Official Sprocket Rockets Cascade Components Link Thread

**XtrPickels** · 09-05-2021, 09:04 AM

It's funny how upgrading a part, in my case from a DPX2 to a Float X can lead you down a rabbit hole.

Recap: I replaced the DPX on my V2 Switchblade with a new Float X. I couldn't get a good balance of bottom-out protection while riding trail sized drops and jumps without it feeling harsh. I played with the combinations of air-pressure, LSC, Volume spacers available to me. Perhaps beefing up the HSC would have helped, but I didn't want to send it out. (I think this issues has more to do with the lack of the specific tune for the Switchblade than a fault with the Float X itself).

It was mentioned that Cascade makes shock links for the V2 Switchblade that increases progressively from ~25 to ~31%. I immediately ordered one up because I'm a sucker for new parts. It arrived on Friday, Swapped in easily, and after only setting sag we were off to Trestle Bike park.

I came up short more than enough times to put it through it's paces and I think it bottomed out when appropriate. If anything, I might go down a spacer.

So, while I don't have a good sense of how it performs over all, it certainly has seemed to solve my problem of bottoming too easily. I'm looking forward to dialing the shock in a bit more.

What's everyone else's experience?

**stradissimo** · 09-05-2021, 10:20 AM

I got one from the first manufacturing run for my v1 Sentinel.

The stock suspension has 7% progression. I could either make it feel good but bottom out everywhere (150 psi), feel harsh and bottom out appropriately (160 psi), or feel harsh and bottom out too much (155 - 158 psi). I ran 160 psi and put up with the harshness.

With the Cascade link the progression is 20%. It makes a big difference for me. I was running 160 psi (stock shock, dpx2) and had “good enough” small-bump sensitivity and bottom-out resistance.

Sometime in June ‘21 I bumped the pressure up to 162 to get more pop and to put a bit more weight on the front tire. It still wasn’t harsh like the stock link and 155psi.

A couple weeks ago I bought a used 11-6 and installed it with a 425 lb/in spring. Push told me that they don’t recommend using the Cascade link with the 11-6, but I’ve been riding it like that anyhow.

I like it a lot. The 11-6 put my lust for a new Norco Range on hold. My bike feels both planted and poppy. Super fun.

Maybe someday, when I’m not being lazy, I’ll try the stock link with the 11-6 to see if I like it better.

**Tailwind** · 09-10-2021, 07:42 AM

I’ll be curious for more feedback on the cascade link on the switchblade.

Dumb question, does it still work with the flip chip? I’m thinking of doing an Angleset and I like the idea of being able to slip to high for some increased crank clearance if I’m going -1.

**HankScorpio** · 09-10-2021, 08:21 AM

A buddy of mine is selling his Hightower and offered me his Cascade V2 link for cheap. I'm not really a big hit, gravity/enduro bro so I don't think I need the extra 10 mm of travel, it also makes the wheelbase slightly longer on an already long bike.

Any Cascade Hightower users care to convince me otherwise? I basically use my HT for everything - long climbs, XC rides, flow trails, techy steeps, etc.

**XtrPickels** · 09-10-2021, 08:23 AM

I'll report back after the weekend. Haven't been out on it since the day at Trestle.

I just put a Works -1.5 in the headset. I was running the 27.5 wheel spacer under the head tube to lift / slacken the front end a bit which felt better than stock and great on steep terrain, but a compromise elsewhere.

I'm curious, Pivot is listing all the current SB's with DPX2 on the site; you mentioned you had a Float X on yours: Did they sub in the Float X to get it out the door?

**XtrPickels** · 09-10-2021, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by HankScorpio

A buddy of mine is selling his Hightower and offered me his Cascade V2 link for cheap. I'm not really a big hit, gravity/enduro bro so I don't think I need the extra 10 mm of travel, it also makes the wheelbase slightly longer on an already long bike.

Any Cascade Hightower users care to convince me otherwise? I basically use my HT for everything - long climbs, XC rides, flow trails, techy steeps, etc.

The benefit is likely less about more travel and more about increased small bump sensitivity from the increased leverage at the top of travel. Riding in VT, I can see this helping with rocks and roots.

**grskier** · 09-10-2021, 08:44 AM

Good timing as I just saw this on the Tubez.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX0nZjHKvcM

**Canada1** · 09-10-2021, 09:15 AM

Does this effect bike frame or suspension warranty?

I'm fascinated and now attempting to calculate progression on all of our bikes. (thanks for taking me down this rabbit hole)

**J. Barron DeJong** · 09-10-2021, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by Canada1

Does this effect bike frame or suspension warranty?

Not if you put the original link back on before you try for a warranty claim

**Andeh** · 09-10-2021, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Canada1

Does this effect bike frame or suspension warranty?

I'm fascinated and now attempting to calculate progression on all of our bikes. (thanks for taking me down this rabbit hole)

Cascade says some manufacturers don't care, others are annoyed by it. But there's no way they can tell if you use one, as long as you keep the original.

https://linkagedesign.blogspot.com/
That's got a lot of leverage curves worked out for bikes, even when the MFG doesn't supply it.

Their links are more about changing the leverage curve then slacking things out, adding more travel, or lengthening chainstay. Those are just products of Cascade having to change the shape/position of the links to manipulate the leverage rates.

**carlh** · 09-10-2021, 10:16 AM

I also have one on a v1 sentinel but am a bit heavier than stradissimo. With the stock DPX2 I went from 240 PSI and a 0.8 spacer with wallow and bottoming stock to 280PSI and 0.6 spacer for better pedaling and no hard bottom outs. I could probably run it a touch softer but I like a supportive bike. Only issue is I am maxed out on rebound on the stock tune, might have to modify it a bit on service this year. Would consider a coil as well but that is low on the upgrade list, I want a new fork more. I would consider the link a must have on this bike.

Not sure there is as much value on a bike with better kinematics to begin with, the v2 sentinel stock is about the same as v1 with the link, moving well above 20% progression I think is firmly into coil shock territory but if that's your jam go for it.

**adrenalated** · 09-10-2021, 10:38 AM

I'm Cascade-curious for my 2019 Patrol but to be honest, I'm not sure what I would gain. I put a MRP Hazzard coil with the progressive spring and other than weighing more than digitaldeath's mom, I'm very happy with the performance.

**Canada1** · 09-10-2021, 12:04 PM

Rocky Mountain is an outlier on the charts.

**rippling over canyons** · 09-10-2021, 09:56 PM

I'd like to try one on my Hightower. But, there's no way I'm forking out $350 for one of these.

**Tailwind** · 09-11-2021, 07:40 AM

I think they’re likely in process of shifting to the float X but have mixed inventory right now. Either way, I’m not perturbed. It rides really really well. I’d need to compare but I’m guessing it’s a good portion of the performance of an X2. I’m coil curious (as a second shock) hence looking at the a cascade Link.

I’ll also be interested in your feedback on the angleset. I run my bars pretty low so the angleset makes a lot of sense in my position. Steeper seat tube angle and lower front end being side benefits.

Originally Posted by XtrPickels

I'll report back after the weekend. Haven't been out on it since the day at Trestle.

I just put a Works -1.5 in the headset. I was running the 27.5 wheel spacer under the head tube to lift / slacken the front end a bit which felt better than stock and great on steep terrain, but a compromise elsewhere.

I'm curious, Pivot is listing all the current SB's with DPX2 on the site; you mentioned you had a Float X on yours: Did they sub in the Float X to get it out the door?

**XtrPickels** · 09-11-2021, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by Tailwind

I think they’re likely in process of shifting to the float X but have mixed inventory right now. Either way, I’m not perturbed. It rides really really well. I’d need to compare but I’m guessing it’s a good portion of the performance of an X2. I’m coil curious (as a second shock) hence looking at the a cascade Link.

I’ll also be interested in your feedback on the angleset. I run my bars pretty low so the angleset makes a lot of sense in my position. Steeper seat tube angle and lower front end being side benefits.

Got the bike out for a few easy Lefthand laps today. I'll say that given that my riding has mostly been at Lefthand recently, that very much influences my bike upgrades, Steep, Loose, Chunky. The SB was otherwise a great long-legged trail bike but a bit too conservative to truly shine in this terrain. My aim has been to improve it's ability in the steep and loose without losing how fun it is on more typical trail.

1. Cascade link is $$$. It's spendy, but it's also revived my love of a bike that I was thinking about moving on from.
Progression of my settings: Weight ~170lbs

DPX2: 210psi / 0.6 spacer / 30% sag. Compression Full Open / Rebound 6 clicks open from slow.
In general this was an appropriate shock and set up for an incredible all-around bike. It rode well up, down, and all around. But, I wanted a bit more downhill performance. Tried for an X2 but landed with a new Float X.

Float X (Initial Set Up): 175psi / 0.7 spacer / 30% sag.

Reviews said that Float X ran lower pressure than the DPX because of the air chamber. This was certainly my experience. The Float X was significantly better for small bump and just more active in general compared to the DPX2. My initial rides on tamer trails felt great. However, It bottomed and it bottomed hard most times that my wheels were off the ground. The caveat here is that this is the stock tune on the Float X - Not a Pivot tuned shock.

I chased what I could, Going to 0.9 spacer, then a 1.1?. As the spacers went up, the harshness did too. I eventually settled back at 0.8 spacer with extra pressure to run 25% sag. This was rougher over the small bump, and while it still bottomed at least it wasn't harsh. I was really contemplating going back to the DPX2, because this was a compromise and not really an improvement.

Cascade Link: Showed up the day before a trip to the bike park, so I tossed it on, set the sag at 30% and off we went.
Initial set up: 195psi / 0.8 spacer / 30 % sag.
Felt really good at the park. dialed in compression / rebound after each run. Used full travel only when I came up short, but not otherwise. I figured I could drop a spacer and still feel good on trails.

Current Set up: 205psi / 0.6 spacer / 30% sag. / Compression 8 from closed / Rebound 7 from closed.
This set-up feels great. Small bump is great, landings are buttery smooth, poppy but controlled on the rebound. Most of the travel is being used, but no true bottom-outs. I think this is going to work well across lots of different trails and while I'm still curious about more of a downhill oriented shock, this set up is doing a great job of balancing downhill prowess with all-around versatility.

2. The Works Headset.

The 66 deg HTA of the SB is great in many scenarios, especially when cornering on less- steep trails. It's actually something that I really loved about this bike when I demo'd it compared to the SB130LR and others that I rode. However, for context , the Epic Evo and Trail 429 are only 0.5 degrees steeper. Given my emphasis on riding LHOHV, there's many times when I really wanted that front wheel a lil' further ahead of me.

I "fixed" this in the short-term with the 27.5 spacer under the head tube. This was a big improvement because 1. it slacked the HTA and 2. It brought the bars up which was nice for descending steeper terrain. However, this also slackened the Seat Tube Angle which I noticed while climbing with a bit more wandering from the front end, raised the bottom bracket, and prevented my saddle (mounted on a Fox Transfer post) from being level.

I wanted to fix this with the angle adjust headset to reduce the compromises of the spacer. I got a -1.5 because anything worth doing is worth overdoing. Today, it feel really good. However, this slacker HTA slightly lowers the bottom bracket and the Cascade link slightly lowers the bottom bracket which means I'm now below the original Low Position from the stock build. I had some pedal strikes today in some less than opportunistic places. Therefore, I think I might go to the "steeper" setting which will bring the HTA from 64.5 to 65 degrees and bring the BB back to near the original BB height (sans spacer).

With these two changes I think I'm getting the Switchblade to where I want it which I'm realizing is between a Switchblade and a Firebird.

**SkiersLeft** · 09-13-2021, 12:14 PM

Originally Posted by HankScorpio

A buddy of mine is selling his Hightower and offered me his Cascade V2 link for cheap. I'm not really a big hit, gravity/enduro bro so I don't think I need the extra 10 mm of travel, it also makes the wheelbase slightly longer on an already long bike.

Any Cascade Hightower users care to convince me otherwise? I basically use my HT for everything - long climbs, XC rides, flow trails, techy steeps, etc.

Have one on a Hightower v2. It is for sure more plush in general. I had to run at least 45-50 psi more in the shock. The stock link climbs better for me, but most of my euro climbs are on fire roads and then one long down. Changes the bike for sure and was worth the investment.

However, I just bought a DHX2 + 600SLS and have been using it with the stock link. So far am super impressed, climbs great without needing the climb switch and is obviously amazing on the down. Never had a coil, but now I understand. (Yes maybe should have bought a megatower, but that would be too much for my local trails)

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**TheK12** · 09-22-2021, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by SkiersLeft

Have one on a Hightower v2. It is for sure more plush in general. I had to run at least 45-50 psi more in the shock. The stock link climbs better for me, but most of my euro climbs are on fire roads and then one long down. Changes the bike for sure and was worth the investment.

However, I just bought a DHX2 + 600SLS and have been using it with the stock link. So far am super impressed, climbs great without needing the climb switch and is obviously amazing on the down. Never had a coil, but now I understand. (Yes maybe should have bought a megatower, but that would be too much for my local trails)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Do you have any clearance issues with the coil shock on the Hightower? Always thought clearance was an issue especially with the first release of the HTV2.

**SkiersLeft** · 09-22-2021, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by TheK12

Do you have any clearance issues with the coil shock on the Hightower? Always thought clearance was an issue especially with the first release of the HTV2.

In short, yes, but had bushings machined moving the shock out of center. 1,5mm at the link and 1mm at the frame end. Flip chip must also be on low. No way it will fit otherwise. Coil is now centered, but it is extremely tight, like 1,5-2mm clearance on all sides. Lighter weight coil would most probably fit easier. But it works without rubbing, at least for now (frame is a cc size xl, for reference). I see it as a fun experiment. Will try with the dhx2 with cascade link soon, haven’t had the time to switch out links.

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**SkiersLeft** · 09-26-2021, 03:37 AM

Just switched out to cascade link. Even more room above the coil with the cascade link. During the swap I didn’t see any rub marks in the tunnel using the original Santa link. Key are having bushings made that reposition the shock in the tunnel.