Push tune that Fox Float CTD Evolution or Bike Co Marz TST Air **Rear shock**

Von - Too much rebound (too fast) can not only contribute to the bucking you are having but also to the lack of small bump compliance. Most casual riders run their suspension way too fast. You want to have an active suspension that does not bounce due to too much rebound but does not get packed in from too much rebound dampening ( too slow).

One way to get a baseline for the shock is after you set the sag crank the rebound to full slow. Sit on the bike with the seat post lowered all the way and then start to bounce up and down on the saddle (make sure you are not touching the brakes as this will affect the suspension). Wuth the rebound at full slow the bike will not bounce back up. Reduce the dampening two clicks at a time until when you bounce down the bike rebounds back up, down, up and then settles right back to the start with no more bounces. If it bounces more than that your shock is too fast, if it bounces less than that its probably too slow.

once you get that, go into a parking lot and ride around slowly while standing and bounce the whole bike...adjust your fork rebound so that it rebounds at the same speed as your shock.

This will set a good baseline so you can go ride and then dial it in a little better.

Have fun!

 

I took that advice and I can't believe how much I slowed the rebound front and back!

I was at bear today. Chatter is still there but much more manageable and is far more supple than before. I'm not sure if break bumps are suppose to disappear below you but it's no where as harsh as it once was. I did however bottom out twice.

I'm still chicken shit when it comes to jumps but at least this time I wasn't nose heavy. Not sure if it was the reduced rebound but preloading definitely helped with the smaller jumps on westridge. I kept sitting on the darn wheel. Enough times and hard enough that it made me wanna take a deuce. Still less dangerous than flying over the bar.

I'll clear those jumps one day!


Thanks guys

 

So I got to ride a-x fusion coil setup on a specialized with a 400lbs coil. We both weighed in at 130lbs. Is it possible to tune a air shock to feel like a coil?

Ive ridden the rear shock with the spacer for a while now however, over small bumps it still feels harsh. Is it because Im too light?


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I don't think air shocks can be made to feel as plush as coil for the first 10-20% of travel. CCDBa is closest I have felt, but still not the same.

 

Gotcha. Have you any idea what coil pairs up well with a progressive linkage such as FSR? Namely, Norco's ART platform.

 

Von being 130 is your biggest problem with fox shocks, they are tuned for heavier folks like me. However being on fsr you need a good platform shock and cdt is a good shock. I would back out your compression all the way and do 1 to 2 clicks for your rebound from open and session some bumps. Brake bumps will never disappear completely but should not be harsh.

Also because your are so light the high volume sleeve someone mentioned will help you a lot on the bigers stuff by making your shock more linear. If your shock still feels hard then go with push.

third option is to shop for a cdt shock with light compression tuning. On each fox shock there should be a 3 bar cell signal looking thing, most fsr from comes with medium and mini links frame comes with low compression tuning. But it is a bit of hassle.

 

Cool thanks duke. I'm still trying to learn how to tune my shock. Got ways to go. I will definitely consider the HV sleeve.

Cheers!

 

If new to shock tuning then I would do the following steps to at least create a baseline(from my personal experience):

1. Set your sag, Norco range is more of trail bike so I would set sag at 1/3 of travel(some manufactures have sag recommendation to follow). When you are setting the sag make sure the compression is fully open or off and your shock at D. Also make sure you have your gear on you with some water in it.
2. Since you are light leave compression at fully open
3. Set your rebound halfway closed
4. Find bigger bumps like a tall curb or a good size drop off to jump off of, when you land it should be nice and soft. if you blow through travel too much then add a click of compression at a time
5. find trail section with a few consecutive medium bumps and session it. If your suspension packs up meaning first bump or 2 are nice but third and forth is not good then open rebound a click at a time. I have a feeling you can start lower like 4-5 click from open and end up with 2-3 click from open.
6. find trail sections with washboard/small bumps and session it a few times and see how it feels, if harsh then you may need dial out the compression just 1 click and check your tire pressure. Also feel for suspension packing up and might need to dial out the rebound 1 click.

7. Set correct tire pressure, for your weight and tubeless I would not run over 30psi on rear with 2.2 tires. You need to see a little bulge on the tire when you are on the bike, front tires should be around 5 psi lower. I normally run a bigger front tires anyways so even lower.


The most important step is correct sag!!!!!!!! It is harder than you think to setup the correct sag and don't forget to turn off compression and have your gear on you. Also much easier if you can get someone else to check the sag while you are on the bike in seated riding position.

There is a lot of trial and error in setting up the shock to your liking but by spending time session/repeat the same section of trail while making 1 click change on your shock you will get to know your suspension much better.

 

Man Duke I really appreciate you taking the time and guiding me through the process. Thank you very much bud!

I will be reading this as I set up the suspension.

Cheers bud!


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No worries, I forgot to mention the method of dialing in compression and rebound setting is completely opposite.

For compression you should always go from open or off and add compression as you need. This is there to control the big bump compression/high speed compression to prevent you from blowing through your suspension and control how the compression feels. You want as little compression as possible without blowing through your travel. With progressiveness of an air shock and your light weight I doubt you need more than couple of clicks from open. If you happen to go LV sleeve then you might need 1 more or 2 clicks max! Low speed compressing is your propedal and that's what CTD is for, again make sure your shock is set to lowest propedal setting when adjusting suspension. Only get the LV sleeve if you have sag set correctly and you can't use more than 2/3 of the travel with compression fully open off large drops, frames usually designed with shocks spring rate curve in mind so don't mess with factory spec unless you really have to.

For rebound you should always go from full on and reduce rebound until your suspension doesn't pack up. This is to control your suspension so you don't get bucked after a big hit/high speed rebound. You want as much rebound as possible without packing up during consecutive hits.

Obviously the trail also determine amount of compression and rebound you need. Larger hits needs more compression and rebound and smaller hits need minimum compression and rebound so you have to adjust accordingly. But always remember where your baseline is (compression 2 clicks from open and rebound 3 click from open) so you know where you are and how far to adjust.