Suspension settings for bike park wales

Danieljephcott

Hello all, off to bike park Wales in the morning. Can't wait .

I've just thought that I normally have my suspension setup for Cannock which means it's not completely open.

Here's my bike so you know what suspension I have.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobi ... prod153225

Normally I have the charger on the front set about 4 clicks in and the rear is set to the middle on trail mode.

I'll be doing blues and reds tomorrow but don't really do jumps so I'm not sure if I'll need to fully open up the rear( left position) and zero clicks on the charger.

Some advice will be great even though I'll be able to have a play tomorrow.

Thanks in advance.

rockmonkeysc

You shouldn't need to change suspension set up for specific trails. Leave it as it is, you know how it rides like that. You might end up making it worse.
It's worth noting that the blue trails are at least the same level as the reds at Cannock and the reds are more technical than anything at Cannock and more like a trail centre black.
Watch your speed on the blues, especially if you don't like jumps, there are loads of them. You can roll the jumps on the blues, but only if you're not going fast or you know how to scrub.

Danieljephcott

Been looking on you tube all day and the blues or reds don't seem as scary as I had thought. Even though it can be difficult to get a real idea of the course from you tube.

With jumps I'm happy to do jumps and run offs it's just table tops and gap jumps I haven't done before

Will leave the suspension settings as they are

rockmonkeysc

Videos always make trails look a lot flatter and tamer than they are in reality.
If you're happy on the red trails, I'd definitely recommend Hot Stepper, in my opinion it's the second best trail in the park. 50 Shades of Black is my favourite but involves some decent size jumps and drops.

Danieljephcott

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Videos always make trails look a lot flatter and tamer than they are in reality.
If you're happy on the red trails, I'd definitely recommend Hot Stepper, in my opinion it's the second best trail in the park. 50 Shades of Black is my favourite but involves some decent size jumps and drops.

Hotstepper was the one that worried me haha. That will be a mid day attempt I think. Have some fun on the easier ones before breaking any bones haha.

Looking forward to Terry's belly as Cannock dh bits are so short it will be nice to have a long fast ride.

Either way the plan is to attempt all blues and reds. Blacks won't be touched... I think

JBA

As RMSC says, leave your suspension settings as they are.

Ride Terry's Belly first and see how you get on and then decide if you need to adjust the rebound as there are a few sections where you hit some repeated dips and bumps.

There is rain forecast for Merthyr Tydfil tomorrow but most of the trails at BPW remain in good condition even when wet.
However, there is only 1 shower at BPW, which is a massive design oversight IMO, so be prepared to wait or take dry clothes to change in to that you don't mind getting dirty.

You'll have a great time, I'm sure.

rockmonkeysc

Some of the trails have a technical qualifying feature at the start. If you're not comfortable with that then it's not the trail for you as there will be much more similar but bigger features on the trails.
Hot Stepper has quite a few drops but no more than a couple feet.

Danieljephcott

JBA wrote:

As RMSC says, leave your suspension settings as they are.

Ride Terry's Belly first and see how you get on and then decide if you need to adjust the rebound as there are a few sections where you hit some repeated dips and bumps.

There is rain forecast for Merthyr Tydfil tomorrow but most of the trails at BPW remain in good condition even when wet.
However, there is only 1 shower at BPW, which is a massive design oversight IMO, so be prepared to wait or take dry clothes to change in to that you don't mind getting dirty.

You'll have a great time, I'm sure.

I was thinking Terry's belly was the perfect starter. Long flower and will give me that bit of confidence.

I'll be taking two lots of biking clothes just incase I want a mid day change . Also will have a change for after.

I'm so glad you said that the trails stay good as I was worried about the rain. It's a bit on and off so hopefully it won't rain to much. At least the snows gone.

rockmonkeysc

There will be standing water and you'll get muddy but the trails won't be boggy or slippery.

poah

take a pump, 24mm socket/wrench, tokens and then see how it goes. when I went to fort bill for the first time I had to adjust the pressure and add a token to stop bottoming and brake dive.

Angus Young

Danieljephcott wrote:

Been looking on you tube all day and the blues or reds don't seem as scary as I had thought.

While not outrageously steep, they're definitely steeper than any video I've seen makes them look.

Rain seems to have little effect on how it rides, which I assume means it's really well made.

JBA

How was BPW then, Danieljephcott?

Danieljephcott

JBA wrote:

How was BPW then, Danieljephcott?

OMG. You tube was a pointless exercise. It's soooooo much harder than I imagined. The blues are epic but can get so fast that it makes some bits difficult. I did two red runs and I was out of my comfort zone by a bit. Reds were fun but I was scared about 99.9% of the time. Blues were just unbelievable

Terry's belly is a killer on the hands. Really struggled, the beating you get on everything at bpw is unreal. Arms are dead.

Did quite a bit of jumping which was great practise for me And i was certainly getting the hang of it nearing the end of the day.

The place is incredible.

The bike was absolutely perfect the way I had it setup. It makes me realise that my bike really is a great bike I was just slowing it down.

All in all I'm shattered, aching and completely drained but it was by far the best place I've been

rockmonkeysc

Get back there again. Your bike is capable of even the pro lines.
Next time, you'll be more relaxed, less overwhelmed and you'll ride better. Practice jumps before then though :-)

Danieljephcott

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Get back there again. Your bike is capable of even the pro lines.
Next time, you'll be more relaxed, less overwhelmed and you'll ride better. Practice jumps before then though :-)

Oh I'll be back soon without a doubt.

The bike just eats it all up just my skills aren't there yet. Learnt a lot today though so next time the goal is to do all the reds.

JBA

Glad you enjoyed it. 8)

Wait until you try it in the dry. Much more confidence inspiring and faster.

Danieljephcott

JBA wrote:

Glad you enjoyed it. 8)

Wait until you try it in the dry. Much more confidence inspiring and faster.

I quite liked the conditions. I do think the bike handles better when it's wetter. A tad dryer would have been spot on.

I think the aching arms and hands doesn't help as the reds I did, wobbly wobbly and vicious valley had a fair few run offs which I was worried that my arms would give way as they were so tired.

Next time I'll try them first .

Angus Young

Danieljephcott wrote:

All in all I'm shattered, aching and completely drained but it was by far the best place I've been

It is fab. Even that short run just to get you to the uplift is great.

rockmonkeysc

Danieljephcott wrote:

next time the goal is to do all the reds.

All the reds are good except for A147 which is crap. The lips on the jumps are too inconsistent and it's too exposed to the wind for a jump line. I'd say Enter The Dragon is easier and safer.

The Rookie

Get yourself one of these

It will help your grip and forearms no end, the more strength you have in the hands the less you have to feel like you are just hanging on!

Danieljephcott

The Rookie wrote:

Get yourself one of these

It will help your grip and forearms no end, the more strength you have in the hands the less you have to feel like you are just hanging on!

Will certainly look into this. Arms still feel like they are going to fall off.