Quote:
Originally Posted by nick790
So how would you set fast/slow speed adjusted?
Is there a correct order to do it in?
What are we looking to get from each adjuster and in what conditions?
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The short course goes like this -
* make sure your bearings are in good shape, your linkage is lubed, your shocks and forks are reasonably fresh, your tires are adjusted to proper inflation, and your axle is in the middle of its adjustment range.
* measure race sag, adjusting if necessary (see separate posts for proper values). Confirm static sag is in range. If not, install a stiffer or softer spring as appropriate and repeat the process.
* start with the clickers (rebound and slow comp) in the middle of the range, as with the high speed comp knob or adjuster
* warm up yourself and the bike
* if at all possible have someone else watch what the bike is doing and take notes. Ride a small loop a couple of times between each adjustment. Ride at the pace you normally ride or race at!
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adjust one clicker at a time, using large adjustments at first, then narrowing down on your final setting. Remember that every adjustment will affect the function of the others, so this is an iterative process
* adjust the rebound damping first, dialing in enough that you don't bounce after dropping off a small curb. Lighter rebound tends to be best, so use just enough to control the "springy-ness" of the bike. Too much will lead to packing and sensations of harshness as if there were too much compression damping
* attempt to ride over the same set of roots or square edged bumps at a consistent speed, dialing out enough high speed compression to eliminate harshness while still controlling pitch. Try a jump to see if you've created a bottoming issue. If so, dial in more damping.
* ride through some rolling whoops at speed and watch behavior of the bike on jump faces. If you're bottoming in these cases you need more low speed compression.
* look at your notes to make sure you've headed in the right direction and toward your optimum ride
* if you think you've got the ride dialed, go on a longer loop to see how it all comes together
* if your bike is still not behaving as you think it should, carefully craft a description of what it's doing under what conditions and what settings you ended up with, and then dig into the internals
Hope that helps.