* You need to have the proper stiffness of the fork and rear suspension
coil springs for your weight. Too stiff a spring will reduce travel!
Too soft and you will bottom out or blow the seals! If you turn your
rear shock collar more than a half-inch to set the preload your spring
may be too soft. If your bike is bouncy without any preload then it
is too stiff and you need a softer spring. The number on the spring
tells you the weight that it is. Don't count on your bike shop to give
you the correct spring weight unless you ask. This can be done when
you set up your bike. This is necessary in order to optimize the function
and proper travel of your shocks. If you have an air shock only then
you can only adjust the air pressure setting.
* Adjust the spring weight by adjusting the "sag" on your
bike while stationary. The "sag" is how much your shocks compress
when you weight the bike. Sit on your bike without touching the ground
(have a friend help or lean against a wall). The "sag" should
be about 1/4 of the shock's travel. You can use a tape measure to get
an idea of your travel length, or look at your manual. Have your friend
use the tape measure to check the "sag" when you get on or
off the bike. If you have 4" of travel, your "sag" should
be 1".
* Adjust the spring tension in front by rotating your screw knob on
the top of your fork, clockwise will usually increase the tension and
reduce "sag." For the rear shock, turn the threaded spring
collar on the shock to adjust the "sag". Turning this clockwise
will reduce the "sag." For an air shock adjust the air pressure.
* Set your rebound damping. This controls how fast your shock re-extends
after it is compressed. Too fast, and the bike will spring like a pogo
stick after a big hit. Too slow, and you will be riding with the spring
compressed too much and it won't be able to extend to meet the next
bump. Start by turning the rebound damping adjustment so that it is
wide open, or counter-clockwise, which is all the way out. Then do a
test ride over some bumps and then turn it in 1/2 turn at a time until
it feels good. If you are bouncing a lot then keep turning them in until
they are not as bouncy. A test for the front fork is to push down on
it while standing still and then release it quickly and check that the
rebound rate just about keeps up with your hands when you release the
pressure.
* Set your compression damping. This slows your suspension from compressing
too quickly on big hits. If you ride smooth terrain you need little
or no compression damping, and can turn your knob to the fully open
position usually counterclockwise. Start the tune up in the fully open
position with the least amount of damping. Then ride over a big hit
like a log . If you feel the fork bottom out then you need to increase
the damping (turn the knob in or clockwise). The rear shock may also
say "harder" with an arrow. Bottoming out may also mean too
soft a spring. Adjust the compression damping so that the shock will
not hit bottom on the big hits. Iif you feel every small bump then you
would unscrew or turn it counterclockwise to reduce the damping.
* These settings are personal preference so you must do what feels
comfortable. While going slowly over smooth terrain bounce on your bike
with your weight centered over the cranks while standing on the pedals.
The shocks should respond evenly by feel and by looking at them. If
you plan to be doing a lot of climbing then add some preload to the
rear shock by turning the collar clockwise. For downhill riding your
front fork will have more weight on it and you may want to increase
the preload by turning the adjustment clockwise and also increase the
damping to prevent bottoming out.
* Some bikes may not have a damping adjustment in which case your only
adjustment is the spring preload. Other bikes will have compression
damping only and not rebound damping. Usually the rear shock, if it
is a fox shock, will have both compression and rebound damping labelled
on the knobs, and say "harder" and "softer" with
an arrow.
*Be sure to have proper tyre pressure if you have full suspension.
We like to ride with 40-50 lbs. in each tyre on the average with a full
suspension bike.
*Please check that the bolts on the front fork tubes are tight, and
also verify that your rear shock pivot bolts are tight. Usually you
can tighten these with a hex wrench on the fork, and on the rear pivots
you may need a hex and a socket. Check the rear shock for any oil leaks
if it is air/oil when checking for the pivot tightness.
Glasgow
MTB. Mad