Suspension forks - whats are they for ?

kingrollo

Bear with me - its a serious question !

I have recently swapped bikes - and my new bike - although the fork is a similar spec (100mm travel) - it doesn't seem to have as much travel as the fork on my old bike - but heres the thing - I seem better able to ride the fork with less travel - I feel more confident & in control.

The new bike is the updated model of the older one - but the new fork if anything is of a lower spec - (lockout instead of DA) - frame geometry is the same.

So what is suspension for :-

is it to cushion the blow as you go over bumps ect

Or does it let you go over bumps - that you couldn't get over with a rigid

Is it comfort or function ? - I seem to be more comfortable on a lesser fork ?

nicklouse

so what was the fork?

the new one is most likely still working as it is newer.

kingrollo

XCM - TYAX ELITE 07 - although I liked this bike - I was always falling off ! - gutted when somebody nicked it though !

new bike is tyax elite 08 - only a week old - it gives a harsher ride off road - but I seem to have more control......???

nicklouse

so what was the fork make? Suntour? i guess fairly poor forks through out the range.

and the current one is new so works.

supersonic

XCM DA is a decent budget fork, adjustable rebound damper. The reason why the newer one feels different is that they are over sprung, and under damped. If that's what yer like though ;-)

pdrolo

wots the difference between adjustable rebound and dampening ?

passout

Suspension and decent travel stops you getting as tired and bashed about. On rough longer rides it makes a big difference. Downhilling is faster if you do it in earnest.

stumpyjon

They also say a good fork works without you knowing it's working. Something I think my Reba fork proved to me last week, managed to bottom it out (completly out of control :oops: ), didn't realise until after the event that I'd gone through the full travel (could see the dust line all the way up to the crown).

I don't usually ride that hard but the thing that struck me the most was that they had gone through the full travel and I'd hardly noticed and still felt (relatively) in control so they must have been doing their job.

god1406

suspension makes riding off-road more like riding on-road by smoothing out the bumps

pdrolo

So if your hitting lots of logs - roots - what will a good fork do - that a crap one doesn't ? - will you get thrown off ? - or just feel the bumps more ?

supersonic

Crap ones may recoil to fast, throwing you off line, may spike in compression, therefore not absorb the bump, may be flexy, which effects steering and tracking... good forks have damping to control the movement - otherwise it is just a pogo stick.

kingrollo

I have the tyax elite 08 - I understand that this fork doesn't have damping ?

I have unwound the lock out - so the fork goes up and down

wots the dial on the other side of the fork ? - is this rebound ? - how should I adjust it ?

I feel more bumps on this bike and it gives a harsher ride - but I feel more in control of it - might be the brakes - the ones on the 07 weren't great - and think the pad needed replacing - the security of powerful braking - I think is giving me more confidence

nicklouse

no damping no rebound.

Most likely pre load. try downloading the manual and have a read about your fork?

links in the tech links sticky.