[jeremy_2640]

As the title says, I'd like to get a big of an idea of what spring rates everyone is running with their RC4, so answer the following:

Spring rate:
Bike:
Weight:
Riding style: (lively, heavily damped or somewhere in between)

And any other comments you have...

 

[Raingauge]

Spring rate: 300#
Bike: Evil Revolt
Weight: ~160lbs
Riding style: lively

 

[IH8Rice]

450/500#
revolt
220lbs
plow man


the shock feels nice and dead. just the way i dont like it

 

[OBB]

Spring Rate: 400lbs
Bike: Rocky Mountain SXC
Rider Weight: 170 lbs
Riding Style: Mini DH bike. I like to preload the bike and "pop" it into rock gardens, rocks, or sharp stoney paths.

 

[buckoW]

Spring rate: 325 lbs. (10.5" i2i with 210mm of travel)
Bike: Scott Gambler with proto link, headtube and dropouts
Weight: 185 lbs
Riding style: My bike is very firm.

 

[Pslide]

Spring rate: 300
Bike: Banshee Legend Mk1 (2.83:1)
Weight: 180 lbs
Riding style: Prefer livley, but the shock is set up in between.

Very surprised by how low a spring rate I had to run. Even 325 was too harsh. With 300 though it feels almost as smooth and controlled as my CCDB.

 

[frango]

Spring rate: 300lbs DSP (8,75x2,75) (originall came with 450lbs!)
Bike: 2010 Glory 200mm
Weight: ~145lbs
Riding style: Depends on the day. edit: Rather smooth
I'd like to have less damping, both compression and rebound.

 

[buckoW]

Spring rate: 300lbs DSP (8,75x2,75) (originall came with 450lbs!)
Bike: 2010 Glory 200mm
Weight: ~145lbs
Riding style: Depends on the day. I'd like to have less damping, both compressiona and rebound.

That is possible. I have tested a bunch of different tunes. I like the firmer ones but plusher ones are definitely possible.

 

[jeremy_2640]

Hmmmm this is very interesting, I'm 75kgs and tried a 400# Ti and 350# Steel and could only get max of 15% sag. Looks like all my springs are useless now! I think I'll try a 300#....It is a very different compared to the old DHX.

 

[WBC]

About 50-75lbs less than my DHX 5.0.

I'm 250lbs running a 450lbs spring with about 2 turns of preload on a very progressive 8" travel frame (951).

I also run the LSC 3/4's of the way in and air pressure at about 150psi.

Once you get a setting you like, the RC4 feels sooo good. I'm confident that 2010 Fox Suspension (and RS to a lesser extent) is why so many of these new bikes feel so much better than what people were riding last year.

 

[Tmeyer]

Bike: 2010 Glory
Spring: 450 TI, one spin for preload, min (125lbs) in the chamber, medium rebound speed
Weight: 175 lbs with gear
Style: pretty lively

 

[cowman]

Bike: Supreme Dh.
Spring: 400 steel. Too stiff though. Didn't go down a spring coming from a dhx 5.0
Weight: 180
Style: Non-plower. Enjoy boosting, and hopping through trails

 

[Steve M]

The info you really need is the average leverage ratio in the first half of the travel, amount of travel and weight, from which you can calculate wheel spring rate (not forgetting that you have the equivalent of ~50lbs of preload from the air spring effect on the shaft vs roughly 30lbs in a DHX, when both are set at 150psi) and percentage sag.

On my Legend (2.83:1 overall leverage ratio), I ran the same setup as Pslide - 300lbs/in spring (38% sag), I'm 90kg/200lbs. Ran more or less the same setup in the Sunday (2.66:1 overall leverage ratio) and got a bit less sag, roughly 34% or so. Ran a 350 with the CCDB, BOS and the Elka (got 38% sag again with the CCDB and a bit less with the Elka, forget what it was off the top of my head though) and a 400 with a DHX and a Vivid - though those two had only about 33% sag and I mainly ran it that stiff because the compression damping wasn't as good at controlling the stroke.

 

[GoodbyePorkPie]

The info you really need is the average leverage ratio in the first half of the travel, amount of travel and weight, from which you can calculate wheel spring rate (not forgetting that you have the equivalent of ~50lbs of preload from the air spring effect on the shaft vs roughly 30lbs in a DHX, when both are set at 150psi) and percentage sag.

On my Legend (2.83:1 overall leverage ratio), I ran the same setup as Pslide - 300lbs/in spring (38% sag), I'm 90kg/200lbs. Ran more or less the same setup in the Sunday (2.66:1 overall leverage ratio) and got a bit less sag, roughly 34% or so. Ran a 350 with the CCDB, BOS and the Elka (got 38% sag again with the CCDB and a bit less with the Elka, forget what it was off the top of my head though) and a 400 with a DHX and a Vivid - though those two had only about 33% sag and I mainly ran it that stiff because the compression damping wasn't as good at controlling the stroke.

Here's a good start with this spring calculator although I could still not get the desired spring rate for my shock based on all my info!

http://www.bearandwife.com/bear/cycling/springcalc.html

Bike: Current Turner DHR 09
Rider Weight: 220lbs
Riding style: (lively)I like to pop the trail and really lay over in the corners, feet on boost out feet off dirft on is my style or lack of it.

Shock - stock DHXc - 9.5" i2i x 3.0" stroke 550Lbs, would like an Elka!
Fork - 2010 Boxxer Team.v2 - blue spring
My front is a little stiffer than the rear which is how I like my suspension.

DHR has quite an aggressive rising rate.

basically set it up like DT says

With all valving knobs backed off you should adjust to 30-33% sag
or about an inch between the bolts. DONE!

Set the pressure to 125 and leave it alone DONE!

With a current spring rate: @ 550lbs may go down to 500lbs not sure how accurate Fox's steel springs are seems they vary a lot. going to try a Ti, I prefer Ti feel plus steel is dam heavy in a 9.5 shock length!

 

[Steve M]

Here's a good start with this spring calculator although I could still not get the desired spring rate for my shock based on all my info!

http://www.bearandwife.com/bear/cycling/springcalc.html

Bike: Current Turner DHR 09
Rider Weight: 220lbs
Riding style: (lively)I like to pop the trail and really lay over in the corners, feet on boost out feet off dirft on is my style or lack of it.

Shock - stock DHXc - 9.5" i2i x 3.0" stroke 550Lbs, would like an Elka!
Fork - 2010 Boxxer Team.v2 - blue spring
My front is a little stiffer than the rear which is how I like my suspension.

DHR has quite an aggressive rising rate.

basically set it up like DT says

With all valving knobs backed off you should adjust to 30-33% sag
or about an inch between the bolts. DONE!

Set the pressure to 125 and leave it alone DONE!

With a current spring rate: @ 550lbs may go down to 500lbs not sure how accurate Fox's steel springs are seems they vary a lot. going to try a Ti, I prefer Ti feel plus steel is dam heavy in a 9.5 shock length!

That calculator isn't bad but you have to remember to include the sprung weight of your bike (25-30lbs is a reasonable guess for most DH bikes I'd say), and it doesn't account for the air spring effect from the gas charge. I really should make a calculator myself, I did have one but it's on a computer that's now on the other side of the planet.

 

[GoodbyePorkPie]

That calculator isn't bad but you have to remember to include the sprung weight of your bike (25-30lbs is a reasonable guess for most DH bikes I'd say), and it doesn't account for the air spring effect from the gas charge. I really should make a calculator myself, I did have one but it's on a computer that's now on the other side of the planet.

Great points, and based on that it's be pretty close, thanks.

I guess its also hard based on linkage design and leverage ratio, etc as well, but that's pretty close