Suspension should be tuned for you — not for the “average rider.” Cane Creek’s twin tube technology gives riders unmatched control, heat management, and tunability. Here’s why it matters, how it works, and how you can benefit from upgrading your shock.

What is a shock damper?

Put simply, a shock damper is the hydraulic (oil-filled) part of the shock that controls the overall suspension movement and dissipates energy imparted by trail features. It specifically controls how fast the shock can compress and extend, which plays a very large part in how the suspension feels and behaves on the trail. As the shock cycles, the damper forces oil through internal valving creating viscous friction (referred to as ‘damping’). This viscous friction is responsible for making your bike feel predictable and controlled as it moves through its travel on rough or uneven terrain. Without it, your bike would feel overly bouncy and dramatically less stable.

What is Twin Tube Shock Design?

In the early 2000s, Cane Creek teamed up with the motorsport suspension experts over at Ohlins to develop the world’s first twin tube shock for mountain bikes. Launched in 2005, the original Cane Creek Double Barrel shock brought unprecedented amounts of control and adjustability to mountain bikes.

The shock became ubiquitous in the world of downhill racing and freeride, with multiple appearances in Red Bull Rampage under riders like Nico Vink and Kurt Sorge. Twenty years later, we still use twin tube dampers in all of our shocks made right here in our Asheville, NC facility.

A twin tube damper consists of a tube-in-tube design that flows damper oil between the two damper tube walls. You can think of the twin tubes as the double-walled design in an insulated coffee mug or thermos, but instead of a air between the two walls, the space is filled with oil.

Most mountain bike shocks on the market use a monotube design, as shown on the left in the diagram above. When this type of damper cycles, the oil is mostly forced back and forth across the main piston. This makes it difficult to offer large ranges of damper adjustment on the outside of the shock. To dramatically change the way the shock feels, a suspension tuner would have to open the shock up and perform a re-valving of the shim stack that controls the oil flow. This design also limits the total volume of damper oil that can be used.

Conversely in a twin tube design (right), the oil is forced mainly through external adjusters, rather than back and forth across the main piston. The space between the two damper tubes offers the channel through which said oil is circulated. This design gives the ability to access wide-ranging damper settings without the need for internal valving changes and provides truly independent adjustments. It increases the tunability of the shock, allowing you to have better success setting up your shock for your specific manner of riding. The increased oil volume and twin tube circulation also helps our shocks remain consistently sensitive over the course of a long and demanding descent, since the system is better at managing heat.

A twin tube damper consists of a tube-in-tube design that flows damper oil between the two damper tube walls. You can think of the twin tubes as the double-walled design in an insulated coffee mug or thermos, but instead of a air between the two walls, the space is filled with oil.

Most mountain bike shocks on the market use a monotube design, as shown on the left in the diagram above. When this type of damper cycles, the oil is mostly forced back and forth across the main piston. This makes it difficult to offer large ranges of damper adjustment on the outside of the shock. To dramatically change the way the shock feels, a suspension tuner would have to open the shock up and perform a re-valving of the shim stack that controls the oil flow. This design also limits the total volume of damper oil that can be used.

Conversely in a twin tube design (right), the oil is forced mainly through external adjusters, rather than back and forth across the main piston. The space between the two damper tubes offers the channel through which said oil is circulated. This design gives the ability to access wide-ranging damper settings without the need for internal valving changes and provides truly independent adjustments. It increases the tunability of the shock, allowing you to have better success setting up your shock for your specific manner of riding. The increased oil volume and twin tube circulation also helps our shocks remain consistently sensitive over the course of a long and demanding descent, since the system is better at managing heat.

Who Benefits from a Cane Creek Twin Tube Shock?

Most shocks that come stock on bikes use monotube dampers that are internally tuned by the manufacturer to accommodate their preferences and their idea of the "average" rider that will use the bike. While this can streamline the process of setting up the bike and dialing in the suspension for most riders, it also limits the overall characteristics that the shock can have.

You may benefit from a twin tube shock if:

• You’ve maxed out your stock shock’s adjusters but still can’t get the feel you want.
• You ride aggressively and need consistent damping for long descents.
• You’re trying to maximize the capability of your bike, especially one with shorter travel
• You want more traction, control, and customization for your specific riding style.
A Cane Creek shock gives you freedom to fine-tune your ride — no prescribed “average” tune, just the exact feel you want.

Four-Way, Independent Adjustment

We've now discussed how our shocks' twin tube design offers unrestricted range of tuning that goes beyond the boundaries of what stock shocks allow you to achieve. Cane Creek shocks also offer the ability to control more aspects of the shock’s performance.

Most Cane Creek shocks offer the ability to tune the four major damper phases:

Low-Speed Rebound: Manages the speed at which the shock extends after being compressed through only the first half of its stroke. Used to fine tune the traction and sensitivity of the shock, as well as how it rebounds from rider inputs like pedaling and pumping.

High-Speed Rebound: Manages the speed at which the shock extends from the bottom out point to the halfway point of stroke. Usually active during large impacts and full travel compressions. Used to fine tune bike predictability vs. liveliness when recovering from full suspension compressions.

Low-Speed Compression: Controls how fast/easily the shock compresses during slower shaft speeds such as those generated from pedaling, pumping, braking, and shifting the rider’s weight. Also has a hand in suspension ability to track the ground and provide adequate traction. Used to fine tune the sensitivity vs. Overall platform of the suspension.
High-Speed Compression: Controls how fast/easily the shock compresses during high shaft speeds such as those generated by sudden, forceful impacts like square-edged hits, tall roots, baby head rocks, and braking bumps. Used to fine tune support vs. Plushness on exceptionally rough sections of trail.

PLUS -

Climb Switch: Patented climbing mode on Cane Creek shocks that quickly optimizes shock damping for pedaling uphill or on flatter/smoother terrain. Works by greatly restricting the low-speed oil flow in both compression and rebound, making the shock firm for adequate power transfer while minimizing pedal bob. Leaves high-speed damping open and active so that suspension can still react to larger impulses while CS is engaged.

With a twin tube damper, adjustments that would require a traditional shock to be internally re-valved can be performed on the trail - allowing you to custom tune your own shock right out of the box. It's the difference between having free will, and having your shock tune dictated to you by someone else who doesn't know how you ride.

Suspension should be specific to you - and Cane Creek shocks allow you to make it that way.

Cane Creek Shock Lineup

Our shocks are arranged along a spectrum of lightweight performance to maximum downhill capability. You can think of the breakdown as a sliding scale of how much you value climbing vs. descending.

IL shocks are the smallest and lightest offering. These shocks are made to fit shorter travel (Downcountry/Trail) bikes and are a great choice for riders that want to expand their downhill chops or open up the suspension tuning possibilities of their lightweight and efficient machines.

Tigon, the air-charged coil shock, is the middle child and ultimate goldilocks shock. The RAMP Tube allows riders to rely on the main coil to support their body weight while setting sag –but can easily add up to 35% progression relative to a traditional coil shock. It combines what's good about air and coil shocks and is designed to expand what you can accomplish with trail and enduro bikes.

Lastly, Kitsuma is Cane Creek's most gravity-focused shock - primarily designed for going downhill FAST. It's the burliest shock in the lineup and has the most oil volume in the damper giving it crazy control and power to stand up to the longest, fastest, and roughest of descents.

Cost of Ownership / Service

Servicing a Cane Creek shock has never been easier. We have 40 certified service centers around the world and 15 within the United States, with more being added. Each of these locations can provide full factory service and warranty support.

We publish detailed service instructions here and offer full rebuild kits for all of our shocks.

To discover a service center near you, click here.

Like most suspension, Cane Creek shocks require service every 100 riding hours (or annually) to stay in top performance shape. Doing this regular maintenance will keep a shock in top shape for many years. Full factory rebuilds are comparable to most brands and range from $160 - $220 depending on the shock . As far as warranty support is considered, the majority of current shocks feature a 2-year warranty from the date of purchase, and can have that warranty fulfilled by any one of the aforementioned certified service centers around the globe.