Initially the rear shock on my trance was blowing through its travel far to easily for the correct sag.

Now I’ve been on a ride today after getting the shock back and whilst it’s stopped blowing its travel and is sitting into its stroke nicely I’m finding it quite harsh.

In the notes from mojo who tuned it they say to run the rebound quite slow so I ran it as they sent it back to me at 3 clicks from max.

Do you think this is what is cashing it and should I speed it up a bit ??

Cheers
Steve

I think you should ride the bloody thing and stop finding problems with it.

Eh I have rode it. I’m trying to set it up.

Just asking for feed back as never had a shock custom tuned before so wasn’t sure what to expect.

F.f.s I sometimes wonder why I bother with this place.

Thanks for your very very helpful and informative post on rear shock set up though superficial…….

did you think to make the rebound a bit faster?

Well that’s what I’m asking.

Mojo say to run it slow a d bear with it.

I tried that and wasn’t enjoying it.

Do you think this is what is cashing it and should I speed it up a bit ?

it will feel harsh if it was formally too soft, you just need to get used to it

why not just try it over and over on the same trail, changing rebound/compression etc noting down the settings until it feels like a good compromise. No one setting will suit all trails though obviously, you need to find a happy medium. Only trial and error on your part can find that

Cashing….. Causing. Bloody predictive text.

Forks are ace though. Much better than the Fox’s they replaced.

Did the allude to it needing to ‘bed in’ at all?

I reckon this is a case of ‘trust the experts’ and maybe you need to just get used to it’s new feel.

I am not a fan of slow rebound, but who am I to argue with Mojo.

I would go over the same bit of track loads of times until you know it and it feels the same repeat-ably. (make it mixed, but short so repeating does not become nauseous)
Then repeat with some bracketing of the settings.

PS ignore the haterz, I have noticed that almost every thread you post generates some abuse. So you should be aware that if you are too transparent on here people will use it to score points and make themselves feel better about their own sad little twatty lives. I am also heart on my sleeve, but just as happy to tell the lamebrains to do one.

PPS in my experience slow rebound leads to harshness, the shock will pack down really quickly and just feel locked out. I would start on zero rebound and bracket to half rebound, then work your way in from there. Most of my suspension has the rebound in the faster half, and I am devilishly handsome because of it.

Cheers toys19. Most helpful post i have ever received.

Would it need bedding in again. I wouldnt of thought so myself but who knows.

I dunno anything about bedding in. There is lots of myth and legend over suspension..

My only confusion is how in previous threads you have suggested to other owners that the bike needs a shock tune. But you now don’t like show the bike rides post tune.

PLEASE don’t take this as a dig!

Would it be beneficial to other owners/prospective owners to go and post and say that results have been inconclusive.

You better than most understand not wanting to waste a chunk of money.

I imagine some bedding in will happen.

Also, did mojo set the air spring for you?

One final point, really not trying to stir the pot or anything like that, are you sure what you’re experiencing as harsh isn’t just how it’s meant to be?

IE your expectations of what “good” suspension feels like doesn’t align with what good suspension actually feels like.

As someone mentioned above, it is now going to feel harsher than you were used to.

I’d leave the rebound setting where the pros have put it.

Mojo certainly know their onions.

I assume you told them exactly how you want it to feel.

I would leave it be and just get used to it.

I think toys19 has it really

I’ve never struggled setting the rebound in the middle, setting the sag to about 20-30mm and going from there.
Is guess if it’s harsh it’s either packing down or has to much pressure in it.
Oh, and bedding in… I reckon there’s something in it. My forks felt rubbish for a ride or two after I fitted new wiper seals
They feel great now!

If it was blowing through the travel then i assume they will have increased the compression damping, you should be able to run less air pressure than before which may help with harshness. Repeatedly ride off a drop/jump as big as you the biggest thing during a normal ride. If you aren’t using full travel you could let more air out.

Scruff good point, I forgot about setting the pressure in the first place.
I do this by setting static sag 25-33%, followed by Scruffs method, ie if the pressure that makes your static sag is too soft and you blow through, then up it a bit until it just bottoms on your biggest jump (or vice versa).

Jmatlock. What I said was that if you weigh anything north of 80kgs then the shock will benefit from a custom tune as the standard compression and rebound damping isn’t suited to someone above or below that weight.

Fox can’t send the shocks out suited to everyone can then.

There are also lots of threads over on mtbr alluding to the fact that the new trance has a more active suspension design than previous incarnations and a lot more people are find that it is blowing its travel.

Scruff…. I have put the same air pressure in as before as it wasn’t mentioned not to. However now you mention it I never reached full travel today whereas I have before on the same track.

It feels to me like it’s packing up if that makes sense.

With regards to recommending it to others, well it’s stopped the bike blowing its travel as mentioned before. I need to ride more and get to grips with it.

If it is packing then there is too much rebound.

As in making it to slow to return before hitting the next bump.

Packing down would suggest it’s not recovering from hits very quickly. So a slow rebound problem. Needs speeding up.

But I wouldn’t claim to know more than the Mojo guys as they tuned it for slow rebound.

Do you ride alone? Can anyone else give you a second opinion?

Packing down to me means slow to recover from each hit.

Not sure what you really mean, harsh or packing down?

I rode alone today but normally with other riding mates.

Surely its the same thing. If it’s packing down because rebound is to slow then it will feel harsh as there is no travel to absorb the next hit.

Suspension typically takes a while to bed in. Riding a new shock/forks for 2 hours and complaining about them being harsh is not giving you the full picture.

Ride the shock for ten hours and then see how it feels.

I have a set of sweeps that feel pretty rough right now. I expect it will take a few rides before I can judge how they are doing.

Also, you don’t seem to have much of a clue what you actually want from a bike, so if it feels different you seem to jump on here and start saying there is something wrong with it.

You know how people test bikes Renton? They ride them for a good while and then have something to go on. Try an experiment. Ride your bike for a month without posting any threads about, my bike is too small/forks are rubbish/shock tune is wrong/Should I swap it for bike with a smaller reach, and see how you get on.

Packing down will make it feel harsh..

Surely its the same thing. If it’s packing down because rebound is to slow then it will feel harsh as there is no travel to absorb the next hit.

Yes, but there are other causes to harshness, like too much pressure (effectively too hard a spring) or too much compression damping.

If it feels soft on a single bump but gets hard on the way into a bumpy section then it is probably packing down.

Kudos nails it. But I assume will be called a bulky or insulted.

You don’t give anything any time to bond with it, to learn the nuances of something.

Kudos. The shock isn’t new. It’s just had a tune to up the compression damping.

All the seals were nicely bedded in ta.

I was merely asking as mojo were saying to leave it slow.

Are you another one to jump on the have a dig bandwagon.

You guys aren’t giving advice, you are being arseholes.

My advice was to get used to a new set up.

The bike has had new forks/shock tune and cockpit moved.

My suggestion was to set a baseline, get used to its set up, then make small incremental changes.

Toys is obviously the expert. And Renton is hell bent on ignoring Suspenion Experts advice.

Mojo said to leave it. There is your clue.

Not sure who that’s aimed at toys…….

I’ve had quite a few tuned shocks from Mojo and TFT, I’ve only had to set the sag, twidle rebound I do it so it goes slow then the next click back you feel it instantly feel faster and I start there, never noticed if ther rear shock beds in!
And I don’t under stand people having a go, at you , what gives them the right 🙁

Mojo seem to be big fans of slow rebound for some reason. It doesn’t suit everyone. If in doubt speed it up!

‘Initially the rear shock on my trance was blowing through its travel far to easily for the correct sag’
.
That sounds like it needs a bigger volume reducer in the air can rather than a damping issue, did Mojo fit one in the air can along the tune or is it still stock?
I had the same problem ages ago when I bought a custom tune rp23 for my Five Spot, the custom tune was ok but a low volume aircan transformed it,
Worth a try if it’s not been done,

Not you MartynS. It was aimed directly Kudos and jmatlock.
jmatlock I said at the beginning “who am I to argue with mojo”. But my experience is that lots of rebound leads to packing down and harshness.
I’m no expert.
I don’t think renton is hellbent on ignoring them, it’s just that his bike now feels harsh, so I think we should work on helping him get to the bottom of that.

renton, what specifically was the wording of mojo’s advice, was it written or on the phone?

If rebound is set too slow it can “pack down,” where successive hits result in the wheel
getting deeper and deeper into the travel. This will result in not having enough travel to
deal with subsequent hits. Most people don’t realize that a symptom of too much rebound
damping is harshness on compression. This is due to the bike riding deeper in the travel,
and your hands and feet working against higher forces in the springs. A common fix for
harshness is to reduce compression damping, but if you are packing down, it will exacerbate
the problem. Another symptom of slow rebound is your bike sitting too deep in turns
(especially fast berms). If your bike has the rebound set properly, you won’t be thinking about
rebound while you are riding.

from an article written by Fox’s shock designer. http://www.pinkbike.com/news/To-The-Point-Rebound-Damping-2013.html

Also a great article here http://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=60436

Are you another one to jump on the have a dig bandwagon.

Just offering advice based on experience. I freely admit to pulling your leg, as some of the questions you ask are barking (swapping your bike for one with a shorter reach when you are worried about the current one being too small)

Until you have ridden a bike extensively you are not going to have enough experience to make any firm judgements about it.

You can ask questions until the cows come home, but you will not get the answer you are looking for, as you haven’t spent enough time on the bike to assess if it’s actually a problem, or just getting used to the differences with a new bike.

Typically I think that just about every new bike I ride feels ‘wrong’ until I have had a decent amount of time on it. Same with a set of golf clubs, tennis racquet, car etc.

Renton,

bit confused I think you’re talking about different things. You said at first it was going through it’s travel to quickly, that isn’t anything to do with rebound settings, that’s pressure in a air shock or a stronger spring in a coil. If it bottoms out too easily add more pressure, remember sag settings are just a guideline.

Rebound ONLY effects the shock coming back to it’s natural setting after a hit, so It’s it feels like the bike is trying to buck you off, then you need more rebound damping, if it feels like it isn’t coming back to full travel then you need a bit less. It might be that the shock also needs a bit of time to settle down, I wouldn’t be too disappointed just now. Just note the settings and have a play on the same bit of trail until it feels about right. It’s a compromise really between air pressure (or coil strength) and rebound and compression damping, and the limitations of the suspension design.

Sometimes it does feel like you have to be an expert on everything to post here, but trust me, there’s a lot of folk who don’t have the balls to ask the sorts of questions you do. Ignore the idiots chap, there’s always folk on here who’re willing to try to help.

that’s pressure in a air shock or a stronger spring in a coil. If it bottoms out too easily add more pressure, remember sag settings are just a guideline.

Setting the sag is key to the geometry of the bike. If the sag is correct and you’re using too much/little travel then it’s the compression damping that you’ll be wanting to adjust (assuming that the redound is correctly set to avoid packing down of course)