from hardtail to full suspension

fred29

Hi all
I have always ridden hard tails. But recently i just bought a full suspension frame meta 5.5 2011
My first ride on it was kirroughtree which i found hard on this full suspension obviously i was trying to ride it like a hardtail
does anyone have any tips for riding. Coming from a hardtail to full suspension
Thanks
Fred

Beardface

When you say you found it hard.. how exactly?

Do you have the rear shock set up correctly? Check the manufacturers manual for psi/sag settings for your weight etc.

Usually, it will just take some time to adjust to having movement at the back, but you will get used to it, and generally find you may struggle a bit more getting up the hills, but be a bit quicker down them

Just try to 'go with the flow'.. go to your local park/woods to try out getting used to it before you hit the big stuff, that may help

dan shard

What he said /\/\

Set it up right, enjoy getting used to it

EnglishChris

I'd agree you should check the shock pressure settings for your weight. Also play with them if the specified weight doesn't feel right - some manufacturers specs seem to be too much / too little etc. Also, having the rebound damping set correctly is important too, to avoid the shock pinging back up uncontrollably and you feeling like you're on a pogo stick.

If the shock pressure is set up correctly you should find it helps you on the climbs also... Instead of the back wheel pinging off roots and rocks and losing you traction, the shock should push the wheel down onto the trail and mean you get more traction.

This article shows you how to set up sag.... http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/w ... sion-23318

The manufacturer of your bike may recommend their own sag settings (15% / 25% etc ) for different types of riding. Ultimately, you will need to tweak it to work out what feels right for you.

Steve_F

As well as what has been said above, I'd add that Kirroughtree isn't somewhere that you'd notice a huge improvement with a FS. There are only a few rough rocky bits, the rest is very flowy and fun on a HT.

Try somewhere a bit rougher and I'm guessing you'll see the advantages a lot more.

fred29

thanks for the advice guys much appreciated