The Yorkshire Lot Biking Community

Adjust the rear rebound at the bottom of the shock. This shock also has a ride height adjuster--the large hex nuts--built in.

Front compression damping is adjusted at the bottom of the fork.

The rear compression damping adjuster is usually at the top of the shock or on the reservoir.

Step Two:
PRELOAD
Setting your sag
The first item to address for any good suspension setup is setting preload for static sag. Static sag is the amount your suspension compresses from full extension when you sit on the bike. We''ve covered how to measure and set sag a number of times (visit www.sportrider.com/0402 or see Ask the Geek, Aug. ''03), but a short recap is shown on page 55.
The important measurement for preload is the rear sag setting. For street use, you should aim for 30mm of sag; if you''re heading for the track, shoot for 25mm. Choose a value you want for rear sag, and adjust your rear preload accordingly. Write the sag numbers down along with your preload setting.
An actual number for front sag is less important, especially considering that more bikes come from the factory with extra front sag that helps keep the front tire on the ground under acceleration. Knowing that changing preload does not alter spring stiffness, what happens when you turn the adjuster? The starting position of your suspension''s travel to a higher or lower point changes. For now, the only reason you will want to change front preload is if your suspension is bottoming-which you can check by wrapping a zip-tie around a fork tube-or if you have too little sag and the fork is topping out-which you will feel as the front end skipping over bumps and losing traction as you exit a turn.
Measure your front sag, and if you have less than 25mm (track) or 30mm (street), adjust your preload to obtain the appropriate value. Otherwise, leave the adjuster as is, or set it to the factory-recommended setting for now. Record all the numbers as well as the preload setting, and we''ll come back to it in step four, dialing it in.

Set your rear sag to 25mm for the track or 30mm for the street.

Front sag should be no less than 25mm for the track, 30mm for the street. Some bikes come with extra front sag built in; for now, don''t worry if you have too much.

Use a zip-tie on a fork tube to keep track of how close your suspension is to bottoming.
Step Three:
DAMPING
Controlling your suspension
With nothing to measure, finding a starting point for compression and rebound damping is a much more subjective process. As always, write down your current settings before changing anything.
Find the total range of your compression adjusters by turning them out to the full soft position, then, counting the number of turns or clicks, turn them in until they stop. When dealing with damping adjusters, never crank them tight, otherwise you may damage internal components-just lightly seat them at the end of the range. Back each adjuster out one-half of its full range-for example, if you have 12 clicks of range, set the adjuster to six clicks out.
Turn your rebound adjusters in to the full stiff position and push down on the suspension. Pretty slow coming back up, right? Now back the screws all the way out and try again. You should notice a big difference in the way the fork or shock extends-it may even come up quick enough to top out the suspension and then settle again, much like a car with blown shocks behaves over bumps.
Set the rebound adjusters so that after you forcibly push down on the front or rear of the bike, it does not rise beyond its normal resting point when you let go. The bike should rise to the point where you started in approximately one second with just the force of the springs. If the front or back comes up quickly, overshoots and settles back down to its resting point, add more rebound. If you count more than a second for the bike to come up and stop, take out some rebound. Unsure? Err on the too-stiff side for now. In fact, dial in a couple extra clicks or a half-turn just to be certain.

Set your compression damping adjusters to the midpoint of their range

Rebound damping must be set by feel. Push down on the front end and let it rise on its own. It should take approximately one second for it to return to its original position.

Push down on your tailsection and let the rear end rise. Again, it should take approximately one second for it to return by itself.

Step Four:
RIDE
You''ve got a base line, now dial it in
Once you''ve written everything down as your starting point, you''re ready to suit up and ride (finally!). Go out to your favorite quiet road or racetrack that most represents the type of riding you do and run a couple loops (laps if you''re at the track) until you have a good idea of how your bike is behaving. You don''t have to ride all out, but rather at a comfortable pace that lets you concentrate on what your bike and its suspension are doing.
Experiment with the rebound damping first-which we know is most likely too stiff. Back the front adjuster out in an increment you can feel when you push on the bike at a stop (usually a half-turn or two clicks), and ride another loop. Write down the change and what you felt as a difference. Experiment until you find a setting that is obviously too soft, then backtrack to what you liked. Repeat for the shock''s rebound. After every stop, take lots of notes-you''ll want to refresh your memory at the end of the day.
Now that you''re happy with the rebound settings, it''s time to play with the compression damping. Back the front adjusters out to three-fourths of their range (nine clicks of 12, using our previous example) and make a loop. Now try the other way and note the difference. Again, experiment until you find a setting with which you''re comfortable, writing down each change and the results along the way. Repeat for the shock''s compression adjustment.
Step Five:
PRELOAD AND GEOMETRY
Getting the right angle on things
Now for the fun stuff. We know changing the chassis angle by altering ride height will sharpen or slow steering, and there are many ways to accomplish this. Up front, you can raise or lower your fork tubes in the triple clamps. Most stock bikes are limited with rear ride-height adjustments, but you can slip a shim under the shock''s clevis (see Ask the Geek, Feb. ''03), swap the dog bones for a set of adjustable arms or obtain a shock with a length adjuster.
Thinking back to step two, you can make a front preload adjustment to effectively raise or lower the front end-remember that, for the most part, preload simply moves the suspension''s working range up or down slightly. You can use that fact to experiment with ride height and get an idea of what effect a change has. Make a loop or lap on your test road or track after adjusting the preload by two lines or four turns in either direction from its current setting. Note the change in your bike-as long as your suspension is not bottoming or topping out, the difference in handling you feel is almost certainly due to the change in trail that altering the preload brought about, and not any change in the fork''s stiffness. Ride again with the preload set two lines or four turns in the opposite direction from the original setting, and note the difference.
If you found a setting you felt improved your bike''s handling, continue adjusting preload in that direction. If you run out of adjustment range or are worried about bottoming or topping out your suspension (check your sag each time and make sure you have enough), then you can change the fork tube height and restore the preload closer to the middle of its range. Return the preload adjuster to its original setting. Lower the tubes in the triple clamps by 1mm for every turn of preload if you had to back the adjuster out; raise the tubes if you had to crank it in. Note that the tube height adjustment offsets the change in preload, and your bike will sit at the same ride height. Be sure to take copious notes on what you''re doing, and at each change check that you have enough sag.
At the end of the day-and it will take a good portion of a day to work your way through all the adjustments-you should have your bike''s stock suspenders working to your liking. But more importantly, because you''ve taken the time to separate out each adjustment and work on it individually, you''ll be better equipped to troubleshoot your suspension when you go to another track or road.

Think of the front preload adjuster as a ride-height adjuster. In fact, on some earlier bikes with inverted forks, it is just that and doesn''t change spring preload at all.

Two settings that will feel almost identical: We lowered the front end of this bike during a test using the preload adjuster (top). Back at the shop, we raised the fork tubes in the triple clamps 8mm so we could put the preload back to where we wanted it (right). The two setups feel identical.

Setting Static Sag
One of the most important suspension settings is static sag the amount your bike''s suspension compresses when you sit on it. To set static sag, we use Race Tech mastermind Paul Thede''s method, which takes into account any stiction in the components. It''s essential to have two friends to help-one to hold the bike while the other one measures while you (fully dressed in your riding gear) do the compressing.
First, extend the front suspension completely. Measure from the seal wiper to the triple clamp for a conventional fork, or to the axle clamp for an inverted fork. Call this number L1.
Sit on your bike in a normal riding position (or racing crouch if you''re trackbound), and have one helper steady the bike. Your second helper should push down on the fork, let it extend slowly and then remeasure as before. This number is L2.
Finally, the fork should be extended by hand, settled slowly and remeasured. This figure is L3. Halfway between L2 and L3 is where your suspension would settle if there were no friction in the system. Static sag can be calculated as follows: sag = L1 - (L3 + L2)/2. Repeat this process to determine the rear sag measuring from the axle to a point directly above on the frame for each of the numbers. If you have too much or too little sag, dial in more or less preload as needed, respectively.


	The Yorkshire Lot 2007