The Cane Creek Double Barrel shocks have been around for some time now. Check our Matt Miller’s review of the DB Air CS for a full rundown of the previous iteration. Today the North Carolina based brand has a revised version of their popular coil and air sprung shocks on offer, and they say that the range of externally adjustable rebound and compression is second to none.
With separate knobs for high and low speed rebound and compression that don’t require any tools to adjust, the aim with these new shocks is to make this highly complex component easier to use. The damper controls are labeled “firm” and “soft” on the compression side, while “fast” and “slow” notate the rebound adjustment clearly. The hope is that this will demystify the damper adjustment and allow riders to more easily dial in the shock to their liking.
The low-speed circuits rotate through one full revolution of clicks, while the high-speed knobs go around twice. Cane Creek says that the clicks are noticeable, and should make the DB Kitsuma easy to adjust on the fly.
Will this shock work with the leverage curve of my bike? According to Cane Creek “The rebound range has been shifted downward for more rebound damping to accommodate the higher spring rates needed for more modern bikes. These changes combine to allow the DB Kitsuma to provide peak performance on a wider range of bikes.”
In addition to the four external tune adjustments, there’s a climb lever with three options to toggle between that includes an ascending position, supported pedaling, or wide open rippin’. They also improved the bottom-out bumper by making the end stroke more progressive and therefore smoother.
Some companies seem to care more about naming their products than others, and the origin story for this shock’s name is pretty cool. “The name DB Kitsuma honors both the heritage of the original Double Barrel (DB) shock and the legendary Kitsuma trail that lies just a short drive northeast of Cane Creek’s Headquarters. With a grueling climb that combines a mix of road and technical singletrack followed by a grin-inducing two-mile ridgeline descent, the Kitsuma trail highlights some of the best riding that Western North Carolina has to offer and showcases the versatility and performance of the new DB Kitsuma shock.”
The DB Kitsuma is available in 185mm to 250mm metric lengths with a retail price of $699.99 for air and $669.99 for a coil shock with the coil sold seperately. The shocks are available now, and you can head over to the Cane Creek website for additional info.
