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What do you do/change ? Anything at all ?
Set it for rough sag and then just ride?
Play with rebound/compression?
Set a progression chip and forget it ? Or change for a given ride.
I'm sitting bored in the rainy morning after making a change to the progression chip last night on the EX8, setting it from MORE to LESS progression, which in theory gives a bit better small bump compliance. I've been running the bike a little soft on the back at 210psi instead of 235 recommended by Fox to give better compliance, but maybe 235 and the progression chip will be the answer for that..
But will i even notice... Mmmm open to debate.
I'm curious though as to what people change/fiddle..
First set the tyre pressures to something sensible, no point twiddling knobs if the tyres are too soft/too hard for the conditions.
Next is setting air pressure for the ballpark amount of sag 20ish front, 30ish rear. Bearing in mind this is on the flat, so one you point it down the hill, the weight distribution changes.
Adjusters set in the middle (or if there are some baseline settings, start from there)
With damping its a compromise of bump eating, support in the corners and not being bucked off.
I'll pick a 60s section of track that you can loop to hone in on a setup, but alas, through the day we ride a multitude of different tracks, so its all a compromise.
Also, have a look at whether your shock/fork has any volume reducing spacers in it to increase/decrease the air spring progression of the shock/fork itself, I find these make a big difference to how a bike feels.
I fiddle with all the adjustments the bike has to get it feeling the best (to me).
I tend to set the physical settings (chips, mounting holes etc) how I think I like it and then leave them. Pressures and knobs are fiddled with the first couple of rides and that’s them. Volume spacers usually tend to come out over the first month as I’m heavy but don’t ride aggressively and get a lot of ramp up. This is a progressive process going down a size at a time.
Don’t fiddle for different types of rides.
Usually I put it in the Low/Slack setting and leave it there. Then mess around with rebound, compression, sag and tokens. Once I. Awhile I’ll put it in Highs/steep setting and either hate it or not notice and switch it back.
After a while (in the past at least) I might use offset bushings and Anglesets to get it exactly where I want it. But I’m less likely to do that now I’m older with kids and less time (but I still might).
My Rocky Mountain comes with a 9-position chip for the rear suspension.
It came set on the middle one and that’s where it’s staying 😂
Pressure set to correct sag and a little bit of fiddling with the knobs then that’s me done. Could be missing out on The Best Setting Ever but who has the time and energy to really try everything?
Not really, just set sag, rebound, compression and volume spacers in one set up session and leave it. Apart from when I had a cane creek db air il, then I went through the dialled app set up and did multiple runs making small changes. That then resulted in a set up that had a lot more low and a bit more high speed compression damping than I would have expected. Much firmer but also faster.
Never had a flip chip.
I only mess with stuff when it feels wrong then I leave it and get on with my life.
My trail bike has just been fixed with a super awesome fork with custom tuning from J-Tech so I can stop messing with knobs, volume spacers and bar height and just enjoy it.
My gravity/bikepark bike has been pretty mint since day one. Just fitted some 2.3 rotors which has massively improved brake feel so that's sorted for a while.
As I never get full travel on my Mk3 Bronson I'm considering taking out one of the Bottomless Tokens from the shock,,,.
1. Fully open all compression.
2. Set sag
3. Set rebound
4. Adjust compression on the trail
5. Tweak rebound and compression if required.
Tip: Step 1 is very important and often overlooked. Adjust just 1 dial at a time.
a little soft on the back at 210psi instead of 235 recommended by Fox to give better compliance
Does it though..? Or does it make it sit lower in the sag so you lose some travel and thereby is less compliant... I watched a YT vid that explained it well. Will try to find
a little soft on the back at 210psi instead of 235 recommended by Fox to give better compliance
Does it though..? Or does it make it sit lower in the sag so you lose some travel and thereby is less compliant... I watched a YT vid that explained it well. Will try to find
Well at 210 it certainly 'feels' more plush than at 235, but of course that doesn't mean it's better, hence my trying the 235 now and the less progressive chip setting, so i'm hoping i've actually got it feeling better. However at the moment it'll be hard to know as the weather is wetter and i'm not out on the proper trails for a week or so, unless i get some time at the weekend but i'm thinking it's fairly unlikely.
I don’t have the option to change my flip chip from low to high, no matter how tight you do the bolt it comes undone and goes back to low
I do alter tyre pressure fairly frequently depending what I’m riding but that’s easy to do carrying an electric pump
been enjoying the Tru Tune on my RS Pike Ultimate - works very well. Was looking at getting another - looks like Tru Tune not trading anymore?
problem with fiddling is the inconsistency.
Once your fork and shock are due a "proper service", i highly reccomend sending them off to TF tuned (or similar potentially, but ive always had good experience from TF)
Take the time to give them the correct details in terms of riding weight, and style, and specific frame model. They'll send them back fettled and with a sheet of reccomended settings
The difference is night and day
I do like to get to a point that the bike feels good and leave it, I’m not much of a fettler. My current analogue bike is a Raaw Madonna with an Ohlins Coil. I’ve just set it with the recommended spring weight and settings listed by Raaw and it feels great from the off. Both my bikes run Fox 38 forks. I tend to run less air to get the sag I want and remove a token or two. I didn’t bottom them out in a week in the Alps and was wondering if I needed to fettle more, however a weekend riding the tech trails at BPW which are full of drops and steps eeked full travel out.
been enjoying the Tru Tune on my RS Pike Ultimate - works very well. Was looking at getting another - looks like Tru Tune not trading anymore?
TruTune's website is dead... still available from TF : https://www.tftuned.com/fork-parts/trutune/c613 But I wonder if they've gone under.
Worked well in my Fox 36s too.
I've generally just used the recommended setting from Fox.
Adjusted slightly if it felt too harsh or soft - generally only a couple of clicks difference - I did remove one of the volume spacers form the fork, probably could remove the second one as I very rarely use full travel.
I also have a ShockWiz which I've never used - must dig it out and see what it thinks about my set up lol
I've a good idea as to whats needed as I don't swap and change that often. Any fine tuning needed is done on the same bit of local trail we always use to set up. Then it's forgotten about till next service or purchase.
been enjoying the Tru Tune on my RS Pike Ultimate - works very well. Was looking at getting another - looks like Tru Tune not trading anymore?
TruTune's website is dead... still available from TF : https://www.tftuned.com/fork-parts/trutune/c613 But I wonder if they've gone under.
Worked well in my Fox 36s too.
yer TF only have Fox 34 available and other suppliers are out of stock also for all..
like it as well, i have a RSD runt on another bike and feel is the same, but cheap etc albiet lack of the runt adjustability
I don't think I've ever run either RS or Fox at recommended settings, always less to get the sag/plushness I've wanted
Ironically i run less sag than recommended. i always find it too soft. I like it stiff n hard! fnarr fnarr.
first few rides i take a shock pump and sort the rear end out sag/rebound/compression(if it has it) wise.
i got a custom damper from novyparts in my forks and thats awesome. follwed their recommendations and a few turns and i`ve left it for about 3 years.
Bugger, I’d better get one ordered quickly if they’ve gone bust.
I’ve got no idea of what sag measurement I’m running, always just set it on feel. Also always way over the recommended weight/pressure value, especially in the fork, fox say 90ish and I’m at 115psi but that’s what feels right.
did try a shockwiz for a day and it’s probably good for a downhill racers who’s focusing on one track per day but if your rides have varied terrain it can’t take an average, so if one trail is steep and the next a flow it tells you to constantly make major changes
I also have a ShockWiz which I've never used -
I use settings recommended by the frame manufacturer then Shockwiz on my most commonly ridden tracks to tweak. If it feels better after that I leave it.
I think I've a very basic awareness and I set things up and it feels ok. I then have a shot on someone else's bike and it feels good. We chat about settings and I make some tweaks (no really educated) and then ride and it feels good.
I've no idea what I've changed or what impact it actually has...I'm clueless about the actual mechanics behind it all.
My Rocky Mountain comes with a 9-position chip for the rear suspension.It came set on the middle one and that’s where it’s staying 😂
I've still got my 2019 Rocky Mountain Element XC bike, and truth be told, it felt right in the middle position right from the get go so I never bother to mess with it. It's also possibly the only bike that the stock suspension felt "good enough" from the get go too (I guess being 100mm rear and 120mm front helps here) so I never really messed with it...
I am an absolute Princess about suspension setup... I've come to accept that the only fork brand I can run happily is Fox, and even then, only after burnishing the bushings, a custom damper tune with lighter oil, a Diaz Runt air cartridge fitted etc... If I'm buying a new bike, I just buy the cheapest now to get the frame I want, cos I know I'm going to replace/upgrade everything anyway. No point in paying a premium for "upgrades" that often aren't, and certainly that I don't want, when I'm going to fully customise it anyway.
I'm less fussy with rear shocks, currently running a custom EXT Storia on my Mondraker that came courtesy of Jake @ Sprung as it was custom tuned for him on his bike (we're same weight give or take a kilo, and same bike) and is honestly as good as I've felt. That said, I did replace the spring with a Sprindex so I can fine tune the spring rate in 5lb increments rather than the usual 25lb increments of swapping springs, as I like to fine tune these things (I'm also losing weight right now anyway so helps here too)...
That being said...
My Rocky Mountain comes with a 9-position chip for the rear suspension.It came set on the middle one and that’s where it’s staying 😂
I've still got my 2019 Rocky Mountain Element XC bike, and truth be told, it felt right in the middle position right from the get go so I never bother to mess with it. It's also possibly the only bike that the stock suspension felt "good enough" from the get go too (I guess being 100mm rear and 120mm front helps here) so I never really messed with it...
Us fans of Marzocchi in the 1990s like to fit and forget. Whatever that is, go with it 😂