Suspension school · Suspension Basics

Common Myths, Retired

Eight bits of trailhead wisdom that quietly ruin good setups

Suspension attracts folklore, and some of it costs real grip and comfort. These are the ones a suspension tech hears every week, and what is actually true.

'The hiss when you unscrew the pump is your air escaping'

That hiss is the air in the pump hose emptying after the valve has already sealed. The fork or shock loses nothing on removal. The pressure that genuinely moves does so when you attach the pump, because the empty hose fills from the spring, which can knock a few psi off a small shock chamber. Measure the same way with the same pump every time and your numbers stay comparable.

'Firmer is faster, run what the pros run'

Pros run firm because they ride at speeds that generate huge forces, and they are strong enough to work with the harshness. Copy their settings at half their pace and the suspension barely moves, the tyres skip instead of gripping, and your hands wear out early. The fast setup for you is the one that keeps the tyres on the ground at your speeds, and it will be softer than a World Cup bike.

'I never bottom out, so my setup must be right'

Full travel exists to be used. If the biggest hit of a hard ride does not take you to, or very near, the end of the stroke, you are carrying spring pressure or spacers you paid for and never spend, and every smaller hit is harsher than it needs to be. A gentle, cushioned bottom-out once or twice on a big ride is the sign of a spring doing its job.

'Slow rebound feels plush'

Slow rebound feels plush for exactly one bump. On the second and third the suspension has not recovered, so it rides lower and harsher each time, which is packing. Grip comes from the wheel returning to the ground quickly and calmly. If the bike feels smooth in the car park and dead on rough trail, rebound is the first suspect.

'You need the lockout to climb an eMTB'

The efficiency argument for locking out mostly evaporates when a motor is paying the bill. On a technical climb an eMTB is usually better with the suspension open, because rear grip is what gets a heavy bike up a loose step, and an open shock keeps the tyre biting. Save the firm switch for tarmac spins to the trailhead.

'My mate's settings will work for me'

Settings belong to a rider-and-bike system: weight, kit, speed, style, frame leverage, even tyre pressures. They do not transfer between people, and they especially do not transfer from an analogue bike to an eMTB, where the bike alone can be 10kg heavier. There is a reason RockShox prints 'for eBike add 10psi' on its fork legs and Fox publishes separate E-Bike+ charts. Charts and calculators are starting points; your sag and your own notes are the answer.

'Coil is always plusher'

A well serviced air spring at the right pressure runs a modern coil close, and a coil with the wrong spring rate is worse than either. Most of the plushness people credit to coil is really down to fresh seals, fresh oil and correct sag. Spring type is a real choice with real trade-offs, but it is not a shortcut past doing the setup.

'Set it once and forget it'

Air seeps slowly past seals, the seasons change both temperature and the kit you carry, and damper oil ages with use. A setup that was perfect in July is a few psi down and slightly off by November. A monthly two minute check of pressures and sag keeps things honest, and service intervals exist because damping fades quietly long before anything visibly breaks.

The pattern in all of these is the same: measure rather than assume, change one thing at a time, and trust your own notes over anything you overhear at the trailhead. This page included.