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dumb question of the day: compression adjustment

jmvar

Monkey
Aug 16, 2002
414
0
"It was a funny angle!"
Can someone explain when it is nesessary to adjust the compression on a rear shock or fork?

When would you want to slow down/speed up the compression in your suspension? what situations (small hits/big hits/high frequency bumps?)

thanks
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,161
1,261
NC
Any situation where you want to blow out your rear Fox Vanilla or RockShox Pro Deluxe :D :devil: :dead:
 

jmvar

Monkey
Aug 16, 2002
414
0
"It was a funny angle!"
so if I want the fox vanilla rc on my bighit dh to stay health all season I should keep it all the way out and get a heavier spring?

i am pretty deep into the sag. haven't bottomed yet but it has only been 2 rides.

julio
 

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,161
1,261
NC
Originally posted by jmvar
so if I want the fox vanilla rc on my bighit dh to stay health all season I should keep it all the way out and get a heavier spring?

i am pretty deep into the sag. haven't bottomed yet but it has only been 2 rides.

julio
Yes, you should keep it backed out. Foxes don't deal that well with compression damping.

Also, compression does not affect sag - if you've got too much sag, you either need more preload, or as Brian said, a heavier spring.
 

DßR

They saw my bloomers
Feb 17, 2004
980
0
the DC
Originally posted by binary visions
Yes, you should keep it backed out. Foxes don't deal that well with compression damping.

Also, compression does not affect sag - if you've got too much sag, you either need more preload, or as Brian said, a heavier spring.
Yup.

"Red" = "rebound"
"Blue" = "blow" .........and also "feel like sh*t"
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
20,065
10,630
AK
The compression adjustment on some shocks, like the foxes, simply makes it "harsher" because it is just an orofice that you are closing down, so it affects the entire speed range at once, and for all intents and purposes is useless as a riding adjustment. It can be kind of helpfull for climbing on a road, but when you use a lot of it you do risk blowing the shock because it can not handle it. Interestingly, my vanilla RL has a blowoff on the "lockout" part of it, so if you try to slam on it when it is locked out, it doesn't damage the shock (like an RC might).

Adjustable low speed blowoff (like on a 5th element) and high speed compression are not so useless, but the adjustment on the fox is pretty useless.
 

johnbrittain

Monkey
Jun 14, 2003
200
0
Amarillo, Texas
Get a heavier spring, a friend of mine has blown his fox RC 4 times before he went to a swinger, and all 4 times he had the compression way down, and i have blown a shock this way once before, so i'd say just go with new spring
 

Hrelp

Chimp
Feb 23, 2004
93
0
So on a FOX RC you just want it to have no resistance to compressoin? Soon as u crank up any resistance it blows?