Market / MTB: With the Cane Creek Helm, the US manufacturer is presenting its very first suspension fork. The helmet, which is designed primarily for enduro and trail use, comes with the extensive know-how that Cane Creek has been able to acquire in the past in the development of dampers.
Cane Creek Helm – what? Does the manufacturer, previously known for high-quality dampers and headsets, now also make headgear? No, even if the name, which is somewhat confusing in German, would like to suggest this; The Cane Creek Helm is the new suspension fork for trail and enduro that will be available in stores in the next few weeks. This is also new territory at Cane Creek, but at least you can fall back on the comprehensive know-how that makes the Cane Creek DB Inline, for example, one of the best and most popular dampers of all.
With a weight of just over 2kg, 35mm stanchions and a wide range of adjustment options for the damping, it is clear where the helmet is headed: The new Cane Creek offspring should feel most comfortable in the enduro bikes of this world, even if the internal spring travel is between 100 and can adjust 170mm. The helmet comes with 160mm of travel from the factory and according to Cane Creek the internals are optimized to a range between 140 and 170mm. For the time being, the helmet will only be available for 27,5″ wheels, but a variant for 29″ is already being planned and should also appear in the not too distant future. The fork is also only available for Boost hubs - if you still have a front wheel with a conventional 100mm axle width, you have to use an adapter or look around for a new wheel.
Cane Creek flexes its muscles when it comes to damping the helmet: the closed cartridge allows for a variety of external adjustment options: high-speed compression (10 clicks), low-speed compression (20 clicks) and low-speed rebound (15 clicks). But that's not all, the characteristic curve of the actual air spring can also be adapted to your own preferences and needs. The positive air chamber can be filled separately from the negative. This is the classic approach at Cane Creek; the competition from Rock Shox had said goodbye to the similar Dual Air system a few years ago.
Although the setting with two air chambers is a bit more complicated, tuning measures can be implemented quickly and easily - provided you know what you are doing. In addition, the volume of the air chamber can be enlarged and reduced. A smaller air chamber means more end progression - so the fork gets tighter and tighter towards the end of the travel. The air chamber volume can be easily adjusted using a ring that can be locked in different positions. Although the fork has to be opened for this, the actual work steps are extremely simple.
At the start of sales, there will be a launch edition of the fork limited to a total of 300 pieces in addition to the classic black version with golden anodized parts. With its metallic blue finish and bright decals, it exudes a certain comic superhero charm. Technically, both forks are identical.
In the USA, the price for the Cane Creek helmet is $1.100 - in Germany the RRP should be in a similar range.
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