Cogent DDC - Drop-in-Damper Cartridge Write-up

[InsaneDawe]

TL;DR: Cogent make a drop in emulator that's easier to install than a Racetech Gold Valve and it does a great job improving the fork dampening.

 

Cogent Dynamics Inc - Drop in Damper Cartridge; DDC for short, street name Emulator. If you want to know more about “emulators”, Racetech has lots of info about their Gold Valve Cartridge Emulators . 

Cogent Dynamics tout that their DDCs also change the rebound dampening. Not sure about that since they don’t create a seal with the fork walls but Cogent’s recommended Spectro Golden 5W oil will probably make rebound faster due to the oil being much thinner than the factory 10w oil.

Here is a picture of the DDC.

The dimensions of the DDC are 31mm OD x 12mm height. Mounting lip has an OD of 24mm.

Installation is very simple, the only tool I needed was a flexible claw pickup tool. The DDC will stick to a magnet pickup tool but the magnet won’t let go inside the fork. An added bonus of the 5W oil is that you don’t need to drill the factory damping rod. Just drop in the DDC, replace the oil & cut your spacer by 12mm. This is also a good time to upgrade your spring or add preload adjusters if you don’t have them. You could also go hog wild and replace your fork seals as well.

My install was a bit more trick because my bike came with a Matris FKE spring kit that has a weird flow restrictor. I needed to add another spacer to take up the additional 11mm.

1 in Schedule 80 PVC worked well for this because the nominal OD of 1 in PVC is 1.315 in = ~34mm and ID is ~24mm which clears the valve area. Schedule 40 will work but it has thinner walls, ID of ~27mm. The ID of the fork tubes is about 36mm.

At the same time I replaced the 9.0 N/mm to a 8.5 N/mm spring to better suit my weight(180).

NOTE THE PINHOLE VALVE SHOULD FACE UP TOWARDS THE SPRING. DDC recommends an oil level of 150mm from top and adjust to your preferred damping. I overfilled slightly at 146ish. Cogent said I will need 2 bottles of Spectro Golden. I only needed 1 and have 4oz to spare.

Initial Impression

Amazing, this severely changed the dampening. The bike doesn’t get upset as much over bumps and feels plush for everyday riding, kinda like gliding over the road. It’s hard to explain but feels better in every way. Very much like an aftermarket rear shock(having just upgraded the rear). It doesn’t get rid of the brake dive but does inspire confidence over bumps when on the brakes. Rebound seems slower, I think that’s why it feels more confident over bumps. Zero rubber banding, bounce etc. May experiment with adding oil to stiffen the dampening for the track. I believe if you give Cogent a call, they can custom valve one for you.

Cost

I picked these up from a fellow forum member for just under $100. It was well worth it. I can’t seem to figure out the Cogent website to give you a street price.

Conclusion

Amazing upgrade, gave me a ton of confidence in the front end, feels plush and expensive. Cogent’s solution fits, is easy to install and works well and you don’t need to drill the damping rod or adjust the valve preload. Probably doesn’t compare to a true cartridge but a nice budget solution. Can't be tuned like the Gold Valve but that's to it's advantage. I’m very happy with the results.

Edited May 1, 2020 by InsaneDawe
Added TL:DR & Updated Conclusion, Install not isn't

[stickshift]

I used them for a couple years (now have cartridges), they're a great improvement for the price.

[firstyammerha]

There was a New Zealand company that advertised this type of valve with rebound control designed into it. I inquired but the cost was around $400 and they asked me for my fork ID dimensions which I didn't know so passed on it.

[Cruizin]

Cogent  Dynamics is a very good company . Great products and knowledge. 

[InsaneDawe]

1 hour ago, firstyammerha said:

There was a New Zealand company that advertised this type of valve with rebound control designed into it. I inquired but the cost was around $400 and they asked me for my fork ID dimensions which I didn't know so passed on it.

Matris makes a FSE kit has a crazy emulator design that seems to seal for rebound control.

It is only $175 more than Matris' normal FKE spring kit, seems like a nice piece. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by InsaneDawe

[clinical]

On 4/30/2020 at 8:20 PM, InsaneDawe said:

I can’t seem to figure out the Cogent website to give you a street price.

I emailed for a quote: $188.