Suspension school
Everything about setting up eMTB suspension, written for riders who want to understand what the dials do, not just copy numbers. Start with sag, work through damping, and dig into how each brand's hardware actually works.
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Suspension Basics
- Sag: What It Is and How to Measure It The one measurement everything else is built on, and how to get it right first time
- Air Pressure: Doing It Properly Pump technique, the equalisation ritual, and the pump hiss myth put to bed
- Air vs Coil: The Honest Version What each spring really does well, and why the answer shifts on an eMTB
- Anatomy: The Jargon in Plain English Stanchions, negative chambers, shim stacks and IFPs, translated
- The Right Order: Sag, Rebound, Compression, Spacers Why setup order matters, how clicks are counted, and the bracketing method
- What Damping Actually Is Oil, small holes and shaft speed: what the dials really change
- Common Myths, Retired Eight bits of trailhead wisdom that quietly ruin good setups
Damping Adjustments
- What Damping Actually Does The spring stores energy, the damper decides what happens to it
- Rebound In Depth The red dial that decides whether your tyres stay on the ground
- Low-Speed Compression (LSC) Support for braking, pumping and weight shifts, and it is shaft speed, not bike speed
- High-Speed Compression (HSC) Square edges and big hits, and the difference between support and spike
- HSR and LSR on Four-Way Dampers Who actually needs separate rebound circuits, and the order to set them in
- How to Count Clicks Correctly Two conventions, subtle detents, and the dials that are not clicks at all
- Symptom to Adjustment Reference Trailside diagnosis, each symptom with the dial and the direction
- The Bracketing Method One change, one section, and the truth about your settings
Progression & Volume
- What Progression Actually Is Spring curves explained, and why air ramps up while coil stays straight
- Volume Spacers in Practice When to add, when to remove, and how to diagnose it with the O-ring
- Brand Systems Compared: Fox, RockShox, Marzocchi Blue spacers, grey tokens and clip-on rings, and the maximum counts that matter
- Ramp Chambers: Tuning Progression with a Shock Pump Öhlins, EXT and Manitou replace plastic tokens with a second air chamber
- Coil Springs and Progression Linear springs, progressive coils and hydraulic bottom-out on heavy bikes
- Matching Progression to Your Frame Leverage curves, linkage progression and why the same parts feel different on different eMTBs
- Reading Your Travel Like a Pro O-ring habits, healthy full-travel frequency, and spring vs damping diagnosis
Tuning by Riding Style
- eMTB Trail Setup The definitive baseline for a 20 to 27kg bike that climbs everything
- Enduro and Self-Uplift Laps Support and consistency for the bike that made every hill an uplift
- XC and Light eMTBs (SL Bikes) Rise, Levo SL and friends sit closer to an unpowered setup than a full-power one
- Bike Park and Uplift Days Progressive, well damped and shod in DH rubber for lap after lap
- Wet Weather and UK Winter Grip first: softer, faster and more open for six months of slop
- Jumps and Flow Trails Pop without buck: progression up, rear rebound calmed, pressures nudged
- Heavier and Lighter Riders Setup at the edges of the chart: over 100kg and under 60kg
- One Bike, Two Setups Recording your numbers and switching tunes between disciplines
Brand-Specific Technology
- Which Damper Do I Have? Identify any fork damper in a minute from its dials and caps
- Fox GRIP X2 (2025 Onwards) Fox's flagship 4-way damper and how it differs from GRIP2
- Fox GRIP2 (2019-2024) Both generations of the 4-way GRIP2 and how to tell them apart
- Fox GRIP X, GRIP SL, FIT4 and GRIP Fox's trail and XC dampers, current and previous generation
- RockShox Charger: From Bladder to 3.2 Every Charger generation, the middle-zero clicks, ButterCups and HBO
- RockShox Air Springs: DebonAir to the 2027 Rethink Why a 2027 Zeb needs far more pressure than the fork it replaces
- Electronic Suspension in Plain Words What Fox Live Valve Neo and RockShox Flight Attendant actually do
- Öhlins: TTX Dampers and the Three-Chamber Air Spring RXF m.2 vs m.3, and why the fork has two air valves
- EXT: Era, Storia, Arma and Aria Hand-built Italian suspension and its extra air chambers
- DVO and OTT: Off The Top Explained Tuning small-bump sensitivity separately from support
- Manitou: IRT Dual Air and the Reverse Arch Mezzer, Mattoc and Dorado, and how IRT pressures work
- Cane Creek: Double Barrel, Kitsuma and Helm Fully independent 4-way adjustment done the twin-tube way
- Formula: CTS Valves, Neopos and 2Air An Italian approach: change the valve, not just the clicks
- Marzocchi: Fox Internals, Fewer Decisions Z1, Z2 and Super Z, and when they are the honest choice
- SR Suntour: Durolux, Mobie and Budget Reality Getting the most from the forks fitted to many stock eMTBs
Troubleshooting
- Common Setup Problems Identifying and fixing suspension issues
- Maintenance Basics Keeping your suspension healthy