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Cannondale prophet rear shock adjustment
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Hey guys just wondering if anyone knows anything about adjusting the rear shock on a prophet? I'm a big guy and almost bottom it out just sitting on it. Cheers
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And I weigh 90kg on a good day.
It had a Fox R air shock and I just kept pumping it up until I felt like maybe the shock might explode - maybe 200psi or more - that still left me with a lot of sag (maybe 50%) but it rode really well. The Prophet floats over most rough stuff but it can sometimes kick you on short, sharp vertical bumps - you need to learn to lift the rear wheel when these are about
If in normal riding you are actually bottoming out and can't get any more air into the shock, then you need either a shock service or a new shock.
Just keep adding air to the main chamber until you get to 25% sag with all your riding kit on. For me on my Rize thats about 220psi at 80kgs + camelbak with water.
On my Jekyll with Fox RL shock that was the same (coincidence) and with the Manitou Swinger fitted that came down slightly to around 200.
With regard ro kicking you in the butt on square edged bumps, thats as simple as not enough rebound damping. Nothing you can do on a Float L... thats what the R is for
Rebound dial is red on Fox and blue on Manitou.
Hawkeye the Prophet kicks because it is a single pivot rear suspension which when sagged cannot move the rear wheel backwards except via upwards and forwards so a short sharp shock backwards at the rear forces the wheel upwards - which depending on a lot of things can sometimes feel like a kick in the arse. It is certainly not the only bike to do this
That upwards translates to compression of the shock so rebound damping has nothing to do with it, and BTW the letter "R" in Fox terminology stands for "Rebound."
A slight occasional kick under some conditions in certain terrains is a design feature of this bike. Once you learn how to anticipate and deal with it it is not a problem. I expect the same would apply to your Rush as it has a similar suspension although the actual parameters would be different.
But (on subject) @krobbie yeah: keep pumping air into the shock until the sag is 25% and you certainly should not be bottoming out. Cannondale Prophets were the bike of choice for Clydesdale Class riders in races in the US for a long while.
Cheers guys, will any local bike shop be able to pump her up?
Get yourself a shock pump. One should have come with your bike if you bought it new. LBS will have 1 or 2 options ($50-100). You could get one online cheaper but have to wait for it to turn up.
Shock pump is a must have
@cambo Re: "the kick" I haven't ridden too many other bikes that aren't single pivot. I guess dealing with it has become ingrained habit that functions without focussing on it, as I don't notice the effect much, really.
I was thinking you were talking more about the kick you can get as the shock extends back after absorbing the bump if you don't have enough rebound. I nearly punt kicked myself over the bars off Cascades waterbars a couple of times earlier this year until I woke up to the fact I had my rebound set so far wrong it was ridiculous.
@krobbie: Maximum air pressure is 300psi according to Fox Shocks. So if you can't get the sag into range with this much air you'll probably need to get the shock checked out.
@Hawkeye: yeah, I was talking about a different kick