2manyoranges
Old School Grand Master
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I've always found setting up forks to be a bit of an elusive dark art...
At one level I understand low speed and high speed compression and rebound and spring rate and tokens and at another I find myself somewhat randomly clicking this and that and scratching my head as to whether I am genuinely experiencing more grip and 'support' ... or not.
I do seem to be actually sensitive to differences in that I have a Lyrik which I feel is grippy on a Cotic and a Pike on a Stanton which is...less grippy. And still the random clicking continues.
Then last week I stopped after a twisty bit of singletrack and chatted to two guys who were waiting on the fireroad. OOOh says he....Manitou Mattocs. Yes say I, they say they are Cadillac smooth but mine are a bit unresponsive. i bounce them a bit. Well those are really slow says he. Just speed them up....
So after last week's quick exchange, I took a few minutes in the workshop to fiddle. With the forks.
They are 160mm Manitou Mattocs on a Ragley mmmbop - slight bushing wear. but otherwise excellent. For the last couple of years I have always cleaned them thoroughly after each ride and dripped very light oil on the seals which over five minutes finds its way into the fork innards and lubes up the foam oil carrier seals, which is one way of keeping the forks really supple and with minimum stanchion wear. So a quick clean and lube then....
1 drop air pressure to not very much - note air valve fills neg and pos chambers simultaneously
2 firm up rebound completely
3 refill chambers and pressurise to get 30% sag.
4 leave rebound open
5 set compression more towards open
Sag is slightly more than before, with pressure just 5-8 lbs less.
Try settings which gives me fastest return on rebound. Which turns out to be a great deal faster than I have been running it.
Leave tyre pressure unchanged at 24lbs. Magic Mary 2.35.
Do kerb test and then leave in workshop until this morning.
First 100m in the forest - woah ,,, totally different. Oodles of bump compliance, oodles of grip. But still loads of support. Although the long rain this week has upped the traction, this fork really feels completely different. Pick a line....the bike just holds it....really excellent.
At one level I understand low speed and high speed compression and rebound and spring rate and tokens and at another I find myself somewhat randomly clicking this and that and scratching my head as to whether I am genuinely experiencing more grip and 'support' ... or not.
I do seem to be actually sensitive to differences in that I have a Lyrik which I feel is grippy on a Cotic and a Pike on a Stanton which is...less grippy. And still the random clicking continues.
Then last week I stopped after a twisty bit of singletrack and chatted to two guys who were waiting on the fireroad. OOOh says he....Manitou Mattocs. Yes say I, they say they are Cadillac smooth but mine are a bit unresponsive. i bounce them a bit. Well those are really slow says he. Just speed them up....
So after last week's quick exchange, I took a few minutes in the workshop to fiddle. With the forks.
They are 160mm Manitou Mattocs on a Ragley mmmbop - slight bushing wear. but otherwise excellent. For the last couple of years I have always cleaned them thoroughly after each ride and dripped very light oil on the seals which over five minutes finds its way into the fork innards and lubes up the foam oil carrier seals, which is one way of keeping the forks really supple and with minimum stanchion wear. So a quick clean and lube then....
1 drop air pressure to not very much - note air valve fills neg and pos chambers simultaneously
2 firm up rebound completely
3 refill chambers and pressurise to get 30% sag.
4 leave rebound open
5 set compression more towards open
Sag is slightly more than before, with pressure just 5-8 lbs less.
Try settings which gives me fastest return on rebound. Which turns out to be a great deal faster than I have been running it.
Leave tyre pressure unchanged at 24lbs. Magic Mary 2.35.
Do kerb test and then leave in workshop until this morning.
First 100m in the forest - woah ,,, totally different. Oodles of bump compliance, oodles of grip. But still loads of support. Although the long rain this week has upped the traction, this fork really feels completely different. Pick a line....the bike just holds it....really excellent.
