RockShox Air Spring Upgrade Kit & WTB Vigilante Tire: Rider Review

If you want to breath new life into a RockShox fork then installing a compatible DebonAir Air Spring Upgrade Kit is the perfect thing for you. Our friend Dawson Snipes not only upgraded his fork but also put a new WTB Vigilante tire on as well. Check out his thoughts below on both of these upgrades!

Overview

I’ve been on two wheels since I was 3 years old. My mom started me on a Yamaha 50cc dirt bike! I raced for a few years but really enjoyed trail riding more than anything. Being one with nature and reaching destinations only accessible on two wheels. I have built so many good relationships with people who have the same passion. Trail riding led me straight to mountain biking. Now the addiction is strong, hence my frequent upgrades on my bike! I feel there is always something new to try/upgrade until you really find the perfect setup for your bike. My 2018 Marin Rift Zone 3 started with 120mm travel front and rear. Now with the 140mm DebonAir Air spring upgrade kit thorough instructions from SRAM, easy access to parts through WWC, and determination to be the only person working on my bike I have made my Marin a new bike. The longer fork travel has decreased the head tube angle by a degree or so. It’s totally enduro ready!

First off, SRAM makes it incredibly easy to work on your own components. I spent weeks researching this project and making sure I had everything I needed. You can find any information needed for any project simply by searching the SRAM site. They include step by step directions, pictures, part numbers, and all items needed for completion. There are even YouTube videos made by Rockshox that detail every step to suspension repairs. Beware; a lower leg service is not something to perform in your living room! Haha.

I believe in using fluids/lubricants designed by the suspension manufacturer because there is a reason Rockshox is so popular. I used the SRAM butter as lubrication on any rubber seals or gaskets. I used the RockShox oil to soak the sponge-like o-rings which made them a tad hard to install. The amount of oil needed for each side of my fork’s lower legs was very easy to find in the online owners manual. I installed the longer Debonair spring in my Rockshox Revelation and gained 20mm of travel. I went from 120mm to 140mm and knocked out a lower leg service all at once.

The small bump sensitivity has increased greatly. I was able to increase my sag from 20% to 25% and boy does it feel better over the chunky stuff. My fork feels brand new because of how smooth the travel is. My fork came with the solo air spring prior to the installation of the Debonair spring and I highly recommend upgrading to the Debonair spring. Make sure not to scratch anything when taking apart your fork or reassembling. I used basic tools I had at home to make all the repairs/upgrades. The only extra item needed was a syringe to inject oil (make sure it has a small nozzle!) I am highly satisfied with the outcome of my project.

There’s nothing quite like the smell of new tires. The WTB Vigilante tire is so wide compared to other 2.6 tires! I’ve found that WTB stays very true to acclaimed width of their tires. I run them on a 30mm internal width rim and the tire maintains a perfectly round shape. I’ve never had problems going tubeless with WTB, either. In fact, I used a simple floor pump to seal them up. I’ve only dealt with foldable bead tires so far and cannot speak for the wire beads. Haven’t shralped hard enough to burp any air either haha. The new tire compound is soft in all the right places.

You can really feel the difference between the center knobs (more firm) and the outer knobs (softer) Large, well-spaced knobs make flinging mud off the tire a piece of cake. Even the tackiest of mud won’t stay on the tire for long. Out here in Colorado the snow melts and makes for a peanut butter mess but these wide tires plow right through. The sidewall is my favorite part because of how thick and durable it is. I’ve seen Maxxis tires sidewalls stretch and deform just from installing on a rim. Even the “light” category tire is durable enough for the enduro style riding that I do. WTB added a little flavor on the sidewall with a slash guard design. I haven’t had a scuff yet! My rims are well protected from bashing large rocks even at 24 psi. The side knobs nearly reach out past the rim.

The tire has a great shape and really digs into any terrain I ride. Laying the bike down through a corner and coming out clean puts a smile on my face! My original Trail Boss tire wore out very quickly but the redesigned WTB compounds are vastly improved. Hopefully, this tire lasts a bit longer. I think the high grip-style is much softer than the fast rolling so keep that in mind.

Final Thoughts

Thanks, worldwidecyclery.com for being so easy to deal with! There is never a shortage of questions to be asked and a timely response is always the outcome. I shopped around for these parts and still couldn’t find a more affordable place to purchase. It is extremely convenient that everything I needed to perform service on my fork was available from WWC. If I had any constructive criticism it would be about the organization of the site. I wish there we’re drop down section options for products instead of being kind of jumbled on one big page. Other than that, I brag about the customer service and savings opportunities to all my MTB friends. I’d love to represent WWC with a jersey in my first race in June! 😁🤘