Harsh ride ?

RandG
RandG Posts: 779
edited August 2012 in MTB beginners
Not long had my first fs mtb and unfortunately only managed to get out on it 4 or 5 times, but one thing I have noticed is, that it feels really harsh, like to firm ??

I set sag both front and rear approx 20-25 %

Could it be the case I have too much air in forks and shock or is there another possible reason ??

Comments

  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    What is it.
    I don't do smileys.

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  • RandG
    RandG Posts: 779
    Boardman team fs, tho not sure how relevant that is ?
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    ARe you bottoming the shocks out? If not try more sag.
  • RandG
    RandG Posts: 779
    supersonic wrote:
    ARe you bottoming the shocks out? If not try more sag.


    No I'm not, far from it.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    More sag is the answer then.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    RandG wrote:
    Boardman team fs, tho not sure how relevant that is ?
    A relatively short travel XC bike will feel harsher than massive travel AM bike.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

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  • YeehaaMcgee
    YeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    You may have too much damping as well. What adjustments do you have, rebound? compression? lockout? propedal?
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Or you're just expecting too much.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

    Parktools
  • RandG
    RandG Posts: 779
    cooldad wrote:
    Or you're just expecting too much.


    Quite possibly. It's my first fs bike, so probably not even sure what I should be expecting tbh.

    As for damping,just front and rear rebound.....I think :?
  • YeehaaMcgee
    YeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    RandG wrote:
    As for damping,just front and rear rebound.....I think :?
    That's fine, I was expecting so, just checking.
    Maybe you have too much rebound damping dialled in. The reason I mention this is because almost all new MTB riders I've known have (at least) started off with too much rebound damping, which slows the action far too much.
    Try speeding it up and see if you notice an improvement.
  • BigAirNig
    BigAirNig Posts: 296
    edited August 2012
    I found the 20-25% sag guide didn't work on my bike [different to yours though] needed slightly more ....

    The idea is to be able to use the full travel of your bike on occasions, otherwise why have as much travel available ? ..... so you should note the rubber rings on the fork/shock reach the full travel point on a suitable ride.

    You don't want to be bottoming out all the time (add more air if that's happening) so you have to try different pressures and note what happens. Find a balance between a supple enough ride to use the travel you have, without lots of bottoming out. You could take a shock pump out with you to adjust it on a local route. Try 5 psi or 10 psi steps to see what difference you notice.

    When you have that basically working, you can note if the suspension 'pings up' really fast over a dip/hit and feels like it's hitting you on the butt = too fast rebound .... or if the suspension compresses and takes too long to return up, feeling slow = add more rebound speed.

    Try some options and failing that - have your local shop help you !

    Another thing is that perhaps it's still loosening up due to being new and not having had much use yet - things tend to wear in a bit with some hours/miles. 4-5 rides 'may' be enough for some perhaps, but it may need a little longer - not sure with your kit.... just an idea.

    Cheers
    Nig
    Rocky Mountain Altitude 50 (+ upgrades.....!)
  • YeehaaMcgee
    YeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    BigAirNig wrote:
    I found the 20-25% sag guide didn't work on my bike [different to yours though] needed slightly more ....

    The idea is to be able to use the full travel of your bike on occasions, otherwise why have as much travel available ? ..... so you should note the rubber rings on the fork/shock reach the full travel point on a suitable ride.
    Some rear suss designs however, work optimally at a given sag, and may pedal like a blancmange shagging a waterbed if you have too much sag, and like a zebedee on a trampoline with too little.
  • pilch
    pilch Posts: 1,136
    BigAirNig wrote:
    You could take a shock pump out with you to adjust it on a local route. Try 5 psi or 10 psi steps to see what difference you notice.

    This ^^ I have a baseline setting that covers most things, but I sometimes alter the setup to suit the terrain, I tend to ignore the "sag" and psi recommendations and just adjust things until it feels 'right', tyre pressure can be a factor too... although as stated above you may find it improves as things bed in. The shock on my FS felt awful at first, stiff and unresponsive, it took a good few rides but now it feels dialled.
    A berm? were you expecting one?

    29er race

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