Blurred Vision . . .

LAUNCH69

Hi there,
Yesterday I rode a route around Cross Fell (anti - clockwise). On the descent, following My mate on his Specialized Enduro we hit arond 47kph - according to his GPS.
He seemed to be happily floating along whilst I felt shaken to hell and experienced genuine blurred vision.
Is there a solution to this on my Hardtail (Spec Rockhopper) or is full suss a logical step?
I have Flow rims with 2.35 Nevegal on front and a Ardent 2.25 on the rear, so I don't feel that more volume is needed.
Could my fork be a weak link -2008 RockShox Tora 302 SL fork, 100mm travel, 32mm Cr-Mo stanchions and alloy steerer, Mag lowerand lockout.
Or is this normal and I need to MTFU :oops:
Any Advice appreciated.
Si

supersonic

For me a lot of vibration can still come through the front end.

What sag are you running on the fork, and is the rebound fast enough to allow it to extend enough for the next hit? What tyre pressures? Also, what bars and grips?

cooldad

I would expect a 100mm hardtail to be a bit rougher than a 160mm full sus.

Anonymous

My money's on technique. you need to get really loose and allow the bike to move under you.

LAUNCH69

Er not sure about sag, the preload dial seems to be largely decorative and i have never measured it.
Rebound is fairly fast at the mo (in my eyes - this is the only suspension fork I've ever ridden.)
just over 30 psi in the front, Easton Haven Alu bar, ODI troy lee lock ons.

Just been outside and measure the sag at 20mm.

LAUNCH69

Er not sure about sag, the preload dial seems to be largely decorative and i have never measured it.
Rebound is fairly fast at the mo (in my eyes - this is the only suspension fork I've ever ridden.)
just over 30 psi in the front, 35 in the rear, Easton Haven Alu bar, ODI troy lee lock ons.

Just been outside and measure the sag at 20mm.

supersonic

Fork seems a little hard on the face of it - if you never bottom it out, then I'd recommend a softer spring.

Haven on a rockhopper?! Are lighter bars out there, and carbon can reduce buzz.

Technique can certainly help, but parts and front sus play a role.

LAUNCH69

technique wise,
I drop my heels, adopt the attack position and try to stay loose.
Even with bent arms and legs i seem to vibrate like mad, ahem.

LAUNCH69

I'm not to bothered about weight, and the haven feels 'good' in terms of stance and leverage - much better that oe. I like the thought of carbon but my wallet doesn't. I got the alu one cheap from merlin.
I weigh 83kg at the mo and regularly get full travel.
Would it muck up the bike much to run a 120mm fork?

supersonic

It's a pretty stiff bar though.

120mm is fine on newer Rockhoppers. Older ones have a warranty limit of 110mm. But can' remember when they changed.

LAUNCH69

Thanks sonic,
i will google to see when, mine is 2008. I'm guessing that a bigger fork will relax the geometry and be more forgiving?
In your opinion though - if I went for a 140mm full suss would (liking the canyon am) descending be less blurred?

supersonic

Possibly - more sus allows for softer spring rates.

You need to test to be sure.

Anonymous

Bending your legs and elbows is only half the story mind. They also need to absorb the vibration.

LAUNCH69

Thanks yeehaa,
I'm going to try and session some descents and see what happens.
Also going to see if a bike shop will let me session their full suss bike

cooldad

Borrow your mates Enduro for a run.

LAUNCH69

That would probably be the simplest answer of all. . .


I just don't like the idea of cartwheeling a friends bike . . .

I'll test the water.

Anonymous

It's still a valuable technique to learn whether you're on a rigid, hardtail, or full suss. There's no reason there should be that much vibration reaching your head on any of them.