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My Jedi - is this okay

Rhubarb

Monkey
Jan 11, 2009
462
238
So I finaly have my Jedi built up and done all the tweaks to get it set up correctly. I changed the spring in Boxxer to Yellow/Soft even though RS states I am Standard/Red, now I am on 30% and just bottom out on the hardest hits with minimal HSC. I will be chaninging out the rear cassette to 11-26 and other than that its perfect bar the rear shock.
I had a 400lb spring fitted but it put me on +- 24% sag and I felt the small bump sensitivity was suffering because of this. I changed the springout for a 350lb spring and the sag is pretty much bang on 30% with enough preload to support the spring. First ride yesterday and there was a knock which I put down to the ID of the spring so I added some additional preload, this of coarse dropped my sag but the trail was a jump line so no biggy. It improved the tension on the spring and the movement was reduced so there was no more noise under hard compression. Last night I removed the shock and measured the ID of the Elka spring and the Fox replacement and there is around 2mm difference and a noticable amount of movement with the Fox. Some neat cutting of an inner tube and I have a rubber washer on both sides which I am hoping will prevent the spring from moving and allow me to reduce the preload and be back on 30% sag.
My main issue is that with both springs there is a small amount of travel with very little loading, just pushing down lightly on the saddle. It is about 5mm on the shock eye and about 10mm on the pivot bolt. There is a noticable change from being easy to compress for this initial travel then suddenly firm. Comaparing to my Delerium and from what I remember about my other bikes I have never noticed this. It is as if there is no control of the compression for the very inital part of the travel. I may be wrong and it could be due to the nature of the design of the Jedi. Under load there is of coarse no issue but I am concerned that when I unweight the bike to double a section, jump or ride through a rough section this initial travel is not well controlled. If I add a few turns of preload the shock feels the way think it should but my sag is reduced alot. If I can identify that it is the shock I smell a Woodie comming my way sooner rather than later.
All in all this bike is rediculous on jumps. I am over jumping everything and I know these trails perfectly. The bike pics up speed so well and after reading comments last week about the bike shooting out of corners when pushed into the turn I experimented yesterday and its no lie.I am just adjusting to the head angle and I feel faster through the corners on my Delerium as the trails are tight. I am really just trying to get the Jedi super dialled for SOuth Africa where it is rougher and more open so I can enjoy the suspension and stability of the Jedi. The fact that it jumps so well is just the shizzle. South Africa in 10 days:weee:
 
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Pslide

Turbo Monkey
Maybe I missed it but what rear shock are you using?

I'm pretty sure that the Jedi is VERY progressive at the initial part of the stroke, so the initial part of the travel is less controlled as you say. This is supposed to yield uber-sensitivity in the initial travel, but since you are rarely using this part of the travel I don't think it matters too much. You can dial in more damping (both low and high speed) to try and control it better. Very progressive leverage rates can trick some shocks into opening up the high speed circuit too early and not getting full advantage of the low speed circuit, so you have to adjust your damping to suit your particular bike.
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
The jedi has a pocket that you need to ride it a little and find it and its super easy to do but its fast once you find it.
On switch backs I find push the front down in tight on the corner roll the body weight low and as the back drifts around a little shift mid weight then back as its exiting all in a roll motion and you can hammer down out of the pocket and or manual out dependng on next feature.

Play with the suspension a bit and find a spot that works!

As far as doubles I havent had an issue at all, you preload a face so your well into the travel and when your airborn the brakes dictate up or down and front wheel is pitch. When you land same thing the last little bit isnt going to mess with you its pretty much unloaded and for when your light in the chatter anywase. Not like the tire goes sideways lol...


Just go ride the bike and start getting it dialed your settings will be for you based on weight, style, etc.... Start playing with them.


Sounds like your excited to go to africa, thats pretty bad@$$ Id be really excited myself. Get lots of pics for sure and post em.... The africa DH trip!!! Looking forward to the pics and hearing how it was, always wanted to go... Congrats man...
 
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norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,346
1,587
Warsaw :/
It is as if there is no control of the compression for the very inital part of the travel. I may be wrong and it could be due to the nature of the design of the Jedi.
You wrote a long post but really gave us no precise info. What do you mean by no controll of compression? Compression controll is done by THE SHOCK! Are you concerned that the suspension is too sensitive in the first bit of travel? Do you realise that you can change that without touching the preload? It's called compression damping. Use the knob.
 

cableguy

Monkey
Jun 23, 2007
463
1
Southern California
You confused everyone with your rambling. By the way, Fox and Elka springs have the same inner diameter. 1.38" or 35mm. If they are off, then you have a screwed up spring.
 

Rhubarb

Monkey
Jan 11, 2009
462
238
Sorry guys but I have been known to ramble, its an effect of working on a small Island in South Korea with no other riders or people to relate to:(
I also got back from a a rediculous weekend of rider my old Jump Trail I built behind my previous house, I was pretty blown away from riding the Jedi back to back with the Delerium, oops i am rambling again.

Okay I will try explain it better. With a 400lb spring I was getting around 23% sag but there was a small amount of travel when I pushed down lightly on the saddle. This is not something I have ever experienced and does not happen on my Delerium which has a 350lbd spring and 30% sag. I added preload and the travel was firm from the begging but my sag went right down. I received my new 350lb spring and the sag was just touching 30% but the issue with initial travel was there again. The movement of the shock spring is better with the rubber washers but I have to wait till tonight to play as my wheels are in for tensioning/truing. Definatley a different ID between springs but I will worry about this later as springs are available in SOuth Africa.

So what I am saying about the initial travel has nothing to do with riding around or settings etc. When I say the shock has initial travel with little weighting I mean exactly that. I just have to push down lightly on the saddle and the shock compresses a little before becomming firm, this is about 5mm on the shock eye and 10mm on the pivot bolt. By firm I mean the amount of weight I would normal expect to compress the shock or get it moving. The issue is that there is a very noticable difference when the shock starts moving very easily and then suddenly firms up before comressing like I would normaly expect. When I sit on the saddle and bounce up and down you can feel the difference between the very beginning of travel and when it suddenly firms up. It actualy feels like there is a slight knock like to experience when a bushing or bearing is worn. Compared to my Delerium and from what I remember of my previous bikes I need proper weighting to get the shock to start compressing from the beginning.

I am no suspension Guru but I generaly get my sett up how I like it. This is just a technical issue that I want to resolve. I dont like little bugs in the system and working in Korea and no living in South Africa you dont just walk into a shop or ship a part over night. I try set my bikes up right from the beginning. I wish I could ramble on som emore about how well the bike jumps - even with softer springs:thumb:
 

Rhubarb

Monkey
Jan 11, 2009
462
238
BC - I was playing around with cornering technique and there is a definate pocket to riding the Jedi. I was jamming my front wheel into corners and it made a huge difference. Compressing the suspension into the corners resulted in slingshot and big grins.:D
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
BC - I was playing around with cornering technique and there is a definate pocket to riding the Jedi. I was jamming my front wheel into corners and it made a huge difference. Compressing the suspension into the corners resulted in slingshot and big grins.:D
Yeah its pretty bad@$$ once you flow with the bike for sure, We rode a 16 mile single track with alot of ruts and 20+ hairpin corners. A mix of rocks, mud, huge rain ruts and rolly pebbley gravel as well as some dry blown out spots that dried faster than the rest... (there was ice at the top and frozen ground...)

It has so many corners you can go back to back to back and try different stuff on them and feel the difference.... Glad your liking it and sounds like you have a pretty cool place you live with the exception of riders....
 

Rhubarb

Monkey
Jan 11, 2009
462
238
Yeh but one of things I am looking to SOuth Africa for is there are other riders. Now I have to see if Craig is at work. Huge time difference so I am hoping he has not knocked off.
 

bullcrew

3 Dude Approved
Hes there he just emailed me... Hes officially there tomorrow Im sure hes catching up on EVERYTHING right now and part of the reason hes quiet till tomorrow...

Pics of where you live man..... Bike trails etc!!!!

I dig small islands, if I can ever get to that point Ill retire on one in tahiti (or south sea, possibly big island hawaii) with the wife and shoot stuff in the ocean with a very big gun....