[Tim D]

i've got a Coyote DH3 frame, just purchased a Stratos TR1 with heaviest spring (600lbs x 2.4) and i weigh 15&1/2 stones.

when i do 3ft drops the shock bottoms out and i now have a bent shock bushing.

WTF do i do?????

how can i ride this bike when i've got the heaviest spring rate and it doesn't work at my weight (which isn't particularly heavy now)

 

[stringcheese]

There's gotta be wrong with the damping on that shock. But you say you bent the shaft? That's gotta be due to misalignment on the frame. Check your frame for any bends or fractures, and wether you find one or you don't take it to a shop no matter what.

 

[Gary]

Tim

Read my reply to your latest 'TR-1' thread on BMagic

You've not bent the shock shaft, just the lower mounting bolt and sleeve right? they all do that because of the crap quality standard bolt and sleeve.

you need an 800lb spring too. (That's based on a 15.5 stone rider with an 8" travel rear end and 2.35" stroke shock)

All DH3s are misaligned by about 1mm, the shock does not sit EXACTLY in the middle of the linkage plates, It's over to one side slightly quite easy to sort out, but Email me rather than sorting it out on a Forum.

That's nothing to do with your problem though.

just another of the little faults Coyote didn't bother to sort.

Gary

 

[Tim D]

bushing - the thing you shove through the shocks eye, it is as wide as the gap between the linkplates, has a hole through the middle to fit the M8 bolt that attaches everything to the linkplate.

theres supposed to be a millimetre of play in the bushing to allow for frame mis-alignment.

this is not whats happened here.

the problem is i weigh too much for the heaviest spring stratos do, 200mm eye to eye shock, 135mm spring, current says 600x2.4" on it, i need 750 to ride normally, maybe a touch more for stupid stuff.

and onto bikemagics thread, besides stratosusa are really good to deal with by email, lets see what they come up with.

i'm past the frustrated, smash my home up stage and there might be light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[Gary]

BETD call their complete mounting hardware a "bushing", The "Bushing" is only the small thin hollow tube that's press fitted in the shock eye for the shock to rotate on the mounting sleeve. It's designed to wear out before either the shock eye or the mounting sleeve


hope you get the spring changed cheaply



Here's a pic of my DH3

 

[Tim D]

the colours you've got there are a hell of a lot better than my red main frame and black rear end and linkplate.

but since my two closest riding buddies (DH) have clubroost dh8's, i'm glad in a way having the colour scheme i ended up with

latest email from stratosusa states a spring is on it's way to the UK importer, hotlines. but it's a linear spring, 115 x 51mm x 850lbs. considering my original is 135 x 58/60 (2.4" in mm?) x 600lb, i'm not sure how it's going to work!!!

question is now, will hotlines do a swap or bill me for the spring aftermarket style? and where am i going to get the money from in a hurry? too ugly to sell body, LOL!

 

[Gary]

Do you realise the amount of adjustability in the frame means that you are able to change the leverage ratio and progressiveness of the frame just by changing the positions of the linkage plates.

Mine <above> is set up with over 10" of rear travel. I used a 2.75" stroke x 222mm Fox RC and I spent a day setting mine up correctly to get the Head angle/BB height/Leverage ratio/spring rate/progressiveness I wanted.

how do you have yours set up?

If you move the linkage plates up or down at the frame mounts (5 positions) this will change the progressiveness.

The linkage plates can be fitted 4 different ways, (switch L - R or upside down)
If you set up the shock so that the lower mounting is farest to the rear, you will get less travel, but also the leverage ratio will be less, meaning you could get away with a smaller spring.

The 3 positions near the dropouts also change the leverage ratio very slightly, along with raising/lo.wering BB, steepening,slackening head angle salightly and do not change the wheelbase at all as some people think closest to the BB giving the greatest leverage farthewst away the least.

so what I'm trying to say is that if you set up the bike on a shorter travel setting with a more progressive linkage you could use a lighter spring, if you see what I mean.

Hope some of this helps.

If you do decide to change the set up at all always check that nothing fouls the swing arm or shock at full extension and full compression, by removing the shock and cycling the rear end through all the travel and remember to take into account that the shock bottom out bumper will squash very flat on a really harsh bottom out hit


Your LBS should really sort it out so you don't have to pay for the new spring, as you said, it was supposed to be available with the correct spring in the first place.

I had mine powder coated a dark blue/grey before I built it. I didn't like the red at all either.

 

[Bacardi]

Another answer

Fox Springs should fit on your stratos shock, as stratos springs fit on fox shock.... I have the 2.3 x 700lb (progressive) spring from Stratos on a fox Vanilla R ----- My shock came stock with a 2.35 x 650 lb, which is noticeably stiffer than Stratos' 700lb. Go figure.

maybe you could swap someone in the Buy ans Sell forum, if things don't work out...

 

[Tim D]

got a fox spring, it's 850 x 2.3 and 145mm long, thats 10mm too long to fit in my shock!!!! stratos seem to only accept short springs, or at least with the TR1 and the strange collar

i currently use the front most point on the rear of the bike, highest of two points at the BB area, second point down on the downtube. my link plates are flat side towards the ground and shock mounted in middle linkplate hole.
i believe i've got the stiffest possible positions, my skinny mates jump onto the saddle trying to activate more than 2" of the travel!

didn't think the DH3 had adjustable travel? though that because the mounting points in the centre of the link plates went vertical and not sideways like, for example the club rooost dh8, that it changed rate, not travel?

 

[SKYWAYBUZZ]

Ya I bet if you changed the wide collar on the Stratos to a Fox or something that longer heavier spring mite fit on the shock. ? Buzz

 

[Tim D]

good point, but i'd still probably have the problem with the fox spring being for a 2.3" stroke unit. i think the spring would pack down before the shock finished it's stroke!!

in the english publication, MBUK, the pro riding brother, the Athertons are seen on their Muddy Fox Descents with Fox Vanilla RC's. they were doing big drops into quarry transitions and i noticed the downtube link plate mounting point was the second one up!! wonder if they have been messing with longer eye to eye shocks?

still waiting for that spring from stratosusa to reach england and then get redirected to me

 

[Gary]

Originally posted by Tim D

i currently use the front most point on the rear of the bike.

- Using the rear position will stiffen it a little, think of the swing arm as being a lever. more force (from impacts) will be applied to the shock the closer this pivot is to the BB

highest of two points at the BB area,

- It'll bob less during pedalling in this position and lower the BB & slacken the head angle a litle, but won't alter anything else too much.

second point down on the downtube.

- move it down one or two positions further and it'll become a lot more progressive (what you need )

my link plates are flat side towards the ground and shock mounted in middle linkplate hole.

- the further away you mount the shock in these holes from where they are attached to the front, the shorter travel and also stiffer it'll be

i believe i've got the stiffest possible positions

- no you don't

didn't think the DH3 had adjustable travel?

- Theoretically It has over 300 different options, with the standard shock it's possible to change full travel from less than 7" upto around 8.5"

5 positions where linkage plates join mainframe
3 positions at rear axle
2 positions at BB
3 positions on linkage plates - flip them L to R them for another 3 = 6. flip them upside down for another 4 (middle positions will be same as 2 previous positions) = 10

5 x 3 x 2 x 10 = 300

some of these positions are useless as the tyre/shock will foul the frame during compression, and some are just plain stupid as they'd give a stupid *head angle/bottom bracket height/shock rate/travel (*delete as apropriate) but there's still well over 100 useable options there

though that because the mounting points in the centre of the link plates went vertical and not sideways like, for example the club rooost dh8, that it changed rate, not travel?

- The plates can be swiched 4 different ways, and they don't go vertical relative to the pivot on the mainframe (5 mounting position pivot)



Ps. You'll find it easier to set up your chain device after you've found a setting that works for you.




Oh and by the way, Which dropouts do you have? obviously horizontal, but do yours have the circular machined part to hold your QR in place?
you'll need a washer, to fit nicely in there with the centre hole the same size as the skewer rod to stop the rear wheel slipping.
The older dropouts without the machined part are even worse. I had to get end caps made hor my hubs double the size of ordinary ones and modify BMX chaintugs, and mine still slips sometimes.

 

[Gary]

Originally posted by Tim D


in the english publication, MBUK, the pro riding brother, the Athertons are seen on their Muddy Fox Descents with Fox Vanilla RC's. they were doing big drops into quarry transitions and i noticed the downtube link plate mounting point was the second one up!! wonder if they have been messing with longer eye to eye shocks?

Yes I believe they used a Fox RC 222mm Eye to Eye with 2.75" stroke, but they are now using 5th elements

 

[Tim D]

bit of a gap replying, my provider couldn't log me in the last two attempted days!

anyhow, i have reversed the link plates left to right, keeping flat part to the ground and have got a "firmer" positioning. now i can do 3ft drops without bottoming out most of the time, it's maybe teaching me to land smoother

a friend is giving me a rockshox shock next week he's got knocking around in his parts bin, i'm swapping him something i have no need for.

if it's longer eye to eye and i can get the fox spring to fit (been sitting on it, even though the supplier knows i'll probably attempt a refund) and i can get bushings made to fit, then that might be a short term solution.

i now weigh 15 stones, 15.75 ready to ride. the dieting probably has something to do with my bike riding better. lets see what i can get down to

 

[Tim D]

pics of my bike and friends at :

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yorkthrash2