Hi all, few questions if anyone can chip in…?

I’ve got an air fork, 100mm with rebound adjust. I weigh about 90kg.

I’ve set the fork to pretty much manufacturer guidelines, rebound set in middle, about 12 clicks from either extreme. Sag at 3.5 cm at a tad over 100psi. 103/105 maybe.

So a couple of questions/queries – I’ve done some reading around but still a bit muddled up…

Larger bumps feel fine although i’m only getting about 7cm of travel – is that normal, i.e. 2cm left in reserve for unexpected fails/big hits?

I should probably add the terrain I ride is at the more gentle end of the spectrum, trails and single track but not jumps and drop offs etc. deffinalty more xc than DH.

The other question is about small bump compliance and how to best set up for repeated small ruts etc.
I could use more sag, say 4-4.5cm? but with it bein an air fork, I understand the compression is non linier, and the fork gets stiffer the more compressed it is…so if im sat further into the travel, the fork would have the opposite effect and be less plush, as its partialy compresssed already?

Thanks

Is is a new fork?

Poor small bump compliance can be down to stiction in new seals.

Increasing sag by reducing the pressure will make the fork feel more plush but you will also be more likely to blow through your travel on bigger hits

Fairly new, but it’s done a couple hundred miles, i’d just left it at the settings it came with, which were not far off recomended settings.
Ive got a shock pump now so last night set it to the above.

Have you tried letting all the air out and measuring how much they the fork compresses? To make sure it extends through the full 100mm travel. The fact that u r starting with 35% sag (which is a bit high for xc forks) and only using 7cm (70%) of your travel, doesn’t sound quite right. Unless you are riding dead flat trails. Running more sag will certainly make the fork feel more plush but it will blow through the travel faster. Personally, I’ve found that xc type forks don’t have great small bump performance. You will notice the trail chatter much more than with a “trail” fork. They are tuned very different. If you really want to change small bump compliance, you might need to open up the fork and change the washers in the compression stack. You can usually google how to do that, but it will depend on the particular fork.

Regarding air forks being more linear. Yes they are. But to increase the sag, u need to decrease the air pressure. Which will make the fork more “plush” despite it sitting furthernintonthe travel.

Cheers, I think i’ll let all the air out and measure just to make sure its moving all the way.