Newbie lost in the mtb maze :/

sam46

Hi everyone, ive just jumped straight in and bought a gt idrive as my first proper mountain bike.

Looking for a few bits of advice if possible:

Are there any guides to setting up suspension (rockshox forks and shock)?

are there chain guides available for 3 ring geared type setups?

ive tried searching but i dont know all the lingo :?

thanks

Greer_

Check the tech workshop stickies for advice on forks. Depends on your fork?

In answer to your second question, yes, its called a front mech! What or where would you place a chain guide on a 3 ring setup?!

Oh and welcome!

sam46

I'll have a look for some numbers on the forks and shock and have a search in tech section.
I've seen like roller guides that tension the chain to stop it bouncing around when riding rough trails/roots etc. but can only find ones that fit single gear setups. Can these be fitted to 3mech systems?
Cheers

cooldad

Some but probably pointless. Ride some trails and see. Chain guides and tensioners are different things and they don't stop the chain 'bouncing' around.

Forks and shock, set the sag and experiment with that and the rebound.

sam46

Well that pretty much answered that

Greer_

Chain Guide (stops chain falling off chain rings)



Chain Tensioner (for 1x9 or 1x10)



Singlespeed Chain Tensioner (for 1x1)

Greer_

sam46 wrote:

Well that pretty much answered that

What forks are they? There's no numbers, its usually just a sticker with the name (suntour and rockshox are brands).

sam46

Dunno mate all I saw was rockshox. I'll investigate in morning. I think it said something like 'gold RL' or summit on the brace bar??

Greer_

That'd be the one! Rockshox Recon Gold Rl. The Rl is the damper in the fork i.e. motion control. I'm guessing it's an air fork then, not coil? If so, on the left hand leg there is a valve which you unscrew. You'll need a shock pump to change the sag. Rebound adjust is set using the red knob on the bottom of the right hand leg. Look in the tech FAQs for a bit more info on setting them up.

cooldad

sam46 wrote:

Well that pretty much answered that

Spend some time here.
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

Work out what you have, then look for the tech docs on the manufacturers websites.