New from NC: Cane Creek IL Shocks and Industry Nine iRiX Headsets

Cane Creek just introduced their new Air IL and Coil IL shocks that pack four-way damping adjustability in a more compact, non-piggyback package. In short, this provides the ability to adjust High and Low Speed Compression and High and Low Speed Rebound, allowing folks with shorter travel bikes to have the adjustability that’s usually reserved for bigger piggyback-reservoir downhill and enduro shocks.

Both AIR IL and Coil IL now feature a thicker inner damper tube, which Cane Creek states increases the strength of the shock, but there’s a 17mm reduction in overall width on the valve body, which makes fitment possible on tight frames. How about a little coil-sprung goodness on a short-travel 29er?

AIR IL features a 6mm reduction in the outer diameter of the Air spring to further increase fitment options while increasing the max pressure up to 350psi (up from 300psi). The Coil IL features added detents on the preload collar allow more precise preload tuning.

Both are hand-assembled and individually dyno-tested right up the road at Cane Creek’s Western North Carolina facility. More over at CaneCreek.com.

Industry Nine iRiX Headsets

In more unexpected NC news, Asheville-based Industry Nine unveiled their new iRiX headsets. Named from a blend of “Iris” the Greek goddess and personification of the rainbow, and the Roman numeral IX, the iRiX headset was designed in part to accompany the brand’s A35 and A318 stems for a colorful cockpit. iRiX bearing cups, top covers, and top caps are machined, anodized and laser-etched using US-sourced 7075 aluminum in I9’s machine shop right in Asheville, NC. In true I9 fashion, they’re available in a variety of colors, allowing customers to pick the color of the lower cup, upper cup, top cover, and top cap on EC and ZS models and top cover and top cap on IS options.

According to I9, the ease of service and bearing life were the mission behind the iRiX headsets. At its core, iRiX uses Enduro 440c Stainless Steel bearings with a lifetime warranty. Split crown races and top cover compression rings allow tool free installation and removal. Two available top cover heights provide different fitment and aesthetic options. The top covers also feature an integrated adjustable shim stacking function to dial in the ideal headtube clearance on IS applications. And the crown race and top cover have removable and replaceable silicone lip seals to keep the sealed bearings contaminant-free.

The iRiX headsets start at $195 and are available now at IndustryNine.com.

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