I've just put the latest Charge damper in my Revelations (makes quite a difference over Motion Control by the way). The only version I could get was the one with the bar-mounted lock out/compression adjuster which I don't like so I've left it off, giving me fully open compression all the time.
Whilst it rides well and I've rarely, on past forks, bothered with much compression damping, I was wondering if this was the case for most or am I missing something. It's the rebound that always makes the most noticeable difference in my experience.
I never ever ever ever change the settings on my forks.
Forks – do you use the compression much
Yes. It’s rather the point 😉
Yes, HSC is about the only thing I do change. Few clicks on for jumpy stuff, back it off when I want to stay on the ground.
Yes, I've got three options on my Pike. Usually it's fully open, but I'll use the middle setting for a long off-road climb and the "locked" position for any road sections.
Yes, I change mine depending on racing, or riding just for fun.
They are run with more compression when racing, as am generally hitting stuff faster. Running them like that for fun though, isn't much fun. They are a lot harsher at less than race pace.
Hmm, maybe I'll fit the bar lever and have a play.
When racing (orienteering/trailquest type stuff) I often aim to climb on tarmac where possible. I will always reach down and lock the fork out for that. There is a huge difference in the amount of energy needed in a standing sprint climb with an open fork compared to a locked one. For normal trail centre,/pleasure riding I won't give the lockout a second thought on the fork, though I do constantly use the rear one on my full susser.
I [i]might[/i] add a click or two if I'm doing a race but other than that it just gets left alone.
I do the same as Welshfarmer. Makes a difference to my bikes and my riding.
You'll just have low speed compression adjust, I believe?
I rarely use any on my RS forks. just a couple of clicks on really steep stuff - but didn't need that once I'd added a Luftkappe or Debonair shaft - which made them sit up better anyway.
Or is the latest one adjustable on HSC as well? I'm still a set-and-forget kinda guy anyway. Might just tweak that a bit if I was in the Alps or somewhere like that, riding loads every day and needed more comfort.
Fox 36s, turn off/fully open hsc. Overly harsh at the best of times (not ridden 2019s to be fair).
Lyrik rc2s, HSC set to about 3 clicks.
It doesn't make much difference if you are bimbling about. But as said, the faster you go the more you need. I don't adjust it a lot but I might do for different terrain.
Cha****ng, it's got high and low speed but I also fitted the Debonair as well.
I lock out the rear end all the time for climbing - but on the front its very rare I use it. It makes no difference at all for sit down pedalling and when I'm stood up pedalling I usually want the suspension.
There are a few hour+ road climbs in Spain where every 10 minutes its nice to stand up and give your arse a break and use some different muscles. Then its nice to have the forks locked. But that really is the very epitome of 'nice to have'.
If it wasn't there I wouldn't cry
I've always been fully open on LSC on all of my forks (most recently Yaris and Lyriks). I find that winding on LSC gives a little bit of support at the expense of suppleness and therefore grip.
Never used a fork with adjustable HSC.
JP
totally open
Yes. It’s rather the point
I agree now, after JTech recommended I run LS about a quarter in. They re-clocked the dial on my Fox 34s to give me more LS adjustment. Now, the fork sits up more into steep and hard cornering. It also feels smoother. In addition, they recommended I slow the rebound down. I always used to run both settings effectively "off", negating the whole point of fork technology!
HSC on my 2018 Fox 36 RC2's is set to 4 clicks from open, LSC is set to 7 clicks from open. 22.5 percent sag on average (avg of multiple sag checks).
With the adjusters left wide open they collapse too much on the face of jumps and in rock gardens.
I got there by bracketing the damper settings properly, one click higher and harshness starts to creep in. But there is no noticeable difference in harshness between those settings and wide open, in fact - under certain circumstances I would say the setting I run keeps the fork feeling more comfortable during repeated hits.
On my Fox 32s they stay set fully open with the LSC soaked in to stop most of the bob. I might firm them up more if I’m racing to help with sprinting but generally don’t.
My FS Rev RCT3 are left in middle position and the shock is in ‘trail’ most of the time. I only open it & the forks up if I’m somewhere with big rocky descents.