Fox Float R "Pro Pedal"

kinelljohn

Does the pro-pedal setting just change the "stiffness" of the shock or does it limit something else?
I ask because I am considering having it adjusted to its Max setting.

I am 6'1" / 190lbs and have yet to get my Trance3 set up to how I like it.
I realise there are many variables to consider - terrain, tyres, pressures,fitness level, technique/even personal preferences etc.
Sag appears to be the biblical setting but for me and the terrain I ride it seems only a starting point.
Usually I ride steep and long climbs/descents in wet/mud/leaves slippery conditions.
I currently have higher pressures than sag recommends with very little rebound set (forks/shock) but still I am not in harmony with the bike - often having to dismount because of rear wheel spin (sitting on the nose of the saddle and leaning sufficiently forward to stop the front wheel rising and with smooth pedal action), while others ride on!

Finally, is the shock adjustment really a specialist job or can it be done by the reasonably experienced?

nicklouse

so how much sag are you getting?

Pro pedal only really reduces the low frequency motion.

rebound setting just needs to be enough that you dont get bounced off the bike.

Fox have some good vids for setting up their forks/shock, link in the tech links sticky above, have a watch and and then take the pump out with you and have a play.

kinelljohn

Thanks nicklouse.

I was going to mention taking the pump in my post but then reconsidered. I ride with a group and don't really want to be holding the others up.

I have seen the Fox vids and maybe the answer is to go back to all the orginal settings and start again. There is (was) far too much dive/travel on the forks on the downhill for my liking, and other guys, particularly the hard tail riders, recommend stiffening up the rear as much as possible and I had wondered if the Pro Pedal played a part in this.

There's nothing like a bike which is set up perfect for your needs and I appreciate this can take some time.

nicklouse

forget the group rides for a while and get out and just session one bit of track again and again and again adjusting the set up.

you may find that some of the riders in the group might also be interested.

first steps is set the sag. (pressure means nothing) do it by a measurement (taking note of the pressure is good for future info) then the rebound (propedal off) and then see how the propedal feels on the climbs. normally max for climbs (dont know what other adjusters you have but the fox site does give the order that they should be done.

Anonymous

kinelljohn wrote:

There is (was) far too much dive/travel on the forks on the downhill for my liking, and other guys, particularly the hard tail riders, recommend stiffening up the rear as much as possible and I had wondered if the Pro Pedal played a part in this.

Forks always will dive under braking. Naturally, when you're pointing downhill, the effect is increased, but it can also feel worse than it is, because you're already pointing downwards to start with.
Low speed compression can help reduce short term dive, but if you're breaking hard for a long time, they will still dive eventually.
Also, even though we have seperate controls for low and high speed damping, there is some interplay between them. Winding on lots of low speed damping will cause the fork to be a little lkess supple on normal trail bumps.

Setting the rear as stiff as possible is personal preference. I reckon it's best to be near the standard sag setting, then tweak slightly from there.

Propedal is just a very low speed compression, but just like on forks, increasing it will slow the shock's response to trail bumps too.

tsenior

i've been playing with mine alot

(and the propedal setting on my shock )

like nick said go out and ride up and down the same bit of track (i like those small, widely spaced slippy wooden steps with mud in between them for this purpose) again and again trying slightly differnt sags with propedal off.

then up and down adjusting the rebound with propedal off

then a longer loop (but still repeatable) with the propedal on different settings.

TBH now i only turn it on when i know i'm going to be on the flat or climbing for a while, swoopy stuff and down i leave it off.

i have the additional complication that the rear suspension pivout/mounting point/linkage/wotsits can be altered on my marin to change the geometry slightly and give more or less travel, similarly: all one way or all the other is all my tiny mind can cope with.

Anonymous

It's pre-set on floatR shocks. Can't adjust the propedal.
It's meant to be set up for the particular bike by/for the manufacturer.

nicklouse

yeehaamcgee
did it not depend on the year and what the bike maker ordered. some R´s did have adjustable Pro pedal. ( I am fairly sure).

Anonymous

I thought maybe the aftermarket ones had adjustable propedal. But I can't recall ever seeing an OEM one with the adjustment. (or, er, any for that matter).

tsenior

yes mine must be the RP23? (3 settings), still i think that getting the sag and rebound right is probably more important, given i dont really use the middle one.....

kinelljohn

Thanks everyone for all the feedback.

Deifinitely adjustable. This quote is from the Fox CD which came with the bike but it doesn't say what it actually does. It's set on Medium:-

""ProPedal Valving Options

FOX Racing Shox and your bike manufacturer have teamed up to deliver a FLOAT R shock that has the perfect ProPedal tune for your bicycle’s rear suspension design.

Your FLOAT R is delivered to your bike manufacturer in one of three settings: FIRM, MEDIUM, and LIGHT.

The setting of your FLOAT R is listed on the band at the bottom of the air sleeve and is denoted by an icon, as shown on the left.

LIGHT is represented by the smallest bar.

MEDIUM is represented by the middle bar.

FIRM is represented by the largest bar.

The bar that is applicable to your tune will be highlighted and flanked on top and bottom with indicator arrows.

Changing your ProPedal tune can be done at an Authorized FOX Service Center for a nominal fee as it is not considered a warranty item.""


I suppose really the reason for my post was to know if the adjustment has to be a specialist job as the Fox CD states. If I can do it then I would like to play more with settings, but if I have to pay each time then it's a no no.

I have another outing Sunday so I'll set up the sag as per the manual and start again from there. I don't think the conditions will have changed much from last Sunday (hopefully )

Anonymous

So, not adjustable then. Adjustable ones have a dial which you can adjust. If my old bike was here I'd show you the difference.
For what it's worth, I always left the adjustable propedal switched to off or minimum.

cooldad

I haven't seen one yet that isn't set to medium.