Bike Suspension Setup

1. RTM - Read The Manual

   1. Both your bike & shock have a design point. The shock manufacturer has basic recommendations based on rider weight, etc. The bike manufacturer may have tuned their suspension to work at a specific sag point. If so, the shock must be setup per bike mfgr. recommendations.

   2. Many shocks have a code (4-character, QR, etc.) that can be input on the mfgr. website to find the exact tune characteristics for the shock. The bike mfgr. may also have developed a special shock "tune" in conjunction with the shock mfgr. If so, this information overrides the generic information.

2. First, Set the shock pressure (you'll need a special shock pump for this)

   1. Set to mfgr. recommendation based on rider weight

   2. Adjust pressure to achieve recommended sag. For both front & rear shock, a standard rule-of-thumb is 25-30% sag (I prefer firmer, but to each their own riding style)

      1. Some bikes have suspension designed for specific sag - make sure to follow the bike mfgr. instructions.

         1. For example, my bike is designed around 17mm sag At 16, too firm on drops At 18, it's too bouncy when pedaling the climbs

   3. Rules of thumb (for Fox and I think RS):

      1. Rear shock - basic pressure is your riding weight in lbs

      2. Front shock - basic pressure is your riding weight in kg

   4. Use the o-ring (or put on a ziptie or dust) to check your sag (on bike in attack-position, careful not to bounce). Measure from top of seal.

3. Rebound & Compression (LSC / HSC) if applicable:

   1. Look up standard recommendation each setting (it tends to vary as a func. of air pressure) for your shock. Rule of thumb:

      1. Rebound (Fox has +/-, RS has turtle/ hare): slow (fully closed) means "dead dud" and if you have several impacts in a row, shock won't recover - it packs down

      2. Fully open = bucking bronco, no damping, the spring (air) just shoots you right back up. May feel like you're bouncing around & off the rocks

      3. Proper setting = balance of above. Start with mfgr recommendation, the adjust by using the "bracketing technique":

         1. Take your starting point & open by 4 clicks (+4)

         2. Then close from the starting point by 4 clicks (-4)

         3. choose the setting you like better and that becomes the new starting point. Go back to step 1.

            1. As you hone in on your optimum, reduce the range (from 4 to 2 then 1)

            2. If you start with 1 click, will never feel the difference - need to start with large steps & slowly find the optimal point.

      4. In order to do the bracketing in a more controlled way, or as an alternate, recommendation is to ride off curb (10cm?) (in the attack position!) & have friend (or camera) observe from the side (or 45°) to observe the suspension performance. The bike should bounce once to twice! At least once, but not multiple times!

   2. NOTE: only change One Factor At a Time (O-FAT), otherwise won't be able to understand the effect of each factor.

      1. set all settings to mfgr. recommendation

      2. adjust rebound (leaving everything else fixed)

      3. adjust other factors

      4. If there are multiple settings to adjust, mfgr. may have recommendation on how to best optimize

4. Go out & ride

   1. On your favorite trail, you should use 80-90% of available travel! If you're not, consider adjusting air pressure (you should NOT be bottoming out)

   2. If you feel you're 'pinging' off the rocks, you need to increase the rebound damping (towards (-) or turtle)

   3. If the bike feels "dead", you need to decrease the rebound damping (towards (+) or hare)

   4. likewise for all the other settings...the more settings on your shock, the more you need to tweak to optimize!

   5. It's taken me 6mo of riding to get my bike right!

5. Enjoy!