could those that have posted thus far provide some sizes...some of you less gravity challenged dudes might have slightly different needs than those north of 200...
FORK TRAVEL - LET'S get some opinions
- Thread starter bizutch
- Start date
Just wondering if you have the low speed damping adjuster on the 888? It made a big difference for me as far as the "wallowing" feeling. I modded it slightly, but the fork rides a little higher and does not dive, making it feel more responsive/snappier...
p.s. I ride an 05 dhr w/ 8" 888 set at min height, flat crowns with built in stem, and e-13 reducer cups and no spacers. bars are LOW.
p.s. I ride an 05 dhr w/ 8" 888 set at min height, flat crowns with built in stem, and e-13 reducer cups and no spacers. bars are LOW.
man... i was just going to start a tread just like this. i just lowered my 40 down to 7in and would be seeing how it goes tomorrow.
fabien said that 7 is all you need front and back.
and getting back on topic, more travel sorta gives you confidence to push harder, but then less travel would make it easier to handle the bike and wouldn't slow you down as much over every small bump when set up "properly"
fabien said that 7 is all you need front and back.
and getting back on topic, more travel sorta gives you confidence to push harder, but then less travel would make it easier to handle the bike and wouldn't slow you down as much over every small bump when set up "properly"
I've seen Duncan and Jared running their Diabolus (?) stems on their DH bikes, but i wanted to know how they manage to do it without running a spacer on between the crown and steerer- the Diabolus seems to be raised slightly at the sides. Surely that extra height would negate flipping the stem?
'05 DHR, 8" 888RC WORKSdavep said:
Flat crowns slammed all the way down to the minimum
2.5 Michelin Comp 16
CaneCreek XC Flush headset with Zero stack height
Thomson 50mm zero rise stem
Azonic B52 1.5 inch riser (ran 1 inch rise Doublewall....didn't like it.)
I've got this fork as low as it will go and my bars as low as I ever want to run them. I ride moto off the back and 1 inch rise doesn't work for me. I've tried ramping up the low speed damping, but it causes the fork to skip. Low speed adjuster on the 888 does not affect dive (it never dives).
Travel...is what affects what I'm talking about. That extra 1/2 to 1 inch is that much more you have to pull up.
seems to me like it could be a problem of tuning or valving...don't the 888s still have some fairly outdated dampers?
I'm not much of a DHer, but I ride all highly tech east coast trails, so moving the bike around and getting stuck on rocks is a big deal. Interestingly, I get stopped about equally on a 5" Z1, DJ3, and Hanebrink (way back when) but not nearly as much as when I had the Mr. Dirt. That fork had a huge weight penalty, but I could get through anything with ease. Maybe if your 888 were tuned better or had an upgraded valve on it you'd get the performance you want.
Try playing with your adjustments, sounds like low speed compression or rebound, maybe?
I'm not much of a DHer, but I ride all highly tech east coast trails, so moving the bike around and getting stuck on rocks is a big deal. Interestingly, I get stopped about equally on a 5" Z1, DJ3, and Hanebrink (way back when) but not nearly as much as when I had the Mr. Dirt. That fork had a huge weight penalty, but I could get through anything with ease. Maybe if your 888 were tuned better or had an upgraded valve on it you'd get the performance you want.
Try playing with your adjustments, sounds like low speed compression or rebound, maybe?
From switching from an 03 Dorado to a Fox 40 last night I noticed a big change from the taller fork in the rear suspension setup. With being off the back a bit more I have had to add some preload to set the front end down a bit. I used how much Sag is to be on the fork as a guide per how Fox has it detailed in the manual.
it's a works 888 custom tuned to me. I'm Semi Pro and have been racing for lots of years...I can tune a fork. I......AM......NOT.......TALKING......ABOUT.............TUNING....................... everybody get it????Sandwich said:
I get it. I get to see first hand racing at Mt Snow this weekend the difference a taller fork makes. I am expecting to have to change my stance on the bike a bit to get the " feel " I am used to. Not worried about it as I will just think faster and hope it so.
bizutch said:
Easy now Butch........awfully cocky for a guy who ain't that fast. :eviltongu
Just rode my 05' DHR for the first time yesterday. I went from a 7" Boxxer to an 8". It was also my first ride with 8" up front. I'm running a Can Creek Double Flush Headset, so the bar height and fork angles are all about the same. Took 3 runs on Trails I've been riding for years. The 8" is a big improvement in my opinion. My little O-ring said I got 7.75" of travel. If i'd have had my 7" fork on, I'd have bottomed that thing out a few times. I'm sold on the 8" up front.. Late!
corporate slave.... :mumble:Sgt Brown said:
My friend has a scott high octane 2 (9.2") w/ a shiver at about 45lbs. I hate that much travel. When pumping it, it takes alot of my pump and transfers little force against the ground. It is really hard for me to throw around. He dhr and frs it (alot of urban fr) -he jumped off his grandmas roof (about 10' and easily jumps a 15 stair to flat.
I wouldn't do stupid stuff like that on a dh bike. I have done 10 stairs to flat and 5' loading docks to flat, on my hardtail, but I don't like flat landings much as they are hard on a bike.
7 inches (bullit, gemini, 7.3) is enough for me as I am 5'4 and 125lbs. I like to pump through things and 7 inch bikes are usually easier to throw around. I do everything from technical slow stuff to fast flowy stuff. I have done 1 race and am getting much more into it. I prefer a bike with 7" that can be thrown around than a 10" bike that bulldzes over everything that is less manueverable.
Imagine a mountaincross 3" bike and a dh 10" bike with the same tuning/setup (spring/air...). THe mx bike is going to be easier to pump because more of your pump is going against the ground and the travel has less affect on it.
I wouldn't do stupid stuff like that on a dh bike. I have done 10 stairs to flat and 5' loading docks to flat, on my hardtail, but I don't like flat landings much as they are hard on a bike.
7 inches (bullit, gemini, 7.3) is enough for me as I am 5'4 and 125lbs. I like to pump through things and 7 inch bikes are usually easier to throw around. I do everything from technical slow stuff to fast flowy stuff. I have done 1 race and am getting much more into it. I prefer a bike with 7" that can be thrown around than a 10" bike that bulldzes over everything that is less manueverable.
Imagine a mountaincross 3" bike and a dh 10" bike with the same tuning/setup (spring/air...). THe mx bike is going to be easier to pump because more of your pump is going against the ground and the travel has less affect on it.
I think this is all
You try speeding your rebound up......?....make it pop around faster.....
I've been following the tread.......i understand where your coming from, i would try a faster rebound setting to give the front end more bounce.....
My Shiver wallows in travel if i mix my oil too thick.........
I've been following the tread.......i understand where your coming from, i would try a faster rebound setting to give the front end more bounce.....
My Shiver wallows in travel if i mix my oil too thick.........
Just comparing Boxxer to Boxxer big boy..bizutch said:
Only difference is travel.. Not like some of these yahoos.. Had a sid back in 89, best fork I've ever owned. That thing didn't bob at all. Not that I'm running a Risse Big Foot, I'm bobbing all over the place. Please help...lol... Love this board!
Sometimes.........more doesn't equal better.
I mean, if you're having to jump through three different hoops just to get your bars down out of the stratosphere, a red flag ought to go up somewhere in your mind, ya know? Low-rider crowns, flat-stack headsets, low bars.....you're now tacking on well over a hundred bucks just for that extra inch of travel that you know ain't gonna win you any races in and of itself. It's not like you're gonna hear Steve Peat say at the end of a winning run, ".......Well, mate -- if I hadn't had that extra inch of travel, I never would have won." If you're good enough you don't need all that sh*t.
....And on a sidenote: If one more person says either the words "sick" or "plush" one more time, I'm gonna reach through that screen.........
I mean, if you're having to jump through three different hoops just to get your bars down out of the stratosphere, a red flag ought to go up somewhere in your mind, ya know? Low-rider crowns, flat-stack headsets, low bars.....you're now tacking on well over a hundred bucks just for that extra inch of travel that you know ain't gonna win you any races in and of itself. It's not like you're gonna hear Steve Peat say at the end of a winning run, ".......Well, mate -- if I hadn't had that extra inch of travel, I never would have won." If you're good enough you don't need all that sh*t.
....And on a sidenote: If one more person says either the words "sick" or "plush" one more time, I'm gonna reach through that screen.........
My fork is sick and super plush.. Come thru the screen... I'm waiting on the other side..Greyhound said:....And on a sidenote: If one more person says either the words "sick" or "plush" one more time, I'm gonna reach through that screen.........
you two stop flirting and stick to the subject?Sgt Brown said:My fork is sick and super plush.. Come thru the screen... I'm waiting on the other side..
neaky:
I like my shiver, its nice and plush. 
:heart:Sgt Brown said:My fork is sick and super plush.. Come thru the screen... I'm waiting on the other side..
Ya goofball..........
He says to himself as he sits at the foot of the bed, frustrated.Greyhound said:
Did she just giggle?!?!
?????????
You can be a vag if you want, but it sure seems to me like a different valve setup or different settings would make way more of a difference than one extra inch of travel. I know that you know how to set up a fork, and that's wonderful, but have you tried fooling with the settings one at a time to see if it makes a difference? It's worth a shot.
As far as what the pros ride, who cares? Are you a pro? Nico ran 6" of travel for years when everybody else had more than 7. He was the winningest rider ever, afaik. He did, however, also have one of the very best suspension tuners in the world, let alone the MTB world.
If this comment was directed at me, you've got it backwards; my 8" travel fork bobbed less than my 5" because it was a better fork. It made it through tight rock gardens easier than the 5" because it didn't get hung up or stall, it would suck it up and rebound fast enough on the other side, ready for the next. The Z1 doesn't have independant adjustments, so it blows. And yes, I am a yahoo.Sgt Brown said:
As far as what the pros ride, who cares? Are you a pro? Nico ran 6" of travel for years when everybody else had more than 7. He was the winningest rider ever, afaik. He did, however, also have one of the very best suspension tuners in the world, let alone the MTB world.
Actually yes, Sargent Brown is a pro, he's on the Turner Honda team... Muhahaha
I miss this funny Man!!!!!Jeremy R said:He says to himself as he sits at the foot of the bed, frustrated.
Did she just giggle?!?!
bizutch said:
I guarantee that Marz does not change the valving for the works fork! The damper cartrages are swedged on the top, you cannot open the cartrage without ruining it. What you have is a stock 888 that has been filled and had the oil level checked by hand. You said that your fork is as low as you like..so if you want to feel a 7" fork, add a little oil and lock out the last 1". In my experience, there is a MUCH larger difference in feel with tuning than with 1" of travel change. You can set up your fork so you do not have an extra 1" to pull up.
Eg: My 8" 888 is quicker and more responsive than my 6" slider ever was, it is also much more responsive than my 8" dorado was.
Try playing with the many different options with your fork I think you will find your soution IS tuning. You can even mod the l/s comp sleeve to give more options.
Then if its tuning, maybe hes a weight weenie and likes less oil.
Actually that post wasn't geared toward you.. Sorry if you thought it was..Sandwich said:
Well, I have a pro card, but I'm hardly a pro..lol.. I haven't actually raced in over a year.. My 2004 CRF250 put an end to that.. Well not really.. More seeing the sport go to hell in a hand basket..SuspectDevice said:
Funny thing is, I just rode my DH bike for the first time since Nov. 04 just yesterday.. It was fun.. There may be something to this whole DH thing..
Oh, and I must clarify. I am not part of the Honda Turner team.. I would be much more PC if I still was.. I'm just a guy who has some nice mountain bikes that happen to be turners...
Jeremy R said:He says to himself as he sits at the foot of the bed, frustrated.
Did she just giggle?!?!
I left that comment open-ended just for you, Jeremy.
I knew you would be waiting in the wings....ready to pounce at any given moment. neaky: That's why I left the line all by itself.
It's kinda like baiting a hook with........well, in my case, a tiny little worm. :eviltongu
Joining the party a little late but I'll toss in my 2 cents. I've spent about a season each on 3 different forks: Old school 6" Boxxer, Stratos S8, and Shiver. Honestly, I never felt like the Boxxer was holding me back. I ran it with a 2" drop crown similar to Suspect Device and was happy as a pig in sh*t. Opposite to that was the Stratos. It was my friends ride that I raced for the season, and man, that fork and I did not get along. It always felt like I was getting "lost" in the travel. Sort of like there was a disconnect between what was happening at the bars and what was happening at the front wheel. Eww. The Shiver pretty much splits the difference. Plusher than the Boxxer but snappier than the S8. I spent a little time on a Dorado, I had weird impressions of that fork. It sort of seemed to always be at the same height in its travel. It seemed strange but I think I would like it once I got used to it.
So to sum up, I'm all for 7" forks. I prefer a lively front end, my riding style centers on lifting & placing the front end with precision. Braahp!
So to sum up, I'm all for 7" forks. I prefer a lively front end, my riding style centers on lifting & placing the front end with precision. Braahp!
7 inches is enough for big drops. People do 25' hucks on specialized bighit specs w/5" in the rear. In hidden pleasures (a dvd), someone does probably a 30' drop on a hardtail w/ a 4-5" fork. Cedric gracia did red bull rampage with a 7" gemini.