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Last couple of rides I have noticed a distinct stiffening of the suspension on my bike, fox 32rlc and rp23. Could this be due to the cold weather. By stiffening I mean I use less travel and the travel seems to happen more slowly as if there is a healthy dose of compression damping.
Cold = thicker oil = more damping. Simples.
Keep you bike in the house to keep it warm 🙂
Initially yes as Glen says, but should return to normal as the units warm up as they are 'worked'.
At the start of the day before the workshop has warmed up, all fluids are noticabley 'thicker'.
this used to happen in the fun old days of sub 2" travel elastomer forks..
mk1 manitou 1.5" in the summer - 3/4" in the winter... christ they were rubbish
Depends how cold it is and how much oil you have though, Loco.
For example, my open bath forks don't ever really warm up properly when it's really cold, because there is too much oil and too much cold fork leg.
Rear shocks normally to a bit better due to smaller amounts of oil to warm.
Are you taking your bike to the start of the ride on the roof of the car or in the boot? Does it live in the house or in the shed?
this used to happen in the fun old days of sub 2" travel elastomer forks..mk1 manitou 1.5" in the summer - 3/4" in the winter... christ they were rubbish
I was talking to someone many years ago who had a Proflex and he used to microwave the rear elastomer once aweek.
Are you taking your bike to the start of the ride on the roof of the car or in the boot? Does it live in the house or in the shed?
Bike is carried on the roof of the car and stored in the garage, garage detached from house.
And there is your problem. Fork is cold when it leaves the garage and gets chilled further on top of car...it'll take somw time to warm her up.
I keep my bike in house and in back of car...no problems...
im sure i saw a picture somwhere of one of the teams at a world cup event using "fork warming" blankets similar to those used to heat tyres in F1
looked pretty funky
im sure i saw a picture somwhere of one of the teams at a world cup event using "fork warming" blankets similar to those used to heat tyres in F1
oooooh, where can I buy those to ensure optimum suspension performance around my local singletrack and will they run off the cigarette lighter in the car?
Indeed, I believe I saw a picture showing that Steve Peat had them on his Boxxers at the World Champs this year.
Im surprised that it is said that teh oil will warm up enough toloosen off` the forks in cold weather! A few years ago I was riding around in Kielder Forest at about -10c and teh forks , Pace RC41s, actually got stiffer and stiffer during the ride until they became virtually locked out, no sign at all of oil warming up there 🙁
I too would doubt that a MTB used as most of us do would warm fork oil significantly - too much oil, too much surface area to loose heat. A shock is more believable
If its an issue simply put thinner oil in until spring
I too would doubt that a MTB used as most of us do would warm fork oil significantly - too much oil, too much surface area to loose heat. A shock is more believable
A nurse does engineering again...
How do you know, have you done any calculations, do you have any idea how much heat is generated by damping? Or what the heat losses might be?
I've got a few notions about it, being an engineer and all, but I haven't done any calcs so I cannot really comment. I'll try and have a look tonight.
Weird, I posted something here last winter with just the opposite. Cold weather caused my fork (then a Manitou, now a Reba with the same problem) to become super-soft despite confirming that the pressure was in fact the same as always. If anything, my newer Rebas is even more sensitive to low temperatures. It would have to be at least -10 to affect my Manitou, but I was out the other day in +1 and the Reba was already showing signs of it (such as sitting at about 50% sag instead of 20%).
I also experienced the opposite to the OP. My dhx air softened up dramatically the other day in freezing temperatures (started to sit 50-60% into the travel rather than the usual 25%). I thought the air seal had failed again, but when I put a shock pump on it the next day , the pressure was exactly as I'd set it and it was bahaving normally again.
I've been out in colder temps and never experienced that problem before, so I have no idea what the problem was.
Certainly happening with my 2008 Revs...notably harsher after riding for a couple of hours. Was going to start a thread about it to see if others had experienced the same but looks like I got beaten to it 😉