Can anyone help me by explaining how best to get this setup. I have Talas 36 RC2 09 forks and am wanting to get them "dialled" in.

I have done the ride around with them all the way open then close and find a happy medium but to be honest i am not sure what i am looking for here.

can of worms 🙂 Last time we discussed compression damping there were dummies out of prams all over the place.

(oversimplified)
Low speed compression controls dive under braking and bob under pedalling

High speed compression controls the ease with which the fork absorbs hitting bumps

IMHO you need the minimum compression damping possible to have a supple and active fork.

start of by setting sag by air or preload with all damping at minimum
Then set rebound damping – increase from minimum till the fork stops being bouncy
Ten set high speed compression – again IMHO the minimum to stop the fork collapsing over every bump
Then set low speed compression to the minimum that control bob / dive.

Everyone has their own preferences for setting up fork – experiment on a bit of trail with a couple of different types of features adjusting one setting at a time

I prefer a fork with a soft spring, a fair amount of rebound and minimal compression so as to give you a plush and active fork. I am a smooth pedaller so bob is never an issue to me

Thank you i will run a search and see if i can find the discussion to read.

It was about poplocs which is not really the same thing and won't be hugely helpful

download the cane creek manual its really well written and explains most things (including why the rebound adjuster is often more at fault than the compression).

Float 36RC2 user here: My personal preference was 1-2 clicks (in from fully open) of HSC and 6-8 clicks of LSC*. Rebound was good at about 50-60% closed.

*I ended up running quite a lot of LSC because I found it difficult to get the air spring set up the way I wanted – you may not need as much LSC with the tallas.

R979 – In being anti clockwise?

So if i turn both knobs all the way anti clockwise i will turn them "off"

This might help

http://www.locotuning.co.uk/tech-info.html

Nice and simple Loco

When I say open, I mean the adjusters set towards the minus sign – i.e. no damping. So that would be clockwise if you were looking form the top of the fork – or anticlockwise if you had the bike upside down… 8)

I've an earlier version of those forks, and did find that while it was a real bitch to find the right setup, it was worth it.

FWIW I found that running a lot of sag helped.

Thanks JT, I was trying to make it as easy as possible. There didn't seem to be any really 'user friendly' setup guides around.
I set my 36's up with low speed 4 clicks off fully open (Full -) and
3 clicks of high speed from fully open.
This is a good base setting for further adjustments, just go one click at a time after setting your sag and rebound. ( 33% sag (53.3 mm))

Thank you…i am running inside and outside to check for updates and play with the settings so that i can go out for a ride and adjust on the trail.

I should have asked what terrain you where riding and if you changed your setup for different days?

Just returned from 3 hours round swinley faffiing and fiddling with the low and high speed compression and I am even more confused than I was before. Think I will give mojo a call and ask for someone to give me 5 min and explain as all I could tell was moving both dials from one extreme to the other was that the forks either lapped up the roots and small bumps or really bounced off of them. Could not see any other difference and that was moving both knobs.

Can you really tell the difference if you move one knob one notch??

Can you really tell the difference if yo move one knob one notch??

the forks either lapped up the roots and small bumps or really bounced off of them

This is what your tyre should be doing, not the fork.

This is what your tyre should be doing, not the fork.

Oh dear….

What about Fox F series RLCs though? There is just one compression dial here, so isn`t it a matter of compromise between getting a supple smooth fork and one that handles big impacts too? so it may then be a case of changing settings also according to terrain ridden? ie is there no perfect setting for all situations, or am I missing something here ? (having spent time in Black Mtn fiddling with compression setting and not yet recently finding something to suit all the varied terrain there!)

Read Locos link for a clear concise explanation.

If the fork is bouncing off small bumps and roots you have IMOtoo much compression damping.

You need to adjust one thing at a time and keep repeated riding the same bit of trail.

Low speed compression is for brake dive and bob mainly
High speed compression for hitting sharp bumps. ( gently undulations is a bit of both – lets just ignore that)

Get sag and rebound set up first.

With both compression adjustors backed right off ride a section which should include braking and bumps. too much dive under braking / wallowy- more LSC needed. Turn it up until the dive is gone.

Then do high speed compression. start with it on zero. ride over bumps – turn it up until it starts to bounce off bumps then back it off a bit.

Then when you get confused put everything into the midle of itts range and give up fiddling

IMO people get far too hung up sometimes on fork settings and compression damping is in many ways the least critical hence many forks do not have compression adjustment.

TJ – thank you ill give your instructions ago.

One last question. Looking from the bottom of the fork am i right in saying that both dials turned clockwise is closed ie OFF? or is it like a tap and Open.

Which way to turn both low and high speed compression off?

does it not say on the fork? as in the picture above?

The speed on the high and low speed compression refers to the shaft speed of the damper, I.e how fast the fork has to react to the obstruction hence brake dive is low speed and square edge bumps high speed. Adjusting too many variables at once will negate any god effects, adjust the forks a few clicks at a time on one adjustment (H/L comp or rebound) ride and then change again if necessary. See if you can get a hold of a copy of Dirt's fundimentals there is a section where Tim Flooks off of TF tuned shows you how to roughly set up your suspension. Finally the suspension unit will have a smaller useable range than the full range on the clickers so the clicks at the extreme ends of the range are likley to be doing nothing. I'd make sure your rebound is spot on before having a go at the compression as if it is a bit skittish on the front or a bit lathargic it could be down to your rebound being too fast/slow.

Iain

It says on the fork but is – = less/off and is that looking from the top or bottom. I assume top as the sticker would be the other way around if it was from the bottom…right?