for some reason). Probably the worst case scenario where the seal head has flogged out & the piston guide ring has worn through the anodizing of the inner shaft & is wearing the aluminium away. The aluminium was embedded into the guide ring & the oil was blackened with very fine aluminium shavings. Most of the wear has occurred where the shock was at full extension.

Moral of the story - keep your eyes on the wiper seal where the outer tube meets the air can. Once that weeps oil, it's time for a service.

 

[mxh]

The upgrade is great, feels similar to the inline but no reliability issues.

My bike was secondhand and over a year old. Just contact Cane Creek direct by email or even call them. They wont fight it at all - so many replacement they just go straight into offering you a new one.

Hmm, I e-mailed Cane Creek when I had the problem - they just pointed me (admittedly very politely) in the direction of their Aus service centres to get it fixed, as it was out of the 1 year warranty period. No mention of upgrades, but maybe you need to ask. I might try them again.

 

[mitchy_]

I think "side loading" (non planar loading) is a fairly common problem on a lot of suspension designs, but it tends to be more of a problem on bikes with a yoke extension on the shock. As mentioned above, the extra length of the yoke is creating more of a leverage arm acting against the seal head & piston which combine to provide the bending resistance on the shock.

The inline only has a Ø8mm shaft which is supported by a tiny guide ring & a 6mm long DU bush in the seal head. The piston itself is only supported by a 3-4mm wide guide ring/wear band. In other words there's not much support against bending when the shock is fully extended.

The first thing to wear on these shocks is the DU bush & tiny guide ring. It'll allow enough movement in the shaft to wiggle & weep oil. If it is left too long & too much play develops, the seal head starts exerting a lot more force on the inside of the inner tube.

The pic is of a Inline that came off a Enduro 29er (they seem to be the worse of the lot for some reason). Probably the worst case scenario where the seal head has flogged out & the piston guide ring has worn through the anodizing of the inner shaft & is wearing the aluminium away. The aluminium was embedded into the guide ring & the oil was blackened with very fine aluminium shavings. Most of the wear has occurred where the shock was at full extension.

Moral of the story - keep your eyes on the wiper seal where the outer tube meets the air can. Once that weeps oil, it's time for a service.

The Enduro 29 has a slightly longer yoke than the 27.5, so would create even more leverage on the shock.

It's somewhat common to fit the 27.5 yoke for more radness, not to mention it will prevent shock implosion a touch longer as well