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fox Shocks, how far is too Far?

brindlescoopsbrindlescoops Posts: 464
edited March 2012 in MTB beginners
Been out on the first proper ride on my new EX8 today over Cannock Chase, top day. i set up the shocks originally using the online guide, at the end of the ride, my forks showed the o ring about 15mm from the top of the stanchion and my rear shock, the o ring was right on the very end of the piston any more and it would have dropped off the end. My mate reckons the rear is perfect as if it goes off the end of the piston then it is bottoming out, so I am almost at that point which means I am using all of the stroke. On the front, I could let out a few psi in theory. The question is, is this correct, is it OK on the rear or should I out some more air in and is the front good or can I let some air out.

cheers.
My biggest fear is that should I crash, burn and die, my Wife would sell my stuff based upon what I told her I paid for it.

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  • supersonicsupersonic Posts: 82,708 Lives Here
    Sounds like a little more sag on the forks ie less PSI wouldn't go amiss.
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  • brindlescoopsbrindlescoops Posts: 464
    supersonic wrote:
    Sounds like a little more sag on the forks ie less PSI wouldn't go amiss.

    Cheers,

    But the rear shock is Ok? is it correct that unless the o ring is coming off the piston, i'm not bottomitng it out?
    My biggest fear is that should I crash, burn and die, my Wife would sell my stuff based upon what I told her I paid for it.
  • benpinnickbenpinnick Posts: 4,148
    Ideally you want the o ring to fall off once during your ride. Nearly falling off is ok though, don't sweat it.
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  • brindlescoopsbrindlescoops Posts: 464
    benpinnick wrote:
    Ideally you want the o ring to fall off once during your ride. Nearly falling off is ok though, don't sweat it.

    Perfect, thanks Guys!
    My biggest fear is that should I crash, burn and die, my Wife would sell my stuff based upon what I told her I paid for it.
  • peter413peter413 Posts: 5,120
    Just because the o-ring hasn't fallen off doesn't mean it hasn't bottomed out. Both Fox rear shocks I have had bottomed out when the o-ring was at the very end of the shaft so I would let all the air out of the rear shock to check if it bothered you that much but suspension can be a personal thing, some prefer it stiffer whereas some prefer it softer. If it feels good to you I would leave it TBH.
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  • brindlescoopsbrindlescoops Posts: 464
    peter413 wrote:
    Just because the o-ring hasn't fallen off doesn't mean it hasn't bottomed out. Both Fox rear shocks I have had bottomed out when the o-ring was at the very end of the shaft so I would let all the air out of the rear shock to check if it bothered you that much but suspension can be a personal thing, some prefer it stiffer whereas some prefer it softer. If it feels good to you I would leave it TBH.

    Excllent idea! Just done it and you are right, the rear shock bottoms out before the o ring is pushed off the end, so i must have been bottoming out at least once. Front fork have loads more travel, so more air in the rear and less air in the front.

    Its a useful exercise for anyone too see just how much travel is actually available, plus its quits funny watching the bike settle down on its self as the air comes out like a punctured blow up doll! :D
    My biggest fear is that should I crash, burn and die, my Wife would sell my stuff based upon what I told her I paid for it.
  • RockmonkeySCRockmonkeySC Posts: 14,770
    O-rings are a rough guide. They can move quite a lot through vibration, up or down. Check it several times over a few rides to get a accurate idea of how much travel you are using.
    Also you want to ride fairly hard to check how much travel you use. On XC rides my Lyriks only use about 100mm of travel at most but if I hit some big jumps or fast, big compressions I will use all 160mm.
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  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    Also you want to ride fairly hard to check how much travel you use. On XC rides my Lyriks only use about 100mm of travel at most but if I hit some big jumps or fast, big compressions I will use all 160mm.
    That's a bit nonsensical.
    But, if you're only riding gently on smooth trails, then you'll see how much travel you're using up on such trails.
    If you're riding fast rocky descents with several drops, then you'll find how much travel you're using on that kind of ride.

    Riding harder than you usually do will give you a false idea of how much travel you're using up.
    Although, it's generally unimportant anyway, as long as the sag is set to a reasonable level.
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  • brindlescoopsbrindlescoops Posts: 464
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    Also you want to ride fairly hard to check how much travel you use. On XC rides my Lyriks only use about 100mm of travel at most but if I hit some big jumps or fast, big compressions I will use all 160mm.
    That's a bit nonsensical.
    But, if you're only riding gently on smooth trails, then you'll see how much travel you're using up on such trails.
    If you're riding fast rocky descents with several drops, then you'll find how much travel you're using on that kind of ride.

    Riding harder than you usually do will give you a false idea of how much travel you're using up.
    Although, it's generally unimportant anyway, as long as the sag is set to a reasonable level.

    I guess ultimately my question was, will it harm my bike if I bottom out the shock few times on a ride, as the way it looks even with the sag set correctly I am doing, maybe I should up the rebound?
    My biggest fear is that should I crash, burn and die, my Wife would sell my stuff based upon what I told her I paid for it.
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    BrindleScoops wrote:
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    Also you want to ride fairly hard to check how much travel you use. On XC rides my Lyriks only use about 100mm of travel at most but if I hit some big jumps or fast, big compressions I will use all 160mm.
    That's a bit nonsensical.
    But, if you're only riding gently on smooth trails, then you'll see how much travel you're using up on such trails.
    If you're riding fast rocky descents with several drops, then you'll find how much travel you're using on that kind of ride.

    Riding harder than you usually do will give you a false idea of how much travel you're using up.
    Although, it's generally unimportant anyway, as long as the sag is set to a reasonable level.

    I guess ultimately my question was, will it harm my bike if I bottom out the shock few times on a ride, as the way it looks even with the sag set correctly I am doing, maybe I should up the rebound?
    No, bottoming out won't harm your forks or shock.
    My photos
  • bennett_346bennett_346 Posts: 5,029
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    BrindleScoops wrote:
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    Also you want to ride fairly hard to check how much travel you use. On XC rides my Lyriks only use about 100mm of travel at most but if I hit some big jumps or fast, big compressions I will use all 160mm.
    That's a bit nonsensical.
    But, if you're only riding gently on smooth trails, then you'll see how much travel you're using up on such trails.
    If you're riding fast rocky descents with several drops, then you'll find how much travel you're using on that kind of ride.

    Riding harder than you usually do will give you a false idea of how much travel you're using up.
    Although, it's generally unimportant anyway, as long as the sag is set to a reasonable level.

    I guess ultimately my question was, will it harm my bike if I bottom out the shock few times on a ride, as the way it looks even with the sag set correctly I am doing, maybe I should up the rebound?
    No, bottoming out won't harm your forks or shock.
    And "upping" the rebound won't have any effect on it.
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    bennett_346 wrote:
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    No, bottoming out won't harm your forks or shock.
    And "upping" the rebound won't have any effect on it.
    Depends by what he means. Upping the rebound damping won't help, but if he means upping the rebound speed, then it might.
    Too much rebound damping can lead to the suspension being packed down over repeated hits (It can't re-extend quickly enough to recover between impacts), eventually reaching the end of the travel.
    My photos
  • bennett_346bennett_346 Posts: 5,029
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    bennett_346 wrote:
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    No, bottoming out won't harm your forks or shock.
    And "upping" the rebound won't have any effect on it.
    Depends by what he means. Upping the rebound damping won't help, but if he means upping the rebound speed, then it might.
    Too much rebound damping can lead to the suspension being packed down over repeated hits (It can't re-extend quickly enough to recover between impacts), eventually reaching the end of the travel.
    True.
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