Pro-Pedal?
steelo
Posts: 542
What exactly is pro-pedal?
From reading threads on here, reading reviews in magazines and trying to figure it out for myself it seems that a decent rear shock is able to do 3 things;
1. Fully open - Suck up all the bumps and motion of the back end of the bike be it rider-enduced or hitting a tree root.
2. Fully closed - Lock out so that there is 10% motion only to protect the shock (like lock-out on a fork).
3. Pro-pedal - Some sort of magical setting that increases the force needed to make the shock work, like a restricter on the oil flow needle within the system.
May I ask, is this correct for lets say the Fox RP23 rear shock?
From reading threads on here, reading reviews in magazines and trying to figure it out for myself it seems that a decent rear shock is able to do 3 things;
1. Fully open - Suck up all the bumps and motion of the back end of the bike be it rider-enduced or hitting a tree root.
2. Fully closed - Lock out so that there is 10% motion only to protect the shock (like lock-out on a fork).
3. Pro-pedal - Some sort of magical setting that increases the force needed to make the shock work, like a restricter on the oil flow needle within the system.
May I ask, is this correct for lets say the Fox RP23 rear shock?
Specialized Rockhopper '07
Trek Fuel EX8 '09
Trek Fuel EX8 '09
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Comments
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For the RP23 you have 4 settings. Pro pedal off and 3 different strengths of pro pedal.
Pro pedal lockouts the shock untill you hit a bump where the shock operates as normal for that bump then goes back to locked. This means that you get no bob from pedalling but you still get some bump absorption. The 3 settings for pro pedal allows you to set how sensitive it is to bumps.0 -
I wouldn't say it locks it out, just stiffens it up0
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no, you're all wrong.
pro-pedal doesn't lock the shock out at all. It is (in simple terms) a low speed compression damper.
Basically, bumps from roots, rocks, etc are very fast, sudden impacts. The shock will respond to these under all circumstances.
However, suspension compression due to rider movement or pedalling is a slower movement.
So, pro-pedal allows for fast impacts to work the shock, but resists slow movements.
The pro-pedal setting either (not 100% sure on this one) adjusts the slow/fast speed crossover point, OR adjusts the amount of resistance applied to a slow movement - however I suspect it is a little of both.0 -
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I obviously did have it wrong. So pro-pedal is basically like the Specialized brain. But whereas the brain is always in use and you adjust how sensitive it is, the pro-pedal allows you to select when you want different amounts of sensitivity!
I'm starting to understand.
Specialized Rockhopper '07
Trek Fuel EX8 '090 -
on my rp3, there is 3 settings of propedal. flick the lever to the right, and the shock stiffens up for climbs etc. flick to the right, and the shock goes slacker (not sure how to explain) for downhills etc. keep in the middle and propedal is neutral and i suppose the shock just acts as a normal shock would without propedal.0
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nope. the "brain" is really just a tilt-sensor. When it 'thinks' you're pointing uphill, it stiffens up the shock (because we don;t need supple suspension when clmbing, as all climbs are smooth, right? :roll:steelo wrote:I obviously did have it wrong. So pro-pedal is basically like the Specialized brain. But whereas the brain is always in use and you adjust how sensitive it is, the pro-pedal allows you to select when you want different amounts of sensitivity!
I'm starting to understand.
when it 'thinks' you're pointing downhill, it becomes a "normal" shock.
It also serves the purpose of being perfectly placed to be damaged in a crash.0 -
millster wrote:on my rp3, there is 3 settings of propedal. flick the lever to the right, and the shock stiffens up for climbs etc. flick to the right, and the shock goes slacker (not sure how to explain) for downhills etc. keep in the middle and propedal is neutral and i suppose the shock just acts as a normal shock would without propedal.
The 3 settings are, full propedal, intermediate propedal, or minimum (or off) propedal.
the DHX 5 has a continuously variable propedal from fully on, to inactive.
again, I'm not sure if it's speed sensitivity, amount of damping, or both that the adjustment affects.0 -
yeehaamcgee is right about the RP23.
The reality is fairly close to the theory - but it's never really locked out though, and it will never really feel totally active in the rough stuff, even though that's the idea. I find it does react to bumps, but not as well as fully active. Otherwise you wouldn't need fully active...
I still find it really useful - I leave the pro pedal set to max, but mostly use it when I want more ground clearance uphill on techy bits. The rest of the time I leave it fully active.
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Pro pedal is FOX's version of platform damping."Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown0 -
Riiiight! In conclusion, pro pedal helps when you want to pedal so too does the brain, but in a slightly different way.
Cheers for all the help!
:?:Specialized Rockhopper '07
Trek Fuel EX8 '090 -
The brain is just a fancy auto-lockout thing, which I found to be incredibly annoying when I rode it. I want my suspension to work all the time dammit, otherwise I'd buy a Kona!0
