jsp Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 I’m looking at doing some suspension tweaks on my bike, I just feel it’s a bit firm at both ends, I’ve had it about a year so it will all be well bedded in. It’s not something I’ve done before I tend to just get used to how there set up but I feel I need to alter mine now. Any advice would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted July 22, 2018 Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 By tweaks do you mean purely adjustments or replacing the rear suspension unit with something else and changing the front forks damping characteristics? If it’s just adjustments then can I suggest that you make single adjustments to one end then the other after you have tried the bike after each ‘tweak’. On this website you will find many references to suspension set up and the best adjustments tend to be the ones coming from the people that designed the bike in the first place....the manufacturer. If you are set on going it alone then first weigh your self in your normal riding kit. Should you happen to be on the er ( politically correct description...fat b’stard) larger size then that opens up an entirely different approach. We are all different and cope with life in our own ways, but the suspension of a competition machine has been chosen to suit the Mr. Average size....bear this in mind if your bikes bottoming out with little action needed. Static sag, set this first, then get on the bike with normal riding gear and note changes front and rear, you may need a helper here to take measurements...unless of course you have really (politically correct description...arms like an orangutan) long arms. You are looking to pre load the suspension so that your combined weight together with the static settings allows full suspension movement without bottoming out...reaching full compression and banging into the end of travel. If you’ve been riding for a whole year without taking advantage of adjusting the suspension then you have been missing out on transforming both the machine and your abilities. Hope you have some good results from ‘playing’ with the suspension, it can be really rewarding once you get your head around the process.????♂️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp Posted July 22, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2018 Yeah I’m only wanting to adjust it and not replace anything as neither end bottoms out, but they do feel a bit on the stiff side so I’m wanting to soften them both off. I use to set the rear end on my ossa by the sag method which seemed to be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 Nebulous is just too shy. How much do you weigh and what is your riding style and class? Comepletly stock bike? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprinter 27 Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 Removing some compression and rebound by a couple clicks at a time sounds far less complicated than reading the above 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp Posted July 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 I've never been weighed in my full riding kit, but in my birthday suit I'm about 200lb, I've had a look in my manual and its all in there it does also say that the rear shock is set up for a rider between 70 & 80kgs so pressume the front is the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 Get the bike onto some varied ground and have a ride over and around a few testy bits. Make one adjustment to the suspension at a time, this can be front or rear, repeat ride, note any I’m provement differences good or bad. If good then make another adjustment until you reach a point where no improvement is found but is now going away from useful. Do this stage by stage to both ends and you will arrive at some settings that will offer you more control and feel. If by chance you write down each setting you will have a reference point that will be good for dry sections, another setting for softer going etc. I’d be looking for three of the many changes to be my got to set up. If you think it’s too complicated then put all settings to the midway point, try it and go from there. Don’t forget tyre pressures as the tyre is in a way part of the overall suspension system, too hard or soft so set the tyres at 10psi as a datum and experiment with adjustments to these, note the affects. Don’t ride with any sharp tools while doing this set up stuff just in case you do fall off!??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 10 psi ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scifi Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 10 psi..? Are you riding an Enduro or MX Bike..? The standard setting for all trials bikes is about 6 psi front and 4 psi rear. (as 99% of all UK trials riders will tell you.) As for damping, when I rode Moto-Cross, I used to have very minimal damping both front and rear. The idea was that the suspension had to recover quickly between bumps, especially when taken at racing speed. However for trials, where there is usually 3 seconds between each bump, the damping can be a lot slower, try sae15 instead of sae 5 oil. It's not all about rider comfort but about keeping in control. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 At 200lbs and you have had plenty of time to break in the suspension, there is almost no such thing as too soft. Mainly as stated above keep track as to what you have done. You can easily take a turn or two off the rear spring. remember that it is very important to have the front and rear working together. And most importantly test in real riding situations. I have done that to myself. I have a pretty good playground set in my yard. I had played with stiffer settings and thought I had the bike set just right. i got out on a steep hillside and my bike was bouncing off the rocks and not hooking up at all. Of course it was in the middle of an event and I am out there making adjustments on the loop like a fool.Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 4 hours ago, scifi said: 10 psi..? Are you riding an Enduro or MX Bike..? The standard setting for all trials bikes is about 6 psi front and 4 psi rear. (as 99% of all UK trials riders will tell you.) As for damping, when I rode Moto-Cross, I used to have very minimal damping both front and rear. The idea was that the suspension had to recover quickly between bumps, especially when taken at racing speed. However for trials, where there is usually 3 seconds between each bump, the damping can be a lot slower, try sae15 instead of sae 5 oil. It's not all about rider comfort but about keeping in control. . This is a suggested figure to take some of the squidgyness out of the tyre so you can feel the suspension. I did say datum point did I not, then adjust those to. I know that the tyre pressures are lower than this but read what I suggested. Are you talking about compression damping or rebound damping, all will have an affect on the way the bike behaves. ? Let JSP have a fiddle and see what happens to his riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted July 23, 2018 Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 22 minutes ago, section swept said: This is a suggested figure to take some of the squidgyness out of the tyre so you can feel the suspension. I did say datum point did I not, then adjust those to. I know that the tyre pressures are lower than this but read what I suggested. Are you talking about compression damping or rebound damping, all will have an affect on the way the bike behaves. ? Let JSP have a fiddle and see what happens to his riding. Trouble with using 10psi in this situation is you will be adjusting the suspension to compensate for the tyre pressure, why introduces another variable ? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp Posted July 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 (edited) the DL12 only has the 2 way reiger shock and my fajardo has a few extras that the DL12 dosent have on it Edited July 23, 2018 by jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp Posted July 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 Maybe so but at the moment I’m not changing mine to lose a big chunk of money, the bikes spot on in every other way and I’m sure I can improve it to what I need Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp Posted July 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2018 And it was reasonably priced compared to the 17 ice hell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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