Suspension SETUP, a 'how to' guide...

PB Forum :: Mechanics' Lounge
Suspension SETUP, a 'how to' guide...
Author Message
flag Kmnc94630
Posted: Aug 7, 2020 at 20:58 Quote
_gearwork on Insta does all of his own services. Full suspension and all. I’ve DM him for info. And he was able to help me out. Worth a look
flag bikerboywill
Posted: Aug 13, 2020 at 13:58 Quote
Does anyone here know why after a service my fox float x2 seems to have lost its mid stroke support and a little bottom out resistance?

Pressures are the same, all settings are the same and same amount of volume spacers. Only thing I can think is that the ifp pressure is too low? Would that cause my symptoms and if so can I set it with a shock pump while everything is still pressurised
flag gabriel-mission9
Posted: Aug 13, 2020 at 14:31 Quote
bikerboywill wrote:
Does anyone here know why after a service my fox float x2 seems to have lost its mid stroke support and a little bottom out resistance?

Pressures are the same, all settings are the same and same amount of volume spacers. Only thing I can think is that the ifp pressure is too low? Would that cause my symptoms and if so can I set it with a shock pump while everything is still pressurised
Ifp pressure in a float x2 is very low to begin with. Yes it being a bit lower than normal would reduce the amount the shock ramps a little bit, but it would hardly be noticeable.

You could up it a little to see if it helps, without doing any harm. Bear in mind that the piggy back volume is so small that the pressure will drop massively when you screw your pump on. It will be difficult to get any idea of what the pressure is at currently, and therefor how much to increase it by. You might have some luck if you try to inflate the pump hose with the pump, before screwing the chuck on far enough to open the valve on the shock. This can be tricky though.

The loss in support you are seeing *could* just be that the shock has less friction after a service. If your ifp pressure seems to be sensible when you check it, then I'd suggest it is this that you are feeling.

It's also possible that your shock has been bled with different fluid to what was in there before. You can't check this without disassembling the shock though
flag bikerboywill
Posted: Aug 13, 2020 at 14:43 Quote
Thanks.

All your points are what I pretty much decided. Good call about the pressure being lost when connecting the pump I hadn’t thought of that.

The problem I’m having is I’m using too much travel even though I’m running 15% sag and max spacers. Just feels abit wallowy. But maybe I’ll just have to soften the front to even it up slightly
flag gabriel-mission9
Posted: Aug 13, 2020 at 14:55 Quote
bikerboywill wrote:
Thanks.

All your points are what I pretty much decided. Good call about the pressure being lost when connecting the pump I hadn’t thought of that.

The problem I’m having is I’m using too much travel even though I’m running 15% sag and max spacers. Just feels abit wallowy. But maybe I’ll just have to soften the front to even it up slightly

In my experience the float x2 is too unsupportive and easy to bottom anyway. Fox tried to fix this recently with a massive bottom out bumper that can be retrofitted. It really is massive, it probably starts effecting the stroke less than halfway through the travel. If your shock doesn't have this bumper in it might be worth getting one.
flag z-man
Posted: Aug 13, 2020 at 15:19 Quote
gabriel-mission9 wrote:
bikerboywill wrote:
Thanks.

All your points are what I pretty much decided. Good call about the pressure being lost when connecting the pump I hadn’t thought of that.

The problem I’m having is I’m using too much travel even though I’m running 15% sag and max spacers. Just feels abit wallowy. But maybe I’ll just have to soften the front to even it up slightly

In my experience the float x2 is too unsupportive and easy to bottom anyway. Fox tried to fix this recently with a massive bottom out bumper that can be retrofitted. It really is massive, it probably starts effecting the stroke less than halfway through the travel. If your shock doesn't have this bumper in it might be worth getting one.

It's sort of reverse compatible. Not really advised as the bottomout plates aren't thick enough.

It also depends on what size stroke you had. The bumper is 30mm long for all sizes.
flag R-M-R
Posted: Aug 13, 2020 at 15:24 Quote
The negative chamber could be blocked or full of grease. This would reduce the effect of the negative spring and provide more support from top-out to sag, then the standard amount of support thereafter. You would need a lot less pressure to hit your preferred sag, after which point you would feel the effects of this low pressure in the form of reduced support beyond sag.
flag gabriel-mission9
Posted: Aug 13, 2020 at 16:48 Quote
Yeah thats a fair point. You don't actually get the thicker bottom out plates in the newer service kit. Its basically just a big washer though so literally pennies to source.

Unless your shock has one of the big plastic travel limiter/volume reduction plates in there already, in which case the old bottom out plate will probably be fine.
flag bikerboywill
Posted: Aug 14, 2020 at 3:49 Quote
The first 40% of travel felt as it used to, its the 40-80% that feels different. I think it may be thinner oil and a cleaner shock in general.

It’s annoying as when I bought it second hand in Whistler it felt exactly as I wanted but then the damping slowly faded to nothing. And now I can’t get that original feeling back.

Maybe time for a new bike lol
flag bikerboywill
Posted: Aug 14, 2020 at 3:56 Quote
Also while I’m here. Is the rebound on the x2 position sensitive or speed sensitive like the names would suggest?

As high speed could mean high speed chatter and big hits or is it position like ending stroke from a high speed impact?
flag gabriel-mission9
Posted: Aug 14, 2020 at 6:13 Quote
bikerboywill wrote:
Also while I’m here. Is the rebound on the x2 position sensitive or speed sensitive like the names would suggest?

As high speed could mean high speed chatter and big hits or is it position like ending stroke from a high speed impact?

Both high speed compression and rebound on the x2 shock are speed sensitive, ie the level of damping is related to the speed the shaft is travelling at. However...Rebound is not exactly straightforward. The speed your shock rebounds at is very closely linked to how far through the stroke the shock is compressed, as the more compressed the shock is the harder the spring will be trying to push the shock back out. So high speed rebound tends to only really effect deeper parts of the stroke.

But yes, strictly speaking it is speed sensitive, not position sensitive.
flag Rdlynch2
O+
Posted: Aug 28, 2020 at 8:34 Quote
I got a question...

I understand setting sag. But is setting sag and leaving it more important or do you set the shock pressure so you utilize all available travel?
flag R-M-R
Posted: Aug 28, 2020 at 8:56 Quote
Set your preferred sag and tune the spring curve (ramp-up) via tokens so that you use full travel appropriately.

If you can't achieve both, consider:

• Switching to a different spring (ex. MegNeg or coil)
• Changing the compression damping, especially high-speed
• Choosing a frame with a different motion ratio curve that allows easier access to the end of the stroke
• Choosing a frame with less travel
• Not worrying about whether you're using full travel

It's possible your shock hits full stroke before the end of the stanchion. Some shocks have an internal spacer that prevents this. It's an easy way for manufacturers to create more shock options without increasing the number of components to manufacture. If this is the case for your shock, maybe you already are using full travel.

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.012269
Mobile Version of Website