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  6. Full suspension framesets
  7. Trail full suspension framesets
  8. Trail framesets coil or air shock

Top 5 Trail Full-Suspension Framesets for Coil or Air Shock in Canada — 2025 Expert Guide to Choosing the Right Frame

Published on Monday, August 25, 2025

Frames engineered to accept either coil or air rear shocks deliver a rare combination of tunability and consistency that appeals to a broad range of trail riders. These frames are built with correct shock lengths, versatile mounting hardware, and kinematic designs that accommodate differing spring rates and leverage curves so riders can fit a plush coil for heavy, rowdy descents or a lighter, highly adjustable air package for long climbs and cross-country transfer. In the Canadian market, where alpine descents, rocky tech, and mixed-season riding are common, the ability to swap between coil and air lets riders adapt to West Coast chutes, Rockies’ high-speed tracks, or softer, wet conditions in the Maritimes. Consumer preferences trend toward frames that preserve factory geometry and leverage curve integrity while providing clear service paths for shock swaps, reliable bearing interfaces, and compatibility with common shock standards. Buyers prioritize predictable mid-stroke support, serviceability in remote riding areas, and the option to optimize weight versus suppleness depending on their local trails and riding style.

Quick Menu

1. Best All-Round Trail Value

2. Best High-Performance Carbon Leader

3. Best Adjustable Geometry Carbon

4. Best Boutique Enduro-Ready

5. Best Playful Short-Travel Frame

1
BEST ALL-ROUND TRAIL VALUE

Norco Optic C Frame

Norco
🏠 Local Product

The Norco Optic C Frame is a value-focused carbon trail frameset engineered to accept either coil or metric air shocks, delivering balanced geometry and broad parts compatibility for riders building a versatile trail bike. It earns its spot for offering strong price-to-performance and widespread dealer support compared with boutique options on this list, while still holding its own in agility against stiffer, premium designs like the Rocky Mountain Altitude.

4.4
★★★★☆

  • Balanced travel

  • Snappy acceleration

  • Balanced travel

  • Snappy acceleration

Review Summary

88%

"Owners praise the Norco Optic C for its stable, confidence-inspiring geometry, efficient pedaling and predictable suspension across technical trails, though a few long-term users note it can feel a bit heavy and requires careful shock tuning to avoid small-bump harshness."

  • Cornering with sass

  • Carbon-frame option with modern trail geometry and roughly 150mm rear travel.

  • Cornering with sass

  • Carbon-frame option with modern trail geometry and roughly 150mm rear travel.

Enhanced Physical Well-Being

Recreational Enjoyment

Skill Development & Mastery

The Norco Optic C Frame is a value-focused carbon trail frameset engineered to accept either coil or metric air shocks, delivering balanced geometry and broad parts compatibility for riders building a versatile trail bike. It earns its spot for offering strong price-to-performance and widespread dealer support compared with boutique options on this list, while still holding its own in agility against stiffer, premium designs like the Rocky Mountain Altitude.

  • Balanced travel

  • Snappy acceleration

  • Cornering with sass

  • Carbon-frame option with modern trail geometry and roughly 150mm rear travel.

  • Accepts both coil and air shocks with compatible mounts (trunnion and standard with hardware).

  • Balanced travel

  • Snappy acceleration

  • Cornering with sass

  • Carbon-frame option with modern trail geometry and roughly 150mm rear travel.

  • Accepts both coil and air shocks with compatible mounts (trunnion and standard with hardware).

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$1,800-2,600 CAD

2
BEST HIGH-PERFORMANCE CARBON LEADER

Rocky Mountain Altitude Carbon Frame

optrcn
🏠 Local Product

The Rocky Mountain Altitude Carbon Frame is a premium, trail-oriented carbon frameset that accommodates coil or air shocks and emphasizes tunable geometry and high-stiffness layup for aggressive riding. It stands out for refined construction and adjustable handling that give it a technical edge over value-focused frames like the Norco and the more narrowly focused Forbidden, albeit often at a higher price point.

4.5
★★★★☆

  • Efficient pedaling

  • Downhill command

  • Efficient pedaling

  • Downhill command

Review Summary

90%

"Riders consistently highlight the Rocky Mountain Altitude Carbon for its exceptional all-around trail capability, stiff accurate handling and excellent pedaling-to-descend balance; common criticisms are the high price and that optimal feel depends on precise setup."

  • Carbon-light grin

  • Full-carbon construction engineered for aggressive trail performance with ~150mm rear travel.

  • Carbon-light grin

  • Full-carbon construction engineered for aggressive trail performance with ~150mm rear travel.

Enhanced Physical Well-Being

Recreational Enjoyment

Skill Development & Mastery

The Rocky Mountain Altitude Carbon Frame is a premium, trail-oriented carbon frameset that accommodates coil or air shocks and emphasizes tunable geometry and high-stiffness layup for aggressive riding. It stands out for refined construction and adjustable handling that give it a technical edge over value-focused frames like the Norco and the more narrowly focused Forbidden, albeit often at a higher price point.

  • Efficient pedaling

  • Downhill command

  • Carbon-light grin

  • Full-carbon construction engineered for aggressive trail performance with ~150mm rear travel.

  • Designed to run coil or air shocks and optimized for platform damping and small-bump sensitivity.

  • Efficient pedaling

  • Downhill command

  • Carbon-light grin

  • Full-carbon construction engineered for aggressive trail performance with ~150mm rear travel.

  • Designed to run coil or air shocks and optimized for platform damping and small-bump sensitivity.

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From 45.99$
3
BEST ADJUSTABLE GEOMETRY CARBON

Devinci Troy Carbon Frame

Devinci
🏠 Local Product

The Devinci Troy Carbon Frame is a versatile trail platform with proven suspension kinematics tuned to balance pedaling efficiency and rear-end compliance, built to accept either coil or air shocks. It competes by blending cost-conscious North American manufacturing with a confidence-inspiring ride, slotting between Rocky Mountain's premium adjustability and Norco's value proposition while providing a mainstream alternative to the more specialized Knolly and Forbidden frames.

4.3
★★★★☆

  • Playful handling

  • Featherlight pop

  • Playful handling

  • Featherlight pop

Review Summary

85%

"The Devinci Troy Carbon is frequently praised for its playful, agile character and good value for a capable carbon trail frame, while some long-term users report it can feel firm on big hits unless suspension is well-tuned."

  • Trail-jump grin

  • Lightweight carbon frame tuned for playful trail riding with about 140–150mm rear travel.

  • Trail-jump grin

  • Lightweight carbon frame tuned for playful trail riding with about 140–150mm rear travel.

Recreational Enjoyment

Skill Development & Mastery

The Devinci Troy Carbon Frame is a versatile trail platform with proven suspension kinematics tuned to balance pedaling efficiency and rear-end compliance, built to accept either coil or air shocks. It competes by blending cost-conscious North American manufacturing with a confidence-inspiring ride, slotting between Rocky Mountain's premium adjustability and Norco's value proposition while providing a mainstream alternative to the more specialized Knolly and Forbidden frames.

  • Playful handling

  • Featherlight pop

  • Trail-jump grin

  • Lightweight carbon frame tuned for playful trail riding with about 140–150mm rear travel.

  • Compatible with coil or air shocks and linkage designed for tunable progression and support.

  • Playful handling

  • Featherlight pop

  • Trail-jump grin

  • Lightweight carbon frame tuned for playful trail riding with about 140–150mm rear travel.

  • Compatible with coil or air shocks and linkage designed for tunable progression and support.

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$2,000-3,500 CAD

4
BEST BOUTIQUE ENDURO-READY

Forbidden Druid V2 Frame

Forbidden

The Forbidden Druid V2 Frame is a boutique, coil-friendly trail frameset celebrated for a tuned leverage curve and planted rear suspension feel that rewards riders who prefer coil performance. It differentiates itself from mass-market rivals with a focus on small-bump sensitivity and bespoke ride character, typically commanding a premium versus mainstream carbon frames but delivering a distinct suspension experience for coil-oriented builds.

4.4
★★★★☆

  • Progressive leverage

  • Bombproof feel

  • Progressive leverage

  • Bombproof feel

Review Summary

87%

"Owners of the Forbidden Druid V2 love its modern, aggressive geometry and plush, supportive suspension that excels on steep technical terrain, with common downsides being a premium price and niche availability for parts/service."

  • Steep-and-smirk

  • Premium boutique frame (alloy and carbon options) delivering around 160mm rear travel and stable descending manners.

  • Steep-and-smirk

  • Premium boutique frame (alloy and carbon options) delivering around 160mm rear travel and stable descending manners.

Skill Development & Mastery

Recreational Enjoyment

Enhanced Physical Well-Being

The Forbidden Druid V2 Frame is a boutique, coil-friendly trail frameset celebrated for a tuned leverage curve and planted rear suspension feel that rewards riders who prefer coil performance. It differentiates itself from mass-market rivals with a focus on small-bump sensitivity and bespoke ride character, typically commanding a premium versus mainstream carbon frames but delivering a distinct suspension experience for coil-oriented builds.

  • Progressive leverage

  • Bombproof feel

  • Steep-and-smirk

  • Premium boutique frame (alloy and carbon options) delivering around 160mm rear travel and stable descending manners.

  • Engineered to accept both coil and air shock configurations with flexible mounting hardware.

  • Progressive leverage

  • Bombproof feel

  • Steep-and-smirk

  • Premium boutique frame (alloy and carbon options) delivering around 160mm rear travel and stable descending manners.

  • Engineered to accept both coil and air shock configurations with flexible mounting hardware.

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$2,400-3,800 CAD

5
BEST PLAYFUL SHORT-TRAVEL FRAME

Knolly Fugitive 138 Frame

Knolly
🏠 Local Product

The Knolly Fugitive 138 Frame is a performance-focused trail chassis built around Knolly's signature four-bar kinematics and a rearward axle path that work very well with either coil or air shocks. It shines for focused suspension tuning and confident cornering, offering a sweet spot between Forbidden's boutique coil emphasis and Rocky Mountain's adjustable, big-hitting carbon platform while often representing competitive value for riders seeking a geometry-forward frameset.

4.3
★★★★☆

  • Climb-efficient

  • Mid-travel bounce

  • Climb-efficient

  • Mid-travel bounce

Review Summary

86%

"The Knolly Fugitive 138 is celebrated for its efficient pedaling platform, balanced handling and refined suspension that makes long rides feel easier; a minority of users miss a bit more mid-stroke support on very big hits and note limited dealer availability."

  • Poppy trail smile

  • Short-travel, poppy trail chassis with 138mm rear travel and a responsive suspension kinematic.

  • Poppy trail smile

  • Short-travel, poppy trail chassis with 138mm rear travel and a responsive suspension kinematic.

Recreational Enjoyment

Enhanced Physical Well-Being

Skill Development & Mastery

The Knolly Fugitive 138 Frame is a performance-focused trail chassis built around Knolly's signature four-bar kinematics and a rearward axle path that work very well with either coil or air shocks. It shines for focused suspension tuning and confident cornering, offering a sweet spot between Forbidden's boutique coil emphasis and Rocky Mountain's adjustable, big-hitting carbon platform while often representing competitive value for riders seeking a geometry-forward frameset.

  • Climb-efficient

  • Mid-travel bounce

  • Poppy trail smile

  • Short-travel, poppy trail chassis with 138mm rear travel and a responsive suspension kinematic.

  • Works with coil or air shocks and offers a predictable axle path and tunable progression.

  • Climb-efficient

  • Mid-travel bounce

  • Poppy trail smile

  • Short-travel, poppy trail chassis with 138mm rear travel and a responsive suspension kinematic.

  • Works with coil or air shocks and offers a predictable axle path and tunable progression.

Order Now

$2,000-3,400 CAD

Why Coil vs Air Matters — Research-backed Benefits

Experimental testing and engineering analysis of suspension systems show consistent mechanical differences between coil and air springs that influence real-world ride feel and performance. Understanding these differences helps riders choose frames that support the suspension behavior they want. Below are practical, research-aligned takeaways explained for non-specialists.

Spring behavior: Coil springs provide a near-linear spring rate and lower hysteresis in many setups, producing a consistent, plush feel through repetitive impacts. Air springs are more progressive at high travel and allow easier tuning of end-stroke support via volume spacers.

Friction and stiction: Laboratory and field tests indicate coil shocks often exhibit lower stiction between cycles, which improves small-bump sensitivity and traction; air shocks can suffer more stiction unless fitted with high-quality seals and service attention.

Thermal stability: Coil springs themselves are unaffected by temperature, while air shocks can vary slightly with temperature and altitude because of pressure changes; damping circuits can mitigate much of this, but frame designers must account for real-world Canadian conditions.

Weight and tunability trade-offs: Controlled testing shows air setups are typically lighter, with broad tuning via pressure and tokens; coils add weight but reduce the need for extensive rebound/damping adjustments to manage consistent spring characteristics.

Kinematic interaction: Academic and industry analyses emphasize that frame leverage curves and pivot placement strongly influence how either spring type performs. Choosing a frameset rated for both types improves the chances the chassis will deliver intended progression and control for that spring.

This roundup focuses on frames that make switching between coil and air practical for Canadian trail riders. The five highlighted options — Norco Optic C Frame, Rocky Mountain Altitude Carbon Frame, Devinci Troy Carbon Frame, Forbidden Druid V2 Frame, and Knolly Fugitive 138 Frame — each deliver different balances of geometry, travel, and shock compatibility for West Coast tech, Rocky descents, or mixed singletrack. For most Canadian trail riders looking for an all-around platform that pairs geometry versatility with proven shock compatibility, the Rocky Mountain Altitude Carbon Frame stands out as the best overall choice on this list thanks to its adaptable kinematics and broad service support. I hope you found what you were looking for; use the search or filters to refine by shock length, travel, wheel size, intended terrain, or price to expand or narrow your results further.

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