Lockout help on a GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc

rogcov

Hi all .

Have just bought a GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc 2007 model to replace my old bike and have just started to enjoy the great off road riding . Could some one tell me what the lockout lever is used for on the forks is it just for riding on the flat or does it have other uses as i see it seems to vary the lock out depending on how far you turn the lever? and have i picked a reasonable bike ? paid £450 for it , and if i was going to upgrade any items on it in the future what you all think should be first.

Sorry it these seem silly questions but am new to all this


Many thanks

Rog

Big n Daft

Lockout,

Locks the forks in a fully extended position, making in effect a rigid fork.

Ideal for climbing hills on trails or road riding, ensures that all of the energy you are putting in goes through the drivetrain rather than into compressing the forks, the same can be found on most rear shocks, again this is to stop energy diversion due to pedal bob.

Most lockout systems have a fail safe device which ensures if you hit an obstacle with enough force the forks will compress even though locked out, therefore saving them and you from damage, this varies in operation from fork to fork but will exist on all but the worst.

Looking at the fork (presuming its the Suntour SR) i'd presume it works on a dual control system, as in the lockout lever also controls the amount of preload applied to the forks.

Preload is how much the suspension will compress when the riders weight is applied, or 'Sag' this should be roughly set to 25% of the forks travel at standstill, so for 100mm of travel, ideally you'd expect 25mm of 'Sag' This can be tested using a cable tie around one of the fork stanchions (the thinner bit) apply a tie tightly around the bottom of the stanchion, sit on the bike with feet on the pedals (holding onto a wall or such, but make sure your whole weight is going through the bike) get off and see how much the fork has compressed, as the cable tie will stay at the point of compression.

Then fiddle around with the preload until the fork compresses to roughly 25mm.

The other one is rebound damping, this controls how fast the fork re-extends after taking a hit, too fast and it will feel like a pogo stick, to slow and repeated hits will cause the fork to bottom out (usually accompanied by a nice clunking noise) this again is dependent on what kind of terrain your riding, flat road, does'nt really matter, off road rough stuff, you want it set somewhere near halfway for a starting point and adjust until it feels right.

I think i've got it right, but i'm sure if not others will point you in the right direction!

dcp1975

Decent set of Tyres first, then just upgrade as parts wear out....