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Really simple suspension question... damping vs travel

Corksil

Chimp
Apr 10, 2006
20
0
Maui, Hawaii
Hey I have a shimano 2002 enduro bike with a Fox shock on the back. It has two adjustments on it, which I'm trying to make sense of.

One is a travel adjustment, long or short travel.

The other is a rebound adjustment, fast or slow rebound.

It seems pretty simple, but I'm wondering what would work best for urban riding. I ride around town a lot, jumping off curbs, riding down stairs at high speed, and slamming down 4 foot dropoffs. The terrain is 90% concrete, so it's hard and unforgiving.

How would I set the shock (damping/travel) for this type of riding? I would imagine the shock travel would be set to long, but would I want the rebound damping to be fast or slow?

I'm trying to make sense of these adjustments and how they work with different riding styles. How about bombing down a trail in the woods hitting stumps and jumps?

Or technical riding, such as hopping around and balancing on one wheel?

Thanks!
 

karpi

Monkey
Apr 17, 2006
904
0
Santiasco, Chile
normally when your hitting some concrete you'd want the suspension slightly stiffer to better absorb impacts. On the speed of the rebound, well that comes down to general preference. Start by putting it in the middle setting, and then working your way around both ends, see what you like best. Some people like it a bit faster for a livelier feel, while others a bit slower to better absorb impacts and avoid being bucked of.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
At first I thought this was going to be a quality vs quantity debate


My style for urban is usually stiffer on the dampening, and less travel for the sprint.

Which fox shock is it? Normally with rebound, alot of people run i pretty fast, basically they slow it just enough so they dont buck or bounce.

I would still say on urban it would be set pretty slow.
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
I'm pretty sure the ITCH switch on the old Enduros works by changing the air volume of the canister, and less travel = stiffer ramp-up, so I would think you would want it in the short-travel mode.

As far as rebound, just run it where it feels right. You don't want to get bucked on bunnyhops or landings, but you don't want the suspension to feel dead or pack up either.
 

Corksil

Chimp
Apr 10, 2006
20
0
Maui, Hawaii
I'm not sure which Fox shock I have on the rear of my bike. It appears to be an air shock, and can be set by putting anywhere between 160psi and 220psi into it. I have a shock pump and am capable of adjusting it.

Additionally, there is a rebound adjustment lever (fast or slow) and a travel adjustment lever (long or short.)

I notice that short-travel mode seems distinctly stiffer. Fast-rebound mode seems to make the bike act like a pogo stick and makes bunnyhops much easier. I will take the bike up to the forest and hit some jumps this weekend to get a better feel for the adjustments. It seems like the general consensus is "personal preference."

Thanks for helping me to make sense of this! Happy trails!

and yes... i do jump off of sweet loading docks. I just noticed that the only tag on my post says "troll"..... hmmm.