Suspension settings

[Crust E. Skidmark]

Hey all, just picked up a 2019 Meta Power 29 Race. Looking for some baseline suspension settings. I'm 195 lbs kitted out. Ordered a 500lb spring as the 400 was deep into stroke (@35-40% sag at 5 turns preload).
Thanks.

 

[R120]

Rockshox have some good basic set up advice on the forks on their website

RockShox Setup Guide | SRAM

 

[Crust E. Skidmark]

R120, thanks for that link. Plugged in the numbers on the site and it spit out 105psi and -5 clicks rebound. That seems damn high for pressure (not sure what sag that is). To get 25% sag I'm down around 75-80psi so gonna have to start there. Anybody else running that high pressure for a 25% sag?

I called Commencal and spoke with a rep who gave me his settings, same bike same weight, but he a pro level rider. I'm definitely not pro level and he is running 15% sag F/R. I find that just way too stiff for my terrain (boulder fields and baby heads, I'm in the desert) and my riding style and would be deflecting too much. Needs to be more plush to track better.

Anybody else at 195 and running the Lyrik RC2 and the coil?

 

[Gary]

I think a few of us came to the conclusion the RS set up guide gives bobbins prssures for the EMTB option.
I have two 170mm lyriks. An RC on my 47lb Emtb and and RTC3 on my 31lb Enduro bike
I run 18-20% sag on the enduro bike. slightly more on the Emtb.
I run 78-80psi on the enduro bike, 85psi on the emtb. No tokens in either fork.
I like a stiff supportive fork for jumping that dosn't blow through it's travel and dosen't ramp up too much.
I'm 204lb. Not pro level but I'd do ok at national level in Vets DH if i were to race and not afraid of big jumps/drops/WC tracks etc.
Don't go by what me or the commencal guy use. Suspension set-up is somewhat down to personal preference and riding style so don't worry if you prefer less psi and more sag.

also. unless you know how anyone else measures sag their sag % is irrelivent to you.
eg. sat down with saddle at full height will give a different sag % than stood up in the "attack" position. what's important (to you) is consistencey so whatever method you use. Always use that.

 

[njn]

I'm running what the chart recommends, 100psi for my weight (215) on a lyrik rct3. Bumped the travel to 170 and using 1.4 tokens. I believe heavier riders benefit from fewer tokens. 600 pound spring out back. Sag set standing, it's around 25%.

I start with fast rebound and slow it down to a point where I like it. It turns out that the rs site recommended 98psi and -4 clicks. I'm running -9 clicks, but like a fast fork for a lively feel. I will slow it down on the next ride for a more planted feel.

 

[Stevfro99]

I think a few of us came to the conclusion the RS set up guide gives bobbins prssures for the EMTB option.
I have two 170mm lyriks. An RC on my 47lb Emtb and and RTC3 on my 31lb Enduro bike
I run 18-20% sag on the enduro bike. slightly more on the Emtb.
I run 78-80psi on the enduro bike, 85psi on the emtb. No tokens in either fork.
I like a stiff supportive fork for jumping that dosn't blow through it's travel and dosen't ramp up too much.
I'm 204lb. Not pro level but I'd do ok at national level in Vets DH if i were to race and not afraid of big jumps/drops/WC tracks etc.
Don't go by what me or the commencal guy use. Suspension set-up is somewhat down to personal preference and riding style so don't worry if you prefer less psi and more sag.

also. unless you know how anyone else measures sag their sag % is irrelivent to you.
eg. sat down with saddle at full height will give a different sag % than stood up in the "attack" position. what's important (to you) is consistencey so whatever method you use. Always use that.

What would you recommend doing for a newbie into trail riding?? Or where to look to learn about all this? Seems like there is a lot of science to setting a bike up. I'm totally lost when it comes to all this but get seriously baffled with all the terminology used regards set up and parts I.e these tokens etc!! Does a standard sus come with any tokens installed from scratch? I'm keen to learn just not sure where or how to learn. Apologies for probably asking dumb sounding questions you just seem to have some good knowledge and experience in all this mountain bike stuff.

 

[Gary]

What would you recommend doing for a newbie into trail riding?? Or where to look to learn about all this? Seems like there is a lot of science to setting a bike up. I'm totally lost when it comes to all this but get seriously baffled with all the terminology used regards set up and parts I.e these tokens etc!! Does a standard sus come with any tokens installed from scratch? I'm keen to learn just not sure where or how to learn. Apologies for probably asking dumb sounding questions you just seem to have some good knowledge and experience in all this mountain bike stuff.

Don't apologise. It's not a dumb question. You're simply new to this.
I've answered pretty much the exact same question in some detail in a previous thread. Use the search function to find previous posts by me on the subject.

 

[Jojo10]

Hello

The best advices I have seen out there are these two videos:

Very well explained.

 

[Stevfro99]

Hello

The best advices I have seen out there are these two videos:

Very well explained.

Great vids those

 

[steve_sordy]

What would you recommend doing for a newbie into trail riding?? Or where to look to learn about all this? ............. Does a standard sus come with any tokens installed from scratch? ............ Apologies for probably asking dumb sounding questions you just seem to have some good knowledge and experience in all this mountain bike stuff.

Not dumb at all, it is not straightforward to get you head around. This 18-page guide to suspension set up by Bike Rumour is the best all inclusive guide I have come across. It will probably have more in there than you want to know right now, but you will read all of it eventually (it has pictures too!)
https://bikerumor.com/2014/10/30/bikerumor-suspension-setup-series-full-series-pdf-free-download/

And some forks come with some tokens in and some not; ditto shocks. It all depends upon what the manufacturer is aiming to achieve. Unless you are told when you buy the bike, the only way to know for sure is to look. But start with dissatisfaction!

 

[Stevfro99]

Not dumb at all, it is not straightforward to get you head around. This 18-page guide to suspension set up by Bike Rumour is the best all inclusive guide I have come across. It will probably have more in there than you want to know right now, but you will read all of it eventually (it has pictures too!)
https://bikerumor.com/2014/10/30/bikerumor-suspension-setup-series-full-series-pdf-free-download/

And some forks come with some tokens in and some not; ditto shocks. It all depends upon what the manufacturer is aiming to achieve. Unless you are told when you buy the bike, the only way to know for sure is to look. But start with dissatisfaction!

Cheers for that. I'll have a look today at it. All very new to me the technical stuff with bikes. Always had bikes but never tweaked them.

 

[Crust E. Skidmark]

An update on this, I ordered the 500# spring and was spot on for sag at 1 1/2 - 2 turns in from non spring rattle position to achieve 25%. Make sure that when you check the non rattle stage it is done unloaded as the weight of the bike makes a difference.

 

[Kernow]

I found the fork needed less pressure than they recommended , more like the pressure for a normal bike without the extra they seem to think the ebike needs .

As for the coil shock I got the spring that they Recomended for my wieght , sag was perfect with out any pre load . What surprised me was how little rebound or compression damping I required . I like the bike quite Poppy for where I ride a lot but even on faster stuff I only add another click or two at the most .