{"id":185946,"date":"2018-06-18T00:58:31","date_gmt":"2018-06-17T22:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtb-mag.com\/?p=185946\/"},"modified":"2019-06-27T20:07:38","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T18:07:38","slug":"7-myths-to-dispel-about-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mtb-mag.com\/en\/7-myths-to-dispel-about-suspension\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Myths to Dispel About Suspension"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suspension is the most complicated element of mountain biking, as is their correct setup and inevitable maintenance. <\/span>False myths often revolve around them, and there are numerous bad habits and mistakes that can be pitfalls during setup and maintenance. <\/span>For this reason we wrote this piece highlighting 7 truths that every rider should know about their suspension.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sag should be measured with the suspension unlocked<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

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It may seem trivial and should go without saying, but when you measure your suspension, you have to do it with the lockout <\/span><\/span>\u00a0disengaged<\/span><\/span><\/strong> \u00a0.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If the suspension remains in the “closed” position, it won’t give you an accurate read, it will be too low. <\/span>The lockout of the trail platform <\/span>In this event, the sag will be too low, with the result being a fork or a shock absorber that’s too soft.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For the reason that\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>the suspension should be measured. <\/span><\/span><\/strong>Even if you only have low speed compression, it’s best to leave it open during this procedure.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sag is an extremely important, but not the only factor<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

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The suspension to the correct sag is a mission. <\/span>If it’s not set to 25% or 30% or less the bike calls for, you’ll be off to a really bad start in terms of setting a baseline.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In reality, the\u00a0sag<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0only a starting point<\/strong>\u00a0for adjusting firm or soft your shock feels. There are many other additional factors to consider.\u00a0From a theoretical point, proper sag is fundamental: without\u00a0sitting into the travel at the point the engineers intend it to, the bike will not perform as they aimed for.\u00a0From a practical point of view, however, the measurement of the sag is not so simple and unambiguous.<\/p>\n

It is important\u00a0to distribute the weight\u00a0correctly\u00a0on the bicycle when doing your measurement, but remember that different riders have different techniques and postures. For example, by moving forward or backwards on the bike, crouching or standing straight, sitting or standing up will provide very different sag readings.<\/p>\n

You can find a host of videos on youtube showing the proper procedure for measuring sag, but keep in mind,\u00a0sag should not be considered as an absolute rule for setting the suspension,\u00a0but rather, a starting point.<\/p>\n

The negative air chamber should never\u00a0overpower the positive<\/h1>\n
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The negative air chamber adjustment for the Formula Nero fork.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some\u00a0forks\u00a0have air chambers (positive and negative) which are adjustable independently. A\u00a0common mistake on this kind of suspension is to inflate the negative chamber too much. Most forks, such as RockShox and Fox use a transfer port to automatically maintain an ideal positive : negative chamber balance.<\/em><\/p>\n

The negative chamber is a chamber whose task is to\u00a0counter\u00a0the pressure of the positive chamber. Without it, your fork would top out harshly.\u00a0Thus, adding air to the negative spring tends to compress the fork,\u00a0as it balances the\u00a0air pressure in the positive chamber.<\/p>\n

The task of the negative chamber is to make the fork softer and buttery at the beginning, more plush.\u00a0The more the negative is pressurized, the more the suspension is soft on small bumps, but its pressure\u00a0shouldn’t overpower\u00a0that of the positive.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the pressure in the negative chamber is too high, the fork\u00a0\u00a0loses its travel<\/strong>.\u00a0The negative chamber, in a scenario of this type, would tend to compress the suspension until the two chambers reach the same pressure, but this means that the fork remains shorter, loses travel and lowers the front end, which is obviously not ideal.<\/p>\n

Do not insert objects between the stanchion & the dust\u00a0wiper<\/h1>\n

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In the past, some have\u00a0advised, to make suspension run better, to\u00a0lift the dust seal and pour a little oil into it with a zip tie<\/strong>. Some people also use this trick to relieve pressure trapped in the fork when they travel to high altitudes.\u00a0While this procedure may have worked on\u00a0older generation of dust-scraper, is no longer suitable for new suspension.<\/p>\n

The modern, softer dust wipers have micro-grooves on the upper lip that can easily be damaged even with a plastic band, without considering the risk of scratching the stanchion if using metal objects.<\/p>\n

For this reason the best\u00a0method is simply to lightly apply oil to the dust wiper without lifting it.<\/p>\n

Lubricate the stanchions & the dust wipers\u00a0frequently<\/h1>\n

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The\u00a0external lubrication<\/strong>\u00a0of the suspension surface is extremely important. After every washing of your bike, thoroughly clean your stanchions and apply a few drops of stanchion lube to the dust wiper. *Don’t overdo it\u00a0and wipe off\u00a0excess oil so it doesn’t drip down and contaminate your brake pads*<\/em><\/p>\n

The point of external lubrication is threefold:<\/p>\n