RockShox Vivid Coil
MSRP:
- Damper: $619 – $699 USD
- Springs: $45 USD
Adjustments: Rebound, high- and low-speed compression, hydraulic bottom-out, climb switch
Sizes Offered:
- Metric:
- 190 x 45 mm
- 210 x 47.5 / 50 / 52.5 / 55 mm
- 230 x 57.5 / 60 / 62.5 / 65 mm
- 250 x 67.5 / 70 / 72.5 / 75 mm
- Metric Trunnion:
- 165 x 45 mm
- 185 x 47.5 / 50 / 52.5 / 55 mm
- 205 x 57.5 / 60 / 62.5 / 65 mm
- 225 x 67.5 / 70 / 72.5 / 75 mm
Stated Weight: 905 g (230 x 65 mm, w/ 350 lb spring)
Blister’s Measured Weight:
- Vivid Coil Ultimate RC2T Damper: 520 g (205 x 65 mm)
- 400 lb spring: 469 g
- 425 lb spring: 492 g
Reviewer: 6’, 165 lbs / 183 cm, 74.8 kg
Bolted To: Kavenz VHP 16, Transition Repeater EP8
Test Duration: 6 months
Test Locations: Washington & British Columbia
Intro
It’s been six months since we first weighed in on our initial impressions of the RockShox Vivid Coil Ultimate, and we’ve been logging significant time on a couple of different bikes to see how it stacks up to other coil shocks on the market. I only had a couple of rides on the Vivid Coil Ultimate when I posted my initial thoughts in our Flash Review, but most of my comments hinged around how effective it felt in muting high-speed chatter. To use an overplayed word, it felt notably “plush” in its performance.
The wet early-season conditions of those first rides have since given way to the baby powder dust of high summer, and while my impressions of the Vivid Coil Ultimate largely follow that initial line of thinking, it ended up being a more unique option than expected in some ways. Read on for more on what makes it stand out.
Design
We covered a lot of the details of RockShox’s latest suspension lineup back when the Vivid Coil was released in 2024, so if you’re hungry for the full details of that shock and broader updates within RockShox’s lineup, check out that First Look.
Before diving in deeper, let’s quickly cover the adjustments and setup of the Vivid Coil Ultimate. Like its air-sprung sibling, the Vivid Coil Ultimate comes with plenty of knobs to turn, including low-speed compression, high-speed compression, low-speed rebound, and hydraulic bottom out. RockShox has moved toward a simpler adjustment ethos, offering just a few clicks of adjustment for the compression and bottom out adjustments (five positions for low and high speed compression, four for bottom out), while low speed rebound keeps a more finely adjustable range to accommodate a wide range of setups and spring rates. While this can feel a bit limiting for folks accustomed to more clickity-clicks, each adjustment is effective, with a single click making a notable difference in feel. I’ll admit that I do feel somewhat limited on occasion by RockShox’s adjustment ethos, in part because I sometimes find myself wishing I could be between clicks, but it unquestionably makes for a quick and easy initial setup.
I tested the Vivid Coil on both of my personal test sleds — a Transition Repeater EP8 and my Kavenz VHP 16 V7, with it seeing the most mileage on the former. While all the adjustments are appreciated and effective, I find the hydraulic bottom-out to be a standout in how helpful it is in adapting the shock to different bikes with different levels of progression. I find that running too much hydraulic bottom out can create a harshness at the end of the travel and also hinder the shock’s ability to recover from bigger hits. I tended to run the hydraulic bottom out in the middle of the range on the VHP 16, whereas the slightly higher progression of the Repeater EP8 allowed me to run it just one click from fully open.
On-Trail Performance
As the trails have gone from damp and grippy to dry, harsh, and marbly, the Vivid Coil has continued to prove itself as a very forgiving, supple shock. Swapping back and forth between some other shocks in my arsenal, including my preferred Öhlins TTX22 (more on that below), the Vivid Coil feels quite sensitive and ground-hugging, doing a particularly admirable job of ironing out washboard braking bumps and small chatter. Bigger hits are also dispensed without much fuss, again with a notably soft feeling even at higher levels of compression damping. The Vivid Coil’s forgiving feel was a particular advantage on bigger days of riding on really rough trails, where it worked in harmony with the also soft-feeling damping and spring curve of the RockShox ZEB Ultimate on my Repeater EP8 to keep me feeling just a shade less fatigued over the course of long descents.
I talked in my initial impressions about how the tradeoff for the Vivid Coil’s forgiving feel was a bit of vagueness and a muted, less responsive ride feel, and after several more months of time with it, I stand by those early thoughts. On both my eMTB and the non-motorized Kavenz VHP 16, I found the Vivid Coil to feel a bit less rewarding when I was trying to ride particularly dynamically. When I really wanted to push hard, it felt like the shock was inclined to absorb my inputs rather than respond to them. While its compliant feel was great for soaking up hits on really rough trails, I found that I couldn’t get the same energy return when pumping, pushing through corners, or trying to pull for last-minute gaps.
As hinted above, I find myself preferring the Öhlins TTX22 — specifically the newer TTX22 m.2 — for its supportive yet responsive feel. The Vivid Coil Ultimate transmits less feedback to the rider and is more forgiving than the Öhlins shock over the course of long descents, but the TTX22 m.2 is more responsive to rider inputs and manages to balance compliance, responsiveness, and a sense of connection to the trail that I haven’t felt in many other shocks. That’s no knock against the Vivid Coil, as it really is a great performer, but it suits use cases and rider preferences where a maximal ability to iron out the trail is preferred.
Who’s It For?
I don’t mean my comments about the Vivid Coil’s compliance and forgiveness as a critique — instead, I see the Vivid Coil’s performance as being more suited to certain types of riders over others. For folks who like to go fast in rough terrain and value a forgiving, fatigue-reducing ride quality, the Vivid Coil is excellent. Enduro racers come to mind as folks who might particularly benefit, as a lot of the challenge is managing fatigue over the course of really long days. It also helps that the Vivid Coil is quite easy to get set up, which should appeal to folks who are looking for a high-performing shock that doesn’t require days of back-to-back testing to dial in.
For folks who tend to prefer a responsive feel, sometimes at the expense of comfort, there are better shocks out there that offer a bit more support and a more dynamic ride quality. Along those same lines, folks who like to be able to get a very specific feel out of their shock through extensive tuning may feel a bit limited by the Vivid Coil Ultimate’s adjustment range. Yes, there are a lot of adjusters and parameters to tweak, but the shock has a distinct planted feel that doesn’t change all that much even at the extreme ends of the compression adjusters.
Bottom Line
Coil shocks are prized by many for their reliability and sensitive feel, and the RockShox Vivid Coil Ultimate delivers both in spades. It’s easy to live with, and offers a very calm, planted feeling even when riding at the ragged edge. That planted feeling does mean that it can feel a little bit uninspiring for riders who like a lot of response to their physical inputs, but if comfort and compliance are the priority, the Vivid Coil is hard to beat.
This matches my experience with the Vivid coil. Its great for going fast on rough tracks and all day comfort at the bike park but its kinda dead on smoother and lower angle stuff.