Review: Cane Creek Tigon Shock

Cane Creek Tigon rear shock on my Stumpjumper 15

Cane Creek’s Tigon rear shock was my gateway drug to the Stash Cycles demo program. This air/coil hybrid shock has been on my radar since it launched in 2023, and it had always seemed like the obvious upgrade choice for my Specialized Stumpjumper 15, if I ever decided I wanted to put a coil shock on that bike.

Luckily, the universe decided for me. After I blew the damping circuit in the Stumpjumper’s stock Genie shock, I walked into Stash looking for a demo to tide me over while I got the Genie fixed. Instead, I walked out with a permanent addition to the bike, and one of the best upgrades I’ve made.

• Size Tested: 210x55 mm

• Adjustments: High and Low speed compression, Climb switch, Low speed rebound.

• Spring Rate: 550 lbs, 20 PSI

• Bike and Rider Stats: 2025 Specialized Stumpjumper 15 alloy, 6’2” 200 lbs

Specialized builds their trail bikes around pretty linear leverage rates, and then drives their shocks with a clevis which increases the leverage from the rear triangle on the shock, and has been known to snap traditional coil shafts. Those two factors pushed me toward the Tigon from the start. I’m a fairly heavy dude, and I like landing sideways. I don’t like blowing up shocks, and Cane Creek is adamant that the Tigon is built to handle those kinds of forces.

I’ve also used coil shocks with hydraulic bottom out circuits on linear bikes, and haven’t loved how they feel deep in the stroke. They prevent loud bottom outs, but the HBO kicks in very late in the travel, and doesn’t give me the smooth trampoline landing that I appreciate with more progressive designs.

I really enjoyed the stock Genie shock that came on the Stumpjumper 15. It uses the first ⅔ of its travel very easily, making the bike feel like it has more travel than the 145 mm it’s advertised at, and then it ramps up very predictably in that last third of the travel to give a great platform for jumping, pumping, and big compressions.

My biggest worry with swapping to another shock was that I’d lose that top end sensitivity and traction, and mute one of my favorite aspects of the Stumpjumper. Instead, I found the Tigon took that sensation and enhanced it. It’s remarkable how easily the Tigon moves into its travel, and how controlled it feels throughout its stroke.

The stock Fox Performance level Genie shock on the Stumpjumper Alloy is very simple in terms of damping. You can adjust your rebound, and turn the climb switch on and off. That’s it. And out of the box, I think Specialized did a really good job of settling on a tune that most folks are going to get along with super well. I certainly did. I didn’t have any damping complaints with the Genie until I started riding the Tigon.

With the Tigon, I can run a more damped, controlled-feeling shock, without losing sensitivity and traction. I started with all adjustments on the Tigon at their default, center positions, and then bracketed from there. I started by adding air to the chamber in 10 psi increments, and found that 20 psi with the 550 lb spring strikes a nice balance for my weight and riding style. I don’t hit a harsh bottom to the shock on big impacts, but I can easily use 80-90% of the shock’s travel on most trails. If I’m riding purely steep, tech trails, I might run a few PSI less, and similarly, for high speed bike park, I’d probably bump it up to the max 30 PSI.

I ended up running three more clicks than default of low speed compression, and opened the high speed compression up two clicks. That’s consistent with what I end up doing with most Rockshox suspension as well. Finally, I slowed down the rebound a few clicks. I’m a big fan of slow rebounds, and often run suspension products close to fully closed. With the Tigon, I’m still a few clicks from maxing out the rebound damping.

With those tweaks, the Tigon delivers a really nice, balanced ride feel. It still has that “way more than 145 mm” feeling that I loved on the Genie, but the travel feels more controlled, and less fluttery. It also feels like it handles staccato high-speed small impacts better than the stock Genie.

Without a coil the Tigon is just 40ish grams heavier than the stock Genie shock. Add the coil, and you’re somewhere in the 400 g (.88 lbs) ballpark. So not nothing, but also not that big of a deal, especially on a bike with burly tires, ridden by a heavy dude.

Full disclosure, I walked into Stash ready to demo a shock to keep my bike rideable, and then give it back when I got my Genie fixed. Instead, I’ve got a new Tigon permanently bolted to my Stumpjumper. The ride feel upgrade it delivered was noticeable, and I’m excited to get it out on bigger rides as spring kicks into gear.

If you’re trying to get the most descending performance out of a linear bike like the Stumpjumper, Levo, or Cannondale Habit LT, I’d highly recommend taking a Tigon for a spin. It’s one of the best upgrades I’ve done to my Stumpy 15.