When Aaron Gwin was in his Prime somewhere between 2010 to 2014, he explained his preferred setup, which was very firm, firmer than recommended by manufacturers. I tried his approach and liked it very much.
Yes! I needed this. Trek had me lazy the last 10 years with their setup chart working perfectly for me. I never had to learn a single thing on my 14 trek slash. New bike with ohlins is now foreign
I have a dedicated notes section on my phone with all my suspension settings, so I can experiment and always have my baseline settings to return to if needed while on a ride, as one can't remember all that stuff
@@pinky6863 Let's assume, for the sake of easy maths, that you weigh 100kg, your car weighs 1000kg, and your bike weighs 10kg (all very ballpark figures). Your weight is only 10% of that of your car, so the difference in suspension settings needed for you vs a 50kg driver (5% of the car's weight), for example, is negligible. On your bike, you weigh 10 times the weight of your bike. Your body weight is by far the dominant weight here, so your suspension is going to need to provide far more support vs that of a 50kg rider (who only weighs 5 times the bike's weight). Will you feel the difference if you tweak your car's suspension? Unlikely. If you don't set up your bike for your bodyweight, though, then you're wasting your money. and your bike probably rides like shit.
@@pinky6863 Yeah, and driver/passenger weight is still a much smaller proportion of overall weight than you on your bike. I mean dude, you do you, but you're literally pissing away your money if you're not at least setting your bike suspension to the right pressure.
I'd make it easier. Just buy a fork w/o adjustments 😂 There is even double-crown forks like that 😂😂😂 Edit: that was sarcasm btw (but those forks do exist tho)
I had my Lefty Strut of 6 years dialed in to a tee. My brand new Habit 2 Carbon is way off, but I am working at it. It truly is a balance of air pressure, sag , rebound, compression, and preferences. As someone else mentioned, note, notes, notes! I keep them with my shock pump.
Great video. Simple yet informative. I always make a spreadsheet that notes of the adjustments made and how it felt and if times were better or not. make small changes and see what they do. Never make multiple changes.
She did not learn this stuff from some "Yahoo on You Tube", I can tell. She is sporting Ohlins, (out of Sweden), who has been making top suspension components for off road stuff (starting with motocross I believe), for over 40 years that I know of, (because I bought my first Ohlins dirt bike shock almost 40 years ago.). I would bet she learned from Ohlins. She does a good job for sure.
Just a shout out for the excellent vid AND to SRAM for their current line of ZEB forks… I’ve been riding/racing for 15 years and this Zeb was the most logical, most fun (out of the box) fork yet. A few clicks of LSC, HSC or rebound and the whole attitude changes. I’m sure OHLINS is also amazing… but I have to say thanks to the SRAM team. I can tune this fork for Santa Cruz steeps on Saturday, then a few clicks and it’s Whole Enchilada time… it’s really amazing.
I’m fairly new to full suspension mountain biking and I’m learning more and more about my suspension every day through trail and error on my canyon spectral
great video! nice explaination of what we used to call suspended, and unsuspended 😊😊us old school from the 1990s first gen of f.s. bikes always used bricks, and weights to balance our set ups based on sag. nice to see modern day info thats not all a bunch of techy mumbo jumbo... its still pretty much the same as its always been... funny to think that smart shocks, and brain systems on shocks are dinosaurs😊
I find the best way is just trial and error, I usually have about 15mm to 20mm of unused travel on my 130mm fork after a run at the bike park, and if I let air out to use more travel it actually feels worse, so don't be too concerned about how much unused travel you have, just go by how it feels, and I always run my fork with compression damping fully open.
@@joashparker8271 I have, bit I always have my damper fully open, so the way I tuned it was by replacing the stock 5wt oil with 2.5wt oil, and it made a big difference in its ability to absorb fast braking bumps without packing down.
Seems like if you are between using less travel and fork dive, you should explore something like the RUNT from Diaz. You get better small bump compliance, more mid stroke support, and you can actually use full travel when needed. And no, I am not a DSD salesperson.
Great video as always coming from Christina! It would be nice to have a video solely on how to set up your suspension for jumping so you don't get bucked. Weather it's your fork moving too fast and your rear moving too slow or vice versa how to get a balanced suspension setup for jumping
not getting bucked is more about technique. pump with your arms and legs on the jump, practice timing and you'll never be bucked again. even with rebound fully open.
@@MTMXBLamen to that, people always overemphasize rear rebound settings when in reality good technique allows you to run faster and faster rebound as well as gain pop off lips
@@MTMXBL I'm at the place where I don't get bucked very often but every now and then my back kicks over a little farther and I'm sure it's a lot of technique but suspension definitely has to do with it whether you're fork is too fast or too slow or your rear end is too fast or too slow. I guess everybody has their own perfect settings but I know that having more compression helps keep jumping even. I'm nothing close to a Red Bull rampage rider but they run their stuff super stiff
@@cavanero_ good technique is definitely the most important part of jumping for sure. Suspension still plays a role in that. I just think it'd be good to have a video on base settings. I guess people could always just put everything in the middle and hope for the best. My friend who jumps everything always tells me to add a little more compression
Putting the caliper in touch with the stanchions freaked me out. I drew the sag max and min in a cardboard so I can get it close without the risk of a scratch. 😅😊
The stanchions are hard plated, (harder than the calipers), so they don't scratch easily. If they were not hard plated/coated, the trail dirt would scratch them up.
I made a set of plastic "gauges" in 5mm increments. They allow me to quickly find the sag I'm after without fumbling around with calipers, tape or a ruler.
That’s funny. I was thinking the same thing. I actually use a tape measure by placing the metal end on the wiper seal and measure to the travel ring on the stansion tube. I do a conversion into mm to find the percent. 😂
Most riders run way to much sag front and rear which creates a harsh ride due to the suspension constantly being caught in mid+ stroke. This causes the suspension to feel harsh as it’s stuck in the progressive end of the stroke. Also, all bikes have different compression ratios and suspension does NOT know what bikes it’s bolted to. Using suspension mfg recommended settings is worthless. Pick your bike up, level, and drop it from a couple feet up and see which end bounces. Both ends should not bounce.
"...harsh ride due to the suspension constantly being caught in mid+ stroke...." True since most MTB suspension systems aren't designed to run with huge sag, not like baja race buggies that sit halfway into their travel. (Exception for first gen SC V-10, which had near 40% sag.) And the past decade's focus in shocks and forks, air springs and dampers alike, mostly in the midrange. So if you get crosswise between "wow more midrange!" and "maybe more sag is even better!" notions, you end up as you described, harsh in the middle of the travel. I think many MTB riders, new or seasoned, don't really know how suspension works, or what it's supposed to do or how it should feel, other than to want it to just erase the bumps in the trail. What in automobiles during the 20th Century was called "a Cadillac ride" -- you don't even know there are bumps in the road, you're on a cushion of air. That sort of ride, in a MTB, really isn't achievable. And I think a lot of folks who mess about with their fork and shock, or complain it feels "harsh," just don't understand much about MTB suspension. To those riders I would say, "When you go ride a rough trail on a fully rigid MTB, do you think you can just sit there and expect it to feel smooth? No? Then why expect a FS bike to provide that, or complain that it does not?"
My biggest problem with any fork and shock set up was damping was factory tuned for heavier riders, being 10 stone I found it hard to find a balance. I have been told and still hear and read people saying 25% sag is recommended ? As in this video I always started at 20%. My last bike was a Vitus Vr came with a Rockshox Yaris 170 mm which suited me, my weight and mostly Enduro trails. Another thing many people tend not to realise that keeping your suspension regularly service can make a huge difference.
I know with a hard tail bike with longer than 4" of fork travel, the slack head tube angles may be of help for stability, but slack head tube angles do hinder turning ability. For full suspension bikes, a slack head tube angle is probably overkill for stability as you can balance the suspension, and i never hear people who say they like the sacker angles mention the turning ability they lose. IMO, if you steering is not "head shaking" on your most extreme stuff, (with proper body positioning for rough downhills), then you head tube angle is probably more slack than you need, and you are losing turning ability. Of course, if there is a berm in every corner, a Harley Chopper can still dive into it. I think the modern slack head tubes are probably overkill for the best all around handling of the bike.
Follow the manufacturer suggestion the first time. Then ride. If way too stiff and you are not using 90% of the travel reduce pressure until ride comfort and travel is good. I ended up at 30% + sag on my 38s. Then try and set compression and rebound. I ended up almost completely open with a little more active rebound. Ebike,180lbs.
Maybe try riding the same section of trail over and over, while only making one type of adjustment at a time. That way you will be able to feel if one adjustment made the fork feel better or worse. And when you get to a point where it feels ok, just to test it, adjust it still further. If you feel that the adjustment made it worse then you can back it Back down. But have the same section of trail as a constant gives you the opportunity to feel differences. Really hope this helps.
An air spring is inherently progressive by nature and influences the damping curve (ideally, it should not). The fact that most riders just run the low speed circuit fully open is really due to how much of an impact the air spring has, as the piston that is shimmed inside of the damper is what should control the damping forces (by restricting the oil flow before it reaches the shim stack on the piston) via that exact adjuster. Rendering it a fairly useless adjustment unless you re-valve the damper for specific weight, speed and terrain you are riding.
Many people use her technique to set the rebound starting point. You push the bars down hard & fast & then watch to see if the tyre lifts off the ground at full extension. I have two issues with this method: 1. You're using a high speed input to adjust low speed damping 2. You're not including the riders mass acting on the system, as it would be on the trail.
@@Bristecom really? 🤣 because öhlins starts at about $1,200... whereas most RockShox and fox Forks between 500 and 1000. You talkin about the very high-end of a few manufacturers then yes
@@rider65 Well yeah, there's probably no point in changing your forks from stock if you're only getting the bottom-end models. But when it comes to the high-end models, they're all around $1000. So if you're building your bike or upgrading, it's not prohibitively expensive like some of their high end motorcycle and car suspension can cost.
I am mot a suspension surgeon or anything fancy like that. But isnt low speed what really sets the rate of damping through the whole stroke end the high speed only affects the end of the stroke? As I am not an fork or shock rocket engineer I asked our good friends at PENSKE and they told me, through the power of Google, that: -Also, when making a big adjustment in high or low speed, the change will affect the other in a small percentage. As an example, the high speed is set at (+4) and the low speed at (-6). Now you want to set the low speed to (-2), this will also increase a percentage of the high speed force figure. By dropping the high speed from (+4) to (+3) would compensate for this low speed change so the overall “damper curve” would remain intact. The more experience you have with these the easier it will become to recognize what changes can occur in relation to different valvings. The tendency of these circuits to “cross talk” is greatly reduced in our new digressive CD piston. Thanks PENSKE! So if you have a closed LSC and no HSC added it will still give you a lot of support at high shaft speeds. But the other way around isn't true. Closed HSC will not help you on the overall feel of the fork - just in high shaft speed situations.
I am new to mtb and my fork doesn't have that weight-pressure table, did it mean to actually adjust it I can just pump it and check the travel percentage like in the video?
Yeah no kidding. An air spring that's only pre loaded for your weight at 15% is likely too stiff. Especially for a carbon XC. There's a very small window where sag is correct. Somewhere between 18% and 25% is usually a good setting for the preload. The next thing you should look at is your rebound setting if the bike is bouncing all over the place most likely your rebound is too fast. If you really want to learn how to setup your bike forget the so-called bicycle experts. Check out MX Factory fast house and top Motocross and Enduro team mechanics.
Rule of thumb: Your rear shock should bottom out on the hardest impacts of the day. Your fork should be able to bottom out but only when you have an "Oh sh*t!" moment. Other than that I just ride it like I stole it.
Damping is at least 70% of the equation. Soft forks will follow terrain better and provide braking when needed while hard forks will chop through the rough and be harder to gain control, but on big drops and big hits you can't beat the hard forks. LOL Still, damping is everything
It's not what Ohlins say about the setting on their owner manual when you pump the bike until the correct pressure in the main chamber. May be it's why i have to put 30psi more in the ramp up and main chamber compare to their recommandations.
Good evening . im following your journey and because of you i also purchase Ohlins rxf36 160 mm travel and ttx2 150 mm travel.. we have a common riding style but dont know how to setup my psi and rebound.. im 64 kilograms.. I Hope that you can help me with the Setup.. Even how many clicks and psi for my weight is a big Help.. 🙏.. i hope you can read my messages...
if this can help anyone I just did 60miles 4770ft on a muscular cross-country fox34 120mm fit4 the descent was rough to say the least, i don't dh there are no official tracks here anyway at the end of the day the o-ring wasn't even at half the fork at fox recommended for my weight pressure, I slightly deflated to get almost max travel (touching the kashima text) when jumping it degraded my uphill pedaling which might have been a bad idea in front of a 18% 1:6 slope >< but yes the downhill were more pleasant now I still didn't get anywhere near max travel as...well you need to jump or do big drops for that and I don't normally so don't expect to have that travel on mild trails, my sag went way lower and now even on lock the rear shock is noticeably moving up and down if not by much overall I did not gain what I hoped and am just asking too much of a 120-120 setup I mostly got more pedal pump effect and on open the fork had the tendancy to plunge too much on mid sized obstacles and corners open became unuseable for anything else than flat-ish downhills float became the new open and locked the new float, am going to roll it back to recommended pressures I understood that unless you completely underinflate to the point your bike is not going to work properly it's normal to stay in that half-travel point without pro-level jumps or drops
if i follow this guide i only have like 70mm of travel left , sag based on pecentage is not they way rather just go buy the psi/weight and adjust up or down till it suits your preference
Has anyone tried this? : My max recommended front fork is 150mm but comes with 140. I'm thinking of adding the 150mm damper to my bomber z2 140mm and running with more sag to keep it in that sweet spot to theoretically improve small bump sensitivity without changing the active head angle.
I always kind of thought of tightening a valve as a way to restrict oil, then I got a Ripmo AF with DVO and it's totally backwards, really threw me off
"Mr Setup" going deep into the stroke is less likely to be because they run soft, they just ride that hard. If an average rider of the same weight tried to run the same settings, they would no doubt find it very firm and not use the travel.
Why don't all forks and shocks have the sag setting on the in the stanchions and shafts, like Rockshox? Pro's ride stiff setups w fairly open compression.
@@rantingwrench It's not rocket science tech. Should not need a patent. Pretty sure it is laser burned on the stanchion and that tech has been around for 25+ years.
Higher spring rates for the bottoming, and less compression dampening for the small stuff. This is actually where a steel coil spring can do better than a air fork, (especially for longer travel), because you have to pump up the air to get the bottoming resistance, which also raises the spring preload, (not sure of the opposite forces of a negative spring though, if the fork has one). But with a stiffer coil spring, you would use less preload for the small stuff.
@@douglasdimwitty-zs9gx Maybe if the tire is flat enough to change the geometry and weight bias of you on the bike. But that would be very slight. Your body weight being back 1" would probably make more difference.
I have a new 160mm Domain RC fork on my Trek Rail. I am finding it quite harsh, no matter what pressure I go with. I have tried lowering the pressure and removing a token but just feels really stiff. The compression is open and running quite fast rebound - just feels really slow. My last fork was a 120mm Revelation which I got second hand and rode good when I got it, then amazing after i serviced it and ran less than the guided air pressure. it just feels nowhere near as plush as the rear suspension, nor as active as my Revelation Is this because it is a new fork? The bike is a 2022 model so will have sat around waiting for sale to me recently. I am tempted to do a lower leg service on it to freshen up the lowers. Any tips i should try before I order the kit?
Doing a lowers will help you find out a lot. I had the same problem with the Rockshox SID feeling harsh. I checked it and it had no oil in the fork! Still feels kind of harsh I think Rockshox is more firm and rides higher in the travel than Fox. Some people like it some don't. Also it did seem to take a while to break in vs Fox.
The bushing's can also cause friction. I have 3 rs boxxer forks and 1 of them take's a bit more force to get moving (same air pressure). You can get them burnished or run slightly lower pressure to compensate for the stiction. If you have a coil shock then you will notice the difference even more. An air fork with bushings that fit correctly actually feel really smooth after the initial bit of seal friction (The air spring seal deforms when the stanctions move up and down.)
Seems a lot of people come onto the internet and "get into suspension" without knowing many baselines. Not accusing you here, just observing through your comment and others' comments in this overall comments thread. What do you mean "harsh"? Compared to what? What do you know about how forks work? You sound like you exaggerate things. "Harsh" no matter what pressure in the air chamber, no matter what damper dial setting? That's a bit hard to believe unless one of two things exists: (1) your fork's bushings are very undersized, and likely dry; or (1) you exaggerate what is "harsh" and have odd expectations from your suspension. Without knowing your experience level as a MTB rider first, and as a suspension user second, it's hard to guide you here. None of us can get on your bike and compress the fork as a standing thing, or take a test ride to feel its action.
@@seanoneil277 I've been in this game a lot longer than most so no disrespect but sounds like you're a keyboard warrior. Compared to all forks I've felt on the trails...from the yari on the fuel ex I borrowed, the revelation on the last bike I owned, the two faulty Reba's before that, heck even the xc32 that had no damping whatsoever. I've ridden pikes, lyrics, bomber z2s and between all of the different bikes I've ridden in between, but none have me given me numb hands like this domain! The common denominator in all of them is that I wasn't the first owner so could be tight bushings. Directly checking them out with no pressure they are smooth so could just need bedding in
@@stug45 You're amusing, calling me a keyboard warrior without ever seeing me ride any form of bicycle on any surface. You aren't very good at reading either, but you really want a soapbox to stand on and scream about how you're such an insanely badass rider that RockShox can't make a fork that works for you. Somehow, however, you're not in anyone's product development test rider portfolio.
Would be nice to control the rebound and compression from the handlebar i want it really slow when pedaling so the bike isn't bouncing up and down from pushing the cranks and really fast when rolling faster without pedaling etc resetting your adjustments other places between going up and down is a really bad deal for downhill people it's no problem you pedaling or not is almost irrelevant but if you have a light trail bike and want it to be for everything it's a problem in the city areas it's nice to have things fast and snappy going in to ruff terrain that makes your bike dangerous should just have one slide button for the rebound the compression you can reach with your hand which means taking your hand of the handlebar... this is basically why your setup is mostly wrong 😂
Properly set up is the safest set up. This gal is not your standard "Yahoo You Tuber". She knows what she is talking about. I am sure she took classes from Ohlins, (a top off road suspension company out of Sweden for many decades, starting in motocross), and I can tell she was a good student. :)
For me, I look up the max pressure it will take, add that and test in the middle position. If I get anything over 10% I'll add more air anyway. It will still bottom out every ride, but maybe it won't destroy my wheels or break the frame. It very roughly comes out to half your weight for the front, and your weight plus 25 lbs for the rear.
Try this. Use a zip tie on the fork stanchion tube. Set the compression to full soft. Then set the air pressure until you only bottom on the biggest hit.
There is literally no correct way to set up a fork, it all depends on user weight, preference, and use case. Suspension does more than smooth bumps and drops. It reliably keeps your wheel on the ground and can act as a springboard to help with clearing obstacles such as curbs or logs.
It was easier for a kid to afford things back in the 70's though. Truth be told, communism taking over our free enterprise makes it a lot harder for people to make money.
This topic has been addressed dozens of times. This version is straightforward and clear without being simplistic. Bravo!
Yes!!!
A-gree. I just sent this to my wife as it's the possibly one of the most clear, plain-language presentations of HSC vs LSC theory.
When Aaron Gwin was in his Prime somewhere between 2010 to 2014, he explained his preferred setup, which was very firm, firmer than recommended by manufacturers.
I tried his approach and liked it very much.
Yeah but he’s Aaron Gwin
Yes! I needed this. Trek had me lazy the last 10 years with their setup chart working perfectly for me. I never had to learn a single thing on my 14 trek slash. New bike with ohlins is now foreign
I have a dedicated notes section on my phone with all my suspension settings, so I can experiment and always have my baseline settings to return to if needed while on a ride, as one can't remember all that stuff
So do i, easy way to remember anything is to write it down
@@pinky6863u mad, wtf
@@pinky6863 Let's assume, for the sake of easy maths, that you weigh 100kg, your car weighs 1000kg, and your bike weighs 10kg (all very ballpark figures). Your weight is only 10% of that of your car, so the difference in suspension settings needed for you vs a 50kg driver (5% of the car's weight), for example, is negligible. On your bike, you weigh 10 times the weight of your bike. Your body weight is by far the dominant weight here, so your suspension is going to need to provide far more support vs that of a 50kg rider (who only weighs 5 times the bike's weight). Will you feel the difference if you tweak your car's suspension? Unlikely. If you don't set up your bike for your bodyweight, though, then you're wasting your money. and your bike probably rides like shit.
@@pinky6863 Yeah, and driver/passenger weight is still a much smaller proportion of overall weight than you on your bike. I mean dude, you do you, but you're literally pissing away your money if you're not at least setting your bike suspension to the right pressure.
I'd make it easier. Just buy a fork w/o adjustments 😂 There is even double-crown forks like that 😂😂😂
Edit: that was sarcasm btw (but those forks do exist tho)
This is the most sensible presentation I've ever seen of this topic. The difference of high and low compression finally makes sense to me.
Good grief.... This was excellent. I've watched some pretty good fork setup videos, and this was still by far the best. Thanks
Fun watching you film this. You are all so nice and patient with all of my questions
I had my Lefty Strut of 6 years dialed in to a tee. My brand new Habit 2 Carbon is way off, but I am working at it. It truly is a balance of air pressure, sag , rebound, compression, and preferences. As someone else mentioned, note, notes, notes! I keep them with my shock pump.
That was the most easy way to understand whats up. Bravo Pinkbike !
Great video. Simple yet informative. I always make a spreadsheet that notes of the adjustments made and how it felt and if times were better or not. make small changes and see what they do. Never make multiple changes.
Just got a new Stumpjumper yesterday and was looking up tutorials on setting sag and rebound. This one is very comprehensive, thanks!
Use the Specialized suspension calculator. It provides an excellent starting point.
YOU, are a very natural and skilled presenter! Great job!
She's great at presenting. Very clear.
As a noob to this topic, it was very easy to follow and understand. Thanks.
I’m still confused about ramp up is that the same as rebound 😅
This is the best fork setup explanation I have seen! I can't wait to tweek my fork with this new knowledge!
She did not learn this stuff from some "Yahoo on You Tube", I can tell. She is sporting Ohlins, (out of Sweden), who has been making top suspension components for off road stuff (starting with motocross I believe), for over 40 years that I know of, (because I bought my first Ohlins dirt bike shock almost 40 years ago.). I would bet she learned from Ohlins. She does a good job for sure.
Just a shout out for the excellent vid AND to SRAM for their current line of ZEB forks… I’ve been riding/racing for 15 years and this Zeb was the most logical, most fun (out of the box) fork yet. A few clicks of LSC, HSC or rebound and the whole attitude changes. I’m sure OHLINS is also amazing… but I have to say thanks to the SRAM team. I can tune this fork for Santa Cruz steeps on Saturday, then a few clicks and it’s Whole Enchilada time… it’s really amazing.
I’m fairly new to full suspension mountain biking and I’m learning more and more about my suspension every day through trail and error on my canyon spectral
Welcome to the wonderful world of suspension where there are many highs and lows - Dad
This is my first year on a squish and this is the most straight forward video I've seen on setting sag! Thank you!!
You Mean F S Bike ...... what is squish .... ?
@@darrinkulyk9560 Squish is a full suspension, just another term.
@@ExhumedToConsume Really ya know that SOUNDS Childish ...... sounds like a X2 BLowing Up lol lol I have Over 40000km of Off Road Experience lol lol
@@darrinkulyk9560 Good for you pops! Keep at it.
great video! nice explaination of what we used to call suspended, and unsuspended 😊😊us old school from the 1990s first gen of f.s. bikes always used bricks, and weights to balance our set ups based on sag. nice to see modern day info thats not all a bunch of techy mumbo jumbo... its still pretty much the same as its always been... funny to think that smart shocks, and brain systems on shocks are dinosaurs😊
Love this vid, I'm now going to check my forks and reset them, as I've probably got it all wrong...😬
I find the best way is just trial and error, I usually have about 15mm to 20mm of unused travel on my 130mm fork after a run at the bike park, and if I let air out to use more travel it actually feels worse, so don't be too concerned about how much unused travel you have, just go by how it feels, and I always run my fork with compression damping fully open.
Have you tried adjusting damping as well? You might find a better sweet spot if you do.
@@joashparker8271 I have, bit I always have my damper fully open, so the way I tuned it was by replacing the stock 5wt oil with 2.5wt oil, and it made a big difference in its ability to absorb fast braking bumps without packing down.
Seems like if you are between using less travel and fork dive, you should explore something like the RUNT from Diaz. You get better small bump compliance, more mid stroke support, and you can actually use full travel when needed. And no, I am not a DSD salesperson.
Great video as always coming from Christina! It would be nice to have a video solely on how to set up your suspension for jumping so you don't get bucked. Weather it's your fork moving too fast and your rear moving too slow or vice versa how to get a balanced suspension setup for jumping
not getting bucked is more about technique. pump with your arms and legs on the jump, practice timing and you'll never be bucked again. even with rebound fully open.
@@MTMXBLamen to that, people always overemphasize rear rebound settings when in reality good technique allows you to run faster and faster rebound as well as gain pop off lips
@@MTMXBL I'm at the place where I don't get bucked very often but every now and then my back kicks over a little farther and I'm sure it's a lot of technique but suspension definitely has to do with it whether you're fork is too fast or too slow or your rear end is too fast or too slow. I guess everybody has their own perfect settings but I know that having more compression helps keep jumping even. I'm nothing close to a Red Bull rampage rider but they run their stuff super stiff
@@cavanero_ good technique is definitely the most important part of jumping for sure. Suspension still plays a role in that. I just think it'd be good to have a video on base settings. I guess people could always just put everything in the middle and hope for the best. My friend who jumps everything always tells me to add a little more compression
Getting bucked is poor technique, too little pressure, and too much rebound (too little damping).
Learned some more stuff I should have known already, thank you for this video!
Best info out there on setting your suspension. Well done!
Putting the caliper in touch with the stanchions freaked me out. I drew the sag max and min in a cardboard so I can get it close without the risk of a scratch. 😅😊
The stanchions are hard plated, (harder than the calipers), so they don't scratch easily. If they were not hard plated/coated, the trail dirt would scratch them up.
@EarthSurferUSA I understand but still no harm avoiding sharp tools so close to it. 😊
I made a set of plastic "gauges" in 5mm increments. They allow me to quickly find the sag I'm after without fumbling around with calipers, tape or a ruler.
That’s funny. I was thinking the same thing. I actually use a tape measure by placing the metal end on the wiper seal and measure to the travel ring on the stansion tube. I do a conversion into mm to find the percent. 😂
And calipers are hardened stainless steel, which could easily scratch the stanchions
Great video, best explanation without any extra babble. Nice job
I can’t believe how helpful this was.
yes, but im 99kg, not 39kg
So?
Pump with fork pump to manufacture recommend bar by your weight
Most riders run way to much sag front and rear which creates a harsh ride due to the suspension constantly being caught in mid+ stroke. This causes the suspension to feel harsh as it’s stuck in the progressive end of the stroke. Also, all bikes have different compression ratios and suspension does NOT know what bikes it’s bolted to. Using suspension mfg recommended settings is worthless. Pick your bike up, level, and drop it from a couple feet up and see which end bounces. Both ends should not bounce.
"...harsh ride due to the suspension constantly being caught in mid+ stroke...."
True since most MTB suspension systems aren't designed to run with huge sag, not like baja race buggies that sit halfway into their travel. (Exception for first gen SC V-10, which had near 40% sag.) And the past decade's focus in shocks and forks, air springs and dampers alike, mostly in the midrange. So if you get crosswise between "wow more midrange!" and "maybe more sag is even better!" notions, you end up as you described, harsh in the middle of the travel.
I think many MTB riders, new or seasoned, don't really know how suspension works, or what it's supposed to do or how it should feel, other than to want it to just erase the bumps in the trail. What in automobiles during the 20th Century was called "a Cadillac ride" -- you don't even know there are bumps in the road, you're on a cushion of air.
That sort of ride, in a MTB, really isn't achievable. And I think a lot of folks who mess about with their fork and shock, or complain it feels "harsh," just don't understand much about MTB suspension. To those riders I would say, "When you go ride a rough trail on a fully rigid MTB, do you think you can just sit there and expect it to feel smooth? No? Then why expect a FS bike to provide that, or complain that it does not?"
Absolutely correct Stone Enforcer
My biggest problem with any fork and shock set up was damping was factory tuned for heavier riders, being 10 stone I found it hard to find a balance. I have been told and still hear and read people saying 25% sag is recommended ? As in this video I always started at 20%. My last bike was a Vitus Vr came with a Rockshox Yaris 170 mm which suited me, my weight and mostly Enduro trails. Another thing many people tend not to realise that keeping your suspension regularly service can make a huge difference.
I have an SunTour Epixon! Not much settings there, haha, but is reliable as hell!
I know with a hard tail bike with longer than 4" of fork travel, the slack head tube angles may be of help for stability, but slack head tube angles do hinder turning ability. For full suspension bikes, a slack head tube angle is probably overkill for stability as you can balance the suspension, and i never hear people who say they like the sacker angles mention the turning ability they lose. IMO, if you steering is not "head shaking" on your most extreme stuff, (with proper body positioning for rough downhills), then you head tube angle is probably more slack than you need, and you are losing turning ability. Of course, if there is a berm in every corner, a Harley Chopper can still dive into it. I think the modern slack head tubes are probably overkill for the best all around handling of the bike.
Amazing this is exactly what me and my Öhlins need!
The more I watch fork and shock set up videos the more confused I get 😂
Thank you! I thought I was the only one
Follow the manufacturer suggestion the first time. Then ride. If way too stiff and you are not using 90% of the travel reduce pressure until ride comfort and travel is good. I ended up at 30% + sag on my 38s. Then try and set compression and rebound. I ended up almost completely open with a little more active rebound. Ebike,180lbs.
Maybe try riding the same section of trail over and over, while only making one type of adjustment at a time. That way you will be able to feel if one adjustment made the fork feel better or worse. And when you get to a point where it feels ok, just to test it, adjust it still further. If you feel that the adjustment made it worse then you can back it Back down. But have the same section of trail as a constant gives you the opportunity to feel differences. Really hope this helps.
An air spring is inherently progressive by nature and influences the damping curve (ideally, it should not). The fact that most riders just run the low speed circuit fully open is really due to how much of an impact the air spring has, as the piston that is shimmed inside of the damper is what should control the damping forces (by restricting the oil flow before it reaches the shim stack on the piston) via that exact adjuster. Rendering it a fairly useless adjustment unless you re-valve the damper for specific weight, speed and terrain you are riding.
Christina is fabulous!!! Thanks pinkbike
Great video Christina, cheers
Ohlins better set me up with a fork so I can set all those adjustments properly!!
Many people use her technique to set the rebound starting point. You push the bars down hard & fast & then watch to see if the tyre lifts off the ground at full extension.
I have two issues with this method:
1. You're using a high speed input to adjust low speed damping
2. You're not including the riders mass acting on the system, as it would be on the trail.
From what I hear Ohlins is tip top manufacturer of suspension. I wish I had a chance to try some of their products.
Their MTB forks are around the same price as other brands.
@@Bristecom it’s just it’s not really common on sold bikes and I’ve recently got with with rockshox, so no trying for some time.
You basically get what you pay for.
I have Ohlins on my bike, I love them, but others out there would probably do just as well.
@@Bristecom really? 🤣 because öhlins starts at about $1,200... whereas most RockShox and fox Forks between 500 and 1000. You talkin about the very high-end of a few manufacturers then yes
@@rider65 Well yeah, there's probably no point in changing your forks from stock if you're only getting the bottom-end models. But when it comes to the high-end models, they're all around $1000. So if you're building your bike or upgrading, it's not prohibitively expensive like some of their high end motorcycle and car suspension can cost.
Awesome delivery of information.
This was awesome! Simple and to point.
It would have been nice to also discuss volume spacers and when you should consider adding or removing them from your setup. Otherwise a good video. 👍
What a great video and presentation!!!! thank you
Pinkbike is really killing it lately with the bike setup videos
Good Video with great Info all in one Video! Great work
That blue Fox shirt is epic!
I love this woman! She said, "Damping," which is correct. Instead of "Dampening," which means to Moisten.
On a different topic, your body position when sending it off the drop at 5:50 was better than any Richard Drew video.
Awesome work Christina! 🔥 Love the content! 🤘
I am mot a suspension surgeon or anything fancy like that. But isnt low speed what really sets the rate of damping through the whole stroke end the high speed only affects the end of the stroke?
As I am not an fork or shock rocket engineer I asked our good friends at PENSKE and they told me, through the power of Google, that:
-Also, when making a big adjustment in high or low speed, the change will affect the other in a small percentage. As an example, the high speed is set at (+4) and the low speed at (-6). Now you want to set the low speed to (-2), this will also increase a percentage of the high speed force figure. By dropping the high speed from (+4) to (+3) would compensate for this low speed change so the overall “damper curve” would remain intact. The more experience you have with these the easier it will become to recognize what changes can occur in relation to different valvings. The tendency of these circuits to “cross talk” is greatly reduced in our new digressive CD piston.
Thanks PENSKE!
So if you have a closed LSC and no HSC added it will still give you a lot of support at high shaft speeds. But the other way around isn't true. Closed HSC will not help you on the overall feel of the fork - just in high shaft speed situations.
I am new to mtb and my fork doesn't have that weight-pressure table, did it mean to actually adjust it I can just pump it and check the travel percentage like in the video?
Why is Christina so freaking 🔥. Hypnotic.
out of curiousity, is the oreca that makes bikes the same oreca that builds lmp2 cars for gtp imsa racing?
I set the fork on my 20 lbs XC hardtail at 15% sag and it's still crazy bumpy on trails.
Yeah no kidding. An air spring that's only pre loaded for your weight at 15% is likely too stiff. Especially for a carbon XC. There's a very small window where sag is correct. Somewhere between 18% and 25% is usually a good setting for the preload. The next thing you should look at is your rebound setting if the bike is bouncing all over the place most likely your rebound is too fast. If you really want to learn how to setup your bike forget the so-called bicycle experts. Check out MX Factory fast house and top Motocross and Enduro team mechanics.
I love you Christina!
Rule of thumb: Your rear shock should bottom out on the hardest impacts of the day. Your fork should be able to bottom out but only when you have an "Oh sh*t!" moment. Other than that I just ride it like I stole it.
Awesome information! Thanks!
Videos like this make me want to ride full rigid.
Damping is at least 70% of the equation. Soft forks will follow terrain better and provide braking when needed while hard forks will chop through the rough and be harder to gain control, but on big drops and big hits you can't beat the hard forks. LOL Still, damping is everything
My CF Enduro 11% sag each END my CF DH Bike 10% each end .... Both Fully Coiled 😎
It's not what Ohlins say about the setting on their owner manual when you pump the bike until the correct pressure in the main chamber.
May be it's why i have to put 30psi more in the ramp up and main chamber compare to their recommandations.
I need that suspension in my life 🙏👌🏻❤️
gotta accept the squish when youve got a shock thats no longer in production and sizing is so tricky to understand. need 100 more pounds to mine
Good evening . im following your journey and because of you i also purchase Ohlins rxf36 160 mm travel and ttx2 150 mm travel.. we have a common riding style but dont know how to setup my psi and rebound.. im 64 kilograms.. I Hope that you can help me with the Setup.. Even how many clicks and psi for my weight is a big Help.. 🙏.. i hope you can read my messages...
if this can help anyone I just did 60miles 4770ft on a muscular cross-country fox34 120mm fit4 the descent was rough to say the least, i don't dh there are no official tracks here anyway at the end of the day the o-ring wasn't even at half the fork at fox recommended for my weight pressure, I slightly deflated to get almost max travel (touching the kashima text) when jumping it degraded my uphill pedaling which might have been a bad idea in front of a 18% 1:6 slope >< but yes the downhill were more pleasant now I still didn't get anywhere near max travel as...well you need to jump or do big drops for that and I don't normally so don't expect to have that travel on mild trails, my sag went way lower and now even on lock the rear shock is noticeably moving up and down if not by much overall I did not gain what I hoped and am just asking too much of a 120-120 setup I mostly got more pedal pump effect and on open the fork had the tendancy to plunge too much on mid sized obstacles and corners open became unuseable for anything else than flat-ish downhills float became the new open and locked the new float, am going to roll it back to recommended pressures I understood that unless you completely underinflate to the point your bike is not going to work properly it's normal to stay in that half-travel point without pro-level jumps or drops
i always go for 20% sag front, 30% sag rear, i prefer a livelier ride with a subtleness
The carbon forks on my giant yukon are always perfect no matter the temp hahah
Did you study suspension settings from Ohlins? I can tell you learned from some very knowledgeable people.
Mtb is not only enduro and downhill. . Also its recommended not to keep the pomp attached when putting pressure on the demper
Nice tap
if i follow this guide i only have like 70mm of travel left , sag based on pecentage is not they way rather just go buy the psi/weight and adjust up or down till it suits your preference
Excellent info! Did anyone else cringe seeing the sharp calipers near the stanchion?!?!
No. I am sure the coating/plating is harder than the calipers so dirt does not scratch the tubes.
Those ohlins are so pretttyyyy
Excellent.
Thank you.
Has anyone tried this? :
My max recommended front fork is 150mm but comes with 140. I'm thinking of adding the 150mm damper to my bomber z2 140mm and running with more sag to keep it in that sweet spot to theoretically improve small bump sensitivity without changing the active head angle.
Those jorts are 🔥
Why doesn't anyone talk about tire pressure in conjunction with suspension setup?
I always kind of thought of tightening a valve as a way to restrict oil, then I got a Ripmo AF with DVO and it's totally backwards, really threw me off
great info...thanks
"Mr Setup" going deep into the stroke is less likely to be because they run soft, they just ride that hard. If an average rider of the same weight tried to run the same settings, they would no doubt find it very firm and not use the travel.
Why don't all forks and shocks have the sag setting on the in the stanchions and shafts, like Rockshox? Pro's ride stiff setups w fairly open compression.
I'm fairly sure Rockahox have a patent on sag markings.
@@rantingwrench It's not rocket science tech. Should not need a patent. Pretty sure it is laser burned on the stanchion and that tech has been around for 25+ years.
How do i set up my fox 36 performance for bike park, i dont wanna bottom out my suspension on jumps but i wanna go smooth down the tech
Higher spring rates for the bottoming, and less compression dampening for the small stuff. This is actually where a steel coil spring can do better than a air fork, (especially for longer travel), because you have to pump up the air to get the bottoming resistance, which also raises the spring preload, (not sure of the opposite forces of a negative spring though, if the fork has one). But with a stiffer coil spring, you would use less preload for the small stuff.
Don't leave the pump attached while equalising the chambers
I think it's important to set your tire pressure to your preferred riding pressure before you measure and adjust your sag
I dont understand how this would make a difference.
Because if your tire pressure is not set right the sag will be off
@@douglasdimwitty-zs9gx Maybe if the tire is flat enough to change the geometry and weight bias of you on the bike. But that would be very slight. Your body weight being back 1" would probably make more difference.
@@douglasdimwitty-zs9gx that's incorrect your tire pressure has no effect on freeloading the air spring or the coil spring from your body weight
It could if you didn't have a sufficient amount of air in your tires. The side wall would take up some of the sag before you get into the suspension
I am definitely here for the charming personality
Am i the only one who still doesnt know what to do even after watching the video?
She talks to much. She needs to do downhil only video and a xc video . Saying we have preferences doesn’t make sense when we don’t know where to start
Anybody know where to get fenders for the Ohlins forks in the video?
Fully anti clockwise isnt always fully open. Some forks like DVO are the other way around
copy cats, like in china, don't copy very well.
@@EarthSurferUSA DVO was started by ex Marzocchi employees. What are you smoking?
The man presenting this video did a good job
I have a new 160mm Domain RC fork on my Trek Rail. I am finding it quite harsh, no matter what pressure I go with. I have tried lowering the pressure and removing a token but just feels really stiff. The compression is open and running quite fast rebound - just feels really slow. My last fork was a 120mm Revelation which I got second hand and rode good when I got it, then amazing after i serviced it and ran less than the guided air pressure.
it just feels nowhere near as plush as the rear suspension, nor as active as my Revelation Is this because it is a new fork?
The bike is a 2022 model so will have sat around waiting for sale to me recently. I am tempted to do a lower leg service on it to freshen up the lowers. Any tips i should try before I order the kit?
Doing a lowers will help you find out a lot. I had the same problem with the Rockshox SID feeling harsh. I checked it and it had no oil in the fork! Still feels kind of harsh I think Rockshox is more firm and rides higher in the travel than Fox. Some people like it some don't. Also it did seem to take a while to break in vs Fox.
The bushing's can also cause friction. I have 3 rs boxxer forks and 1 of them take's a bit more force to get moving (same air pressure). You can get them burnished or run slightly lower pressure to compensate for the stiction. If you have a coil shock then you will notice the difference even more.
An air fork with bushings that fit correctly actually feel really smooth after the initial bit of seal friction (The air spring seal deforms when the stanctions move up and down.)
Seems a lot of people come onto the internet and "get into suspension" without knowing many baselines. Not accusing you here, just observing through your comment and others' comments in this overall comments thread.
What do you mean "harsh"? Compared to what?
What do you know about how forks work?
You sound like you exaggerate things. "Harsh" no matter what pressure in the air chamber, no matter what damper dial setting? That's a bit hard to believe unless one of two things exists: (1) your fork's bushings are very undersized, and likely dry; or (1) you exaggerate what is "harsh" and have odd expectations from your suspension.
Without knowing your experience level as a MTB rider first, and as a suspension user second, it's hard to guide you here. None of us can get on your bike and compress the fork as a standing thing, or take a test ride to feel its action.
@@seanoneil277
I've been in this game a lot longer than most so no disrespect but sounds like you're a keyboard warrior.
Compared to all forks I've felt on the trails...from the yari on the fuel ex I borrowed, the revelation on the last bike I owned, the two faulty Reba's before that, heck even the xc32 that had no damping whatsoever. I've ridden pikes, lyrics, bomber z2s and between all of the different bikes I've ridden in between, but none have me given me numb hands like this domain! The common denominator in all of them is that I wasn't the first owner so could be tight bushings.
Directly checking them out with no pressure they are smooth so could just need bedding in
@@stug45 You're amusing, calling me a keyboard warrior without ever seeing me ride any form of bicycle on any surface. You aren't very good at reading either, but you really want a soapbox to stand on and scream about how you're such an insanely badass rider that RockShox can't make a fork that works for you. Somehow, however, you're not in anyone's product development test rider portfolio.
Anyone know what stem that is? It looks like it has a little bit of rise, which I've only found in the i9 option for 50mm length with a 35mm clamp
I have terrible hand pain at the end of every ride, Ive got a fox 38, I feel that It might be too firm. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
I think with this much information I just have to guess?? All I know is that you have a fox 38??!
So my answer is: buy a ZEB.
There is no perfect setup. Just adjust until you are happy with the compromises. 😆
Would be nice to control the rebound and compression from the handlebar i want it really slow when pedaling so the bike isn't bouncing up and down from pushing the cranks and really fast when rolling faster without pedaling etc resetting your adjustments other places between going up and down is a really bad deal for downhill people it's no problem you pedaling or not is almost irrelevant but if you have a light trail bike and want it to be for everything it's a problem in the city areas it's nice to have things fast and snappy going in to ruff terrain that makes your bike dangerous should just have one slide button for the rebound the compression you can reach with your hand which means taking your hand of the handlebar... this is basically why your setup is mostly wrong 😂
But what is the safest setup ? Meaning the setup that gives you the least chances to fall or get bucked off
I ride with no protective gear at all 😅
Properly set up is the safest set up. This gal is not your standard "Yahoo You Tuber". She knows what she is talking about. I am sure she took classes from Ohlins, (a top off road suspension company out of Sweden for many decades, starting in motocross), and I can tell she was a good student. :)
Your legs and arms will protect you more than your suspension. The suspension is just taking away some of the work your body is doing.
This was very hard to
Follow, I didn’t understand it. Please make it simpler
For me, I look up the max pressure it will take, add that and test in the middle position. If I get anything over 10% I'll add more air anyway. It will still bottom out every ride, but maybe it won't destroy my wheels or break the frame. It very roughly comes out to half your weight for the front, and your weight plus 25 lbs for the rear.
This is known as bracketing that's a good approach
Used this method on my 100mm travel bike. My wrists were nearly shot after the day. Way to firm.
Try this. Use a zip tie on the fork stanchion tube. Set the compression to full soft. Then set the air pressure until you only bottom on the biggest hit.
There is literally no correct way to set up a fork, it all depends on user weight, preference, and use case. Suspension does more than smooth bumps and drops. It reliably keeps your wheel on the ground and can act as a springboard to help with clearing obstacles such as curbs or logs.
If only I could afford a bike with high and low speed settings
If you have the bike, all you would have to afford are the forks.
It was easier for a kid to afford things back in the 70's though. Truth be told, communism taking over our free enterprise makes it a lot harder for people to make money.
@@EarthSurferUSA and the shock…couple thousand dollars total
Nice jorts.😉🤘❤️