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Shock setup?

TN

Hey baby, want a hot dog?
Jul 9, 2002
14,301
1,354
Jimtown, CO
So i got my first full squish & I know NOTHING about suspension (i've only ever ridden full rigid hardtails).

Here is my setup...
GF Sugar 3 with a 2.5" Cane Creek 5 rear shock.
Manitou super six 100mm front shock (not yet installed)

oh yeah, I weigh 125 sopping wet with clothes on. And I ride XC trails & play on small drops & jumps & stuff.

What should my pressure be in the rear?

How/what should I do to the fork? Anything? Just adjust the rebound & preload to what "feels good"? Ride it as it came?

Like I said, this all new to me & I am clueless.
:confused:

Thanx :monkey:'s!
 

sub6

Monkey
Oct 17, 2001
508
0
williamsburg, va
There should be some info on the Sugar that tells you what air pressure to use. It's not a universal number, because different suspension designs use differing leverage rates, which in turn require completely different air pressures. If you don't have the owners' manual, try the GF website.

For rebound, I like it kinda slow, but on a short-travel XC bike, keep it pretty fast. If you're doing a lot of DH (not a good idea on that type of bike) you can slow it down. This is almost 100% personal preference though.

As for the fork, set the preload so that your fork sags about 20% of its travel when you're sitting on the bike. You may have to use a different spring to achieve that (probably a soft spring, since you're a lil' sprout). I like my fork rebound kinda fast (again, personal preference).

Usually I set the bike up so that the rear rebounds slower than the front, which will tend to bias my weight towards the back of the bike when doing fast, rocky DH sections, so I won't risk an endo. Of course, I only use a dual suspension bike for DH and such, and stick with a hardtail for XC.