[KevinR86]

I have been riding a demo 9 for the past 3 years. My bike came w/ a 400 pound spring, with the frame set in the low/slack setting. what are you guys that are racing a demo 9 running in terms of geo and springs? i found that the slack setting was a little too slack for me, so i set my frame to the high setting the other day, and put on a 450 spring. i weigh 155. the bike feels a lot more lively in the higher setting, but i dont know if it is the change in geo, or the spring. i got way more confident in corners, and felt like i could keep more weight over the front w/ less effort.

With the 450 spring i am running about 15-20% sag, and with the 400 i was running around 30%. is the increase in bike handeling (cornering feels way better) due to the geo change or the spring change?

everthing i read says i should be runnin about 30% sag, so should i switch back to the original spring but keep the bike in the steep setting?

what are all you demo 9 riders running? steep or slack? and what kind of springs for your weight? and what type of riding you doing? ( i ride and race on the east coast, mostly in VA and at snowshoe).

 

[KevinR86]

bump.

 

[Rider15]

Why do you need someone from the internet to tell you do to this? Surely it is a change that you can make your self. If you dont like it you can change back pretty quickly and easily. Bike setup should be a personal thing. If one setting feels better for YOU then you should run that rather then what everyone else does.

The changes you feel i would say are a combo of the spring change and geo change. The bike will feel more lively due to the stiffer spring and feeling more confident in corners etc is probably due to the geo suiting your riding style better.

 

[Iridemtb]

I ride with my demo in the slack setting. I have only had 2 real downhill days on it, but I find it works out fine in this setting. I havn't ridden the bike in the other setting, but I find it very forgiving, likes to plow through stuff, and can jump just fine. I am 130 pounds and am running a 350 pound spring. I run about 28% sag. I ride at diablo a lot, and some local spots. I plan to go to a few other mountains this season, but have gone to diablo and local spots for 2 seasons. I also am beggining to ride at the Pagoda in reading PA a lot too.

It can feel a little sluggish sometimes, it isn't a 6 inch bike with an all mountain tuned shock remember. It just sounds like you want something stiffer and more lively. I am working to getting my demo like that, I just need to dial in the rear shock a little better. It just sounds like you want it to feel more livley.

The kind of riding I do is all types almost as far as downhill goes. Big jumps, small jumps, gnarly rock gardens like BMW or Deceit at diablo, wall rides, fast single track etc... The bike will become more lively in the high setting I imagine, but at a compromise of course. I have read else where on the internet that people using high setting have problems with too steep of a head angle, and it corners wierd.

Demo 9 manual says slack setting for head angle is 66, steep is 67.5.

Steep Setting - 15.35”
Slack Setting - 14.6”

Aside from the headtube, seat tube, and head angle, nothing changes between the two settings. But with the slack setting, it is more DH race oriented geometry. The steep head angle will make you corner a little better probably, but it will have a higher bb too. It all depends what kind of rider you are and what type of riding you do. If you hit super gnarly rock gardens, your steep setting will be bad for it, aside from the bb clearane on rocks which isn't too much of an issue anyways. I have found my 9 corners great. You can basically stand anywhere, but it is great how you can pop out of turns if you lean on the back due to the short stays.

Also, a different rear shock can make a world of difference. I feel that the swinger kind of kills the demo's plow ability and other things.

The demo manual says this:
SPRING RATE RIDER WEIGHT
350lb <150lb
400lb 150-185lb
450lb 185-220lb


NOTE: Spring weights listed above are to be used as an adjustment starting point only. Rider weight and riding style may require a different spring rate than the stock spring rate. Replace the spring accordingly. Refer to your shock manufacturer&#8217;s manual for additional shock setup information.

 

[KevinR86]

Thanks for the info. part of the issue i was having w/ the lighter spring in the slack setting was the bike felt sluggish in tight turns, and felt as though it was getting to far into the rear travel, and i consequently wasn't keeping enough weight over the front. I think ill try leaving the heavier spring on, adn switch back to the slack setting and see how it feels in the same corners. Also if it matters, i tend to not runn a lot of pedal platform on my swinger 4 way, as it seems to have a pretty negative effect on high-speed impact absorbsion. would adding pedal platform help the bike not to compress so much in berms? pedal platform is basically low speed compression dampening right?

 

[Pat Tellier]

Right, as long as your Manitou shock is still working properly (even though it's kinda old now) and that your adjusters are not already maxed out.

I suggest you try riding the shock in the lower mounting position, with the heavier spring rate (450lbs) with minimal preload, slow down the rebound, open up the adjuster, increase SPV pressure to at least 130psi and run the volume adjustment at the biggest setting (fully out). That should be a good starting base.

 

[Raingauge]

I put a DHX 5 on my 2004 Demo 9 and it felt way better; the swinger sucked. I'm 165 and ran a 400# spring.

If you want to get rid of the SPV on your swinger you can replace it with a Push Roco piston.

 

[demo 9]

170-450 on a roco WC-little softer than id like but i havent touched the shock settings yet

 

[KevinR86]

cool thanks for the info guys. It seems like im right around the max weight for a 400 spring and the min for 450, but im thinking that the issues w/ cornering were more a function of the bike being a little undersprung for my weight and style. Im gonna switch the geo back to slack, and dial in the shock a little and see where that gets me w/ the 450 spring on there.

 

[Iridemtb]

Problem solved?