Noobie setting up forks. Pls help :)

Mark909

Hi im in the process of setting up my new fox vanilla r fork.

In the instructions for setting up the sag it says to turn the preload nob clockwise and counter clockwise.

However im not sure which way your ment to be facing to do this. Is it clockwise as if you are sat on the bike or clockwise as if you were facing the bike from the front?

Andy B

As if you were sat on the bike.

I think there are + and - on the dial too, indicating more or less preload.

Mark909

Cool thanks for the quick reply andy..

Another quick question.

When cleaning and maintaining my new bike is there anything I should avoid doing to stop myself from damaging it.

For example I know ur not ment to spray WD40 anywhere near your disk brakes

Anything else not so obvious?

Andy B

Just follow the cleaning instructions in the manual (IIRC) wipe with a damp cloth & if needed a small amount of fork oil/Teflon based lube on the stantions, cycle the fork through it's travel & wipe up the crap that comes out, job's a good un.

Needless to say I've never really bothered with this & my Float R's are fine with just the usual wash down after a ride.

stumpyjon

I'll say it before anyone else does though, don't pressure wash your bike, particularly around bearings or suspension. You'll force water and dirt past the seals into the delicate internals.

I tend to wash my whole bike using Hope Sh1t shifter or Muck Off, just don't let it sit too long anywhere.

Mark909

another question about setting sag.

Do you set the sag to when you're sitting down on the bike or when youre standing up over the handlebars?

supersonic

Do you have the manual? If not, download form the Fox site.

Set sag standing in your normal stood riding position. It is clockwise no matter what way round you look at it (as long as not upside down!). Usually a damper cloth to wipe them down is all you need.

dave_hill

supersonic wrote:

Set sag standing in your normal stood riding position.

You sure about that? Everybody else says in the normal sitting position wearing all your normal riding gear.

Mark909, depending upon how heavy you are, you may find that you ned to change the spring for a heavier or lighter one, depending upon if you are able to set the correct sag or not.

The Van R comes with a medium spring as standard - the downside with any coil-sprung forks is that you only have a very limited amount of preload adjustment before you actually need to physically swap it out for a firmer or softer one. If you do find that you need to swap it, you can get them from Mojo at about £25 a pop (if they can be arsed to get one for you, I had a bit of a tussle with them).

Andy B

Full riding gear stood in the 'attack' riding position.

If you set it in the seating position you get a firmer fork, which might not give the full travel or full performance from the fork when riding out of the saddle.

supersonic

Spot on, and with some slack angled bikes where you are very upright when sat down, weight back I have seen forks only sag a few mm!

dave_hill

I stand corrected, said the man in the orthopaedic shoes...

johnbaxter

Just so you know................ Doesn't matter wherever your standing looking at the bike... Clockwise is clockwise.. Dooooh :roll:

Northwind

Nah, if you're lying under the bike clockwise would be the wrong way.