How CoilClip Works
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How CoilClip Works
The mechanics behind your travel tracker, and how to turn a clip position into a real travel number.
Coil shocks don't leave a sag ring like an air shock does, so there's normally no easy way to glance down and see how much travel you actually used on a run. CoilClip solves that by riding directly on the spring itself.
As the shock compresses, the coils bunch closer together. Because the clip is attached to the spring rather than the shaft, it doesn't travel the full distance the shock does — it moves a smaller, proportional amount. That relationship between "how far the shock moves" and "how far the clip moves" is what we call the ratio, and it depends on where along the spring the clip is sitting and how long your spring is.
This is also why CoilClip includes a second sag ring: since the clip only tracks movement over part of the spring, that second ring acts as a corrected marker so you can read full-travel usage accurately, not just raw clip movement.
Getting your ratio: three ways to do it
Our Travel Calculator does the ratio math for you. It supports three methods, from fastest to most precise — use whichever matches how much time you want to spend measuring.
1. Quick estimate (no measuring)
Just judge whether the clip sits on less than half, about half, or more than half of the spring's usable length. This gets you a rough ratio in seconds — good for a first setup or if you just want a ballpark number.
2. Count the turns
Estimate the total number of coils on your spring, then how many coils are covered by the clip. This is more accurate than the quick method and still doesn't require a tape measure — just count carefully near the center of the spring, where coil spacing is more even.
3. Measure the spring (most precise)
Measure the full usable spring length and the span covered by the clip, either outer-to-outer or center-to-center plus wire diameter. This gives the calculator exact numbers to work from and produces your most accurate ratio and sag markers.
Whichever method you use, the calculator turns your input into a ratio, a max clip travel figure, and reference clip positions for common sag targets — and tells you where to set your second ring.
Reading your results after a ride
Once your ratio is set and your second ring is positioned, checking travel usage is as simple as glancing at where the clip and ring sit after a run.
Keep in mind: the clip moves less than the shock shaft. Reading raw clip movement without applying your ratio will understate how much travel you actually used — that's what the second ring and calculator are for.
Recalculate your ratio any time you change springs, since a different spring length or wire diameter will change the numbers.