Fairly straightfoward actually. Rear end compresses> BB/bike drops> lower center of mass>easier to turnFabien Barel had reversed his floating brake to compress his suspension during rear braking.
It was thought to be weird at the time, but I think the effect it has on cornering is why he did it.
Don't ask me to explain it though...
It had to do with the bike keeping balanced geometry.Fabien Barel had reversed his floating brake to compress his suspension during rear braking.
It was thought to be weird at the time, but I think the effect it has on cornering is why he did it.
Don't ask me to explain it though...
Yeah it doesnt feel lightning fast mushing through stuff but I pass people all the time in the nasty and so far it works well for me. Yeah when your not topping all over the place its easier to just pin it and go. Not too mention while some pick a line through stuff I just hit the straight line and go.I will add in MY experience softer has been faster, it gave me more control, and although it feels slow, i went from limited, to not being able to reach my limit. just my .02
Kept the bike from pitching forwards too much during heavy braking. For the average rider on the average course I think it'd be excessive, but for a world champ riding stupid fast/steep stuff, then I can see how it'd be beneficial.Fabien Barel had reversed his floating brake to compress his suspension during rear braking.
It was thought to be weird at the time, but I think the effect it has on cornering is why he did it.
Don't ask me to explain it though...
I'm not sure the vertical/perpendicular movement thing is the best way to look at it. And in any case, wouldn't having softer suspension make have LESS movement like that? If you hit a rock with a rigid bike, your whole body/bike has to get over the rock's full height. If you have suspension, the bike will move less in a vertical plane...that's what it seems to me in any case.I would think (my occasional racer point of view) that the more your mass is moving vertically (up and down due to soft suspension) the more you lose in forward momentum. If you had a stiffer suspension you are going to have less vertical, or perpendicular, movement and therefore carry more forward momentum (skipping over the tops of things).
Obviously the trade off is control. I would think that WC riders with lightning fast reflexes, and superior balance, can over come this with their ability to stay on top of the bike and therefore it would result in a faster set up. The average cat 1& 2 racers would probably benefit more from a softer suspension that is easier to control.
Now..I can barely spell physics and don't have much to base this off of, except for a decade or so of riding and what I think is logical.
Yeah, when you brake, your weight shifts forward, so the front suspension compresses, and the bike steepens up. Having the rear end compress under braking counteracts that.It had to do with the bike keeping balanced geometry.
That's how I tune for whatever course I'm on. GenerallyThe best rule of thumb I've ever heard/used is to set your suspension so that it just bottoms on the biggest feature on the course. Makes sense to me. If you've got it, why not use it?
I had a WC Stab great rig, lots of fun, I ran the std and then swtiched to the FB setup it was a marked improvement over the std brake DOPE pos.Fabien Barel had reversed his floating brake to compress his suspension during rear braking.
It was thought to be weird at the time, but I think the effect it has on cornering is why he did it.
Don't ask me to explain it though...
There's definitely more to it than the bottom out aspect.The best rule of thumb I've ever heard/used is to set your suspension so that it just bottoms on the biggest feature on the course. Makes sense to me. If you've got it, why not use it?
Very true. Example, this is where I got my '10 Boxxer Team with stock spring bottom out for the first time (I'm 160lb). It was a smooth track where I couldn't get more than 6.5" in a normal run. I was too slow and got pitched forward on this double, but having an appropriate spring rate helped my fork accomodate this rough landing.in a word, duh. Travel-wise though, that's an effective mindset for tuning. I prefer to have some travel "reserve" if possible, as in there is still more travel available even on the biggest feature. That way, if you go even faster, you still have a cushion before death.