I very rarely use the Propedal damping on my RP23 shock (Yeti 575).

Was just wondering how many of us STW community use Propedal or switch between on/off very often. I initially preferred the ride characteristics on my 575 with the Propedal switched on (coming from a Pace RC405), but after experimenting I now just leave it off. I maninly ride Southern Counties singletrack and the Downs which is all pretty smooth baring roots and log piles etc.

i rarely use it

Nope, never use it (Yeti ASR-5)

Always use it but do vary the platform from time to time (Santa Cruz Heckler)

On my Anthem (with RP23) I only ever used it on long non-technical climbs, and then for the first bit of the descent after I forgot to turn it back off. 🙄

I have a RP23 on a 405, had it Pushed and asked TFT to make the Propedal more noticeable – as standard on the Pace, the effect was barely detectable, in fact I couldn’t tell whether it was on or off and actually had the lever direction wrong in my head. It’s now much closer to being a lock-out on the firmest setting and I use it on road sections for honking out of the saddle, but never (deliberately) off road (said the muppet who managed to ride Potato Alley flat out with locked-out forks and wondered why the front was kicking around a bit, doh…)

Only for long fireroad/road climbs/slogs (five)

yes, it’s ace.

(most noticeable on stand-up sprinty bits – like short steep climbs, etc.)

sometimes for road climbs but i don’t like using it, or winding my forks in, as i have a habit of forgetting and descending on a virtually locked out rear and 80mm up front 😳

The shock on my Roscoe (Rp2? Rp23?) has propedal I think, I normally leave it turned on unless I remember to open it fully before a descent

DHX Air and DHX 5.0 both with it backed right off.

I use it on road and climbs all the time

edit: am on a 5

I tend to ride with it on max for most stuff except big decents (orange five).

But am I wrong in thinking that propedal isn’t trying to be a lockout, and that it’s more clever than just stiffening the shock? I was under the impression that it was designed to reduce low speed compression caused by pedal stoked and therefore wouldn’t have much effect on faster compression caused by hits on a decent. Looking at the travel used when it’s been on vs when it’s been off, there’s not much difference, but there is a noticeable difference in pedal bob.

I could be wrong here, so please correct me if I am.

Also on a 575, I only switch it off on the downs.. Mind you I run the shock with a bit less air in it so it’s plush..
Just a preference I guess. I ride a mixed combo of natural xc trails and centres: GT, Inners etc..

I run the softest Propedal setting on my Helius CC on tarmac, some climbs and some flat or uphill rooty/rocky sections to make the bike sit higher to reduce pedal strikes.

Yes run shock with a fair bit of sag and 2 setting (boost valve model) for pretty much everything.
Earlier models (non boost valve) will work slightly differently.

Never on my Turner Flux, the difference between the two is minimal. I think DT said that he wouldn’t spec pro pedal on a DW Link bike it’s just that he wanted the top spec shock and it comes with it.

on yeti asr-sl with rp3, rarely, and often forget if its on or off.
on sc bullit with dhx5, never.

have, don’t understand what it does, so i suppose i don’t use it. or i might be.

I think it’s designed to increase low speed compression damping.

The problem for me is remembering to switch it on and off if I were to go down that route. I tend to prefer to know how my bike is going to behave in all situations (or how I hope it will behave :wink:) without having to think about switching between shock settings.

BadlyWiredDog

Have you tried a Dt Swiss Shock with your Pace 405? In 3 years riding that bike I never had to worry once about the shock, it performed faultlessly with the damping fully open. A very efficient suspension system IMO.

It’s a low speed compression circuit with a blow off to for larger hits.
Basically stops the shock bobbing so much from low speed oscillation caused by pedalling and the blow off allows the shock to stay active, i.e move deeper into the stroke when a larger obsticle is encountered.
So makes bike pedal better, have more traction and still cope with larger ‘hits’ generally speaking

DHX Air – Full propedal all the time

Triad – No pro pedal most of the time

Used to use the lockout (DT Swiss XM Carbon) on the carbon Prongy, but there’s really no need and I’m slowly weening myself off it. Helps that the flimsy lock-out lever has snapped 😐
I use Propedal on the big Prongy, but that’s just out of habit. Again, doesn’t really need it.

Anthem x1 with rp2 shock. Yes I use it on long road climbs. Even then only something very, very steep 1/3 plus. On off road climbs, I like the extra traction the shock movement gives but am starting to experiment now I’ve got a bit of the racing bug again.

absolutly yes – on climbs (both on and off road) i have it on max hardness propedal setting, its almost like a lock out for my weight (10st), which is then like a heavier version of a hardtail, which are always the best for climbing….

i can see if your a bigger bigger bloke it may not be quite as effective due to bobble etc dependant on air in shock, but as a light weight it seems very very stiff for me like its locked out..

open for every bit of downhill/singletrack etc though

RP3:
up – on full
flat – on mid
down – off

simples

’06 575 – switch it on for climbing, off everything else. Firm setting makes the 575 a climbing mOsheen.

p.s. for those complaining that it has no effect or feels like it’s locked out, you do realise that there are several different ‘tunes’ available?
You need the right one for your bike and weight (and preference).

I’ve got RP23s on both a Banshee Spitfire and a Giant Anthem Advanced. The Spitfire I can’t tell if it’s on or off so I just leave it off. Or on, which ever way the elver is when I get it out of the car. On the Anthem you can tell the difference when climbing a bit and a bit more when standing up. Generally I can’t be bothered messing about with it, so I’ll leave it on or off during a ride depending on what the descents are like, tame xc stuff and PP stays on, wilder decents and I’ll knock it off. I probably shouldn’t really be ragging the poor thing anyway!

Thing is though, I would much prefer a lock-out with blow-off on both bikes. The Anthem forks have lock-out rather than a variable compression tune system, so if I set both ends for their ‘best’ climbing ability and stand up, the front stays solid and the back end bobs a bit, so the whole bike pivots around the front wheel axle. Which is pretty rubbish. If the back locked out it would be perfect. Or at least matched. I’d honestly have no preference whether the forks were changed or the rear shock, so long as the bike was balanced. This is a bike that was over £4k new, so these sorts of niggles shouldn’t really happen I don’t think.

So, the RP23 has 3 settings of PP, none of which are a lock out and two of which don’t actually appear to have much use. Would be much better if position 3 was a lock out, 2 was a bit firmer than three is and 1 was half way in between. Actually, they should make an RP4 that has off – a bit – a lot – lock on a 4 position lever with remote actuation. That would be much better.

What’s it cost to get the PP retuned on my shock then? (Not that all that faff should be necessary!)

£20 on top of a full service at £65.

i agree the rp23 should just have a full lock out option – though i dont know whether they dont do it due to it being too complex on the inside?

i would just prefer full lock out, open and one somewhere inbetween…

Yes, as it works well on my Ventana. Noticeable difference between on/off, but only a slight difference between the three settings, but can be felt. The Ventana is (I think), a fairly active frame though. Perhaps a more effecient design of FS might make it less noticeable.
Its not as effecient as the brain shock on my old SWorks Enduro, but it makes up for it in being better over very rough terrain.

Depends on the bike I think.

My Commencal Meta 5.5 needed just a few clicks of PP (DHX Air has quite a wide range of PP, not just 3 settings like the RP23).

The Pace RC405 needs none IMVHO, without wishing to get into an argument again I think it works a lot better with virtually no low speed compression damping at all due to the design of the suspension. In fact there is virtually no bob on that bike in any conditions. I can’t think of better pedalling full sus bike in fact.

Same as the OP, when I went from the 405 to another full sus (Trance X) it felt far too active. I ran firm PP for a few rides until I got used to it.

For those with the Pace 405’s – my DT swiss bust and it was cheaper to get a RS Monarch 3.3. The difference is big in that it feels way too harsh on small stuff and seems to clatter a lot more in general across all sorts of terrain.

I am running the floodgate at full open with 30% sag. The shock has D3 tune which PACE recommended. I can tell any difference between the floodgate settings

Can i get the tune reduced does anyone know?

i have pro pedal on the kona coiler … it makes a difference, but not to the extent that the rear is locked out, it feels like it stiffens up bob under pedalling, but doesn’t eliminate it.

a lot of the time, you can reduce bob by your own pedalling style as well.

But am I wrong in thinking that propedal isn’t trying to be a lockout, and that it’s more clever than just stiffening the shock? I was under the impression that it was designed to reduce low speed compression caused by pedal stoked and therefore wouldn’t have much effect on faster compression caused by hits on a decent. Looking at the travel used when it’s been on vs when it’s been off, there’s not much difference, but there is a noticeable difference in pedal bob.

Spot on there, When im on a techy ascent the propedal works by tracking the ground if you know what i mean. I find if i have the lock-out on then im bobbing about but with propedal on i have a greater feel for the ground without the serious bobbing effect you get when the shock is open. Not a very technical answer but the best way that i can describe it.

I use mine quite a bit (on a Pitch with RP2) – pretty much all the time when I’m on road, or on climbs. Sometimes leave it on for trail centres too where I don’t need such squishy suspension.

Retro83

I agree, i’ve not ridden a better pedalling full-susser than the Pace RC405, that bike climbed like an Alpine Chamois 😀

An on the fly handlebar switch would be useful for the Propedal, I might use it more then.

I use mine all the time, triad, generally keep it on unless i’m going downhill to soften things up a bit. Always switch it to full lockout on the road though.
Stumpy