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Front/rear suspension balance
Hello all,
Been wondering something with my suspension. The most sag I can get on my forks is about 12% ( I have the correct spring for my weight). The question is what should I do with the rear suspension. Set it up with 20% sag like most people recommend or keep it at 12% to make it even with the front. Would making the rear softer affect the handling much?
Thanks
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What are you riding and what bike are you on?
For XC 100mm racing 12% is fine for both ends, firm but responsive.
For jumps and freeride with 140mm + both ends you either have a too light spring or have your weight distribution set well back. Why not try experimenting & see what the difference between 12 & 20% sag on the back feels like.
Despite guidelines on springs, pressure, sag etc etc the ultimate setting is down to what works best for you. The only stuff ups I've seen are when way too much or too little pressure or damping (Lock out) is used.
T
Making the rear softer would make it handle better.
Steve has a great, if long winded, explanation over on rotorburn
http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/showthread.php?1....
it's a little dh orientated but can be adapted. basic rules of thumb for rear sag
xc 15-20%
AM 20-30
DH 30-45
Try different settings till you find the one you like - make sure you write down what you do.
Are you standing up on the pedals to get your weight on to the bars to set your sag?
Thanks for the info guys. great link Flynny. more food for thought. I ride a Specialized FSR XC (RS Tora/X Fusion) and just general trail riding, no big drops or anything. I'll have to play around with the settings more. Hopefully I'm a good enough rider to actually notice the difference with the changed settings! With measuring the sag, I cycle the fork a few times, use a step to get onto the bike, sit on the bike (I don't stand on the pedals or deliberately put weight over the bars) then get off carefully and measure the amount the cable tie has moved. That's right isn't it?
Another question, if I were to upgrade to a better fork and shock, say RS Rebas and RP23, am I going to notice a HUGE amount of improvement? What improvements should I expect? I have no idea as I have never ridden a bike with good quality suspension.
Thanks again
My explanation would be that good suspension absorbs the rough stuff that you're riding over without wallowing about. This thereby gives more control.
It's easier explaining what bad suspension feels like rather than good.
Bad suspension can knock with a physical jolt on compression or rebound, feel like a pogo stick, suck up all of your pedaling effort but not react to bumps, make you skitter about on bends and dive on braking. I'm sure that there are more.
Good suspension (once set up properly) enables you to ride faster with more confidence. It also doesn't make you feel so tired & beaten up as you have more control and don't exert as much effort compensating for poor handling.