If forks feel woode...
 

[Closed] If forks feel wooden - what do i need to change

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they feel like they thud into bumps/depressions and don't track well at all. No spring feeling just "wooden"


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:31 am
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What are they?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:35 am
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What are they?
Rigids?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:37 am
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Bit more preload and make the rebound faster.


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:37 am
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Sounds like over damped, pumped too hard if air shocks, fluid needs chaging...

A good all round service should do it but I would start with letting all the air out and compressing them, winding off all the damping and then set about readjusting everything from scratch... then a fluid change and service...


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:37 am
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sounds like they need set up properly

without knowing what they are i suggest you change the oil for angel delight


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:38 am
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has Hora changed his username?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:39 am
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are you looking to spruce things up a bit?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:43 am
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naw if it was hora he would just send them back claiming they were faulty


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:43 am
 iolo
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Are they Manon Carpenters spare set?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:44 am
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I know taht they need setting up properly but thats what i am struggling with!!

Dual position air Lyriks with the RC2Dh damper (the damper is wound to fully open at the minute)
Oil is new


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 11:48 am
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This is the email re setup i got from sram tech:

"[i]The easiest way to get the correct amount of oil in the fork is to measure the air gap from the top of the fork crown threads to where the oil starts with the rebound damper pulled down at full extension. In this damper the air gap should be 115mm.

Air pressure for 76kg would be between 95 and 100 psi. This all depends how much riding gear you have on you.

Rebound is a personal matter, but the general rule is the more air pressure you run, the more rebound damping you will need to run. It’s a good idea to start in the midway point and then work up or down from there.[/i]"


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 12:05 pm
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Double check the low speed and high speed compression circuits are fully open.

If that is fine check your spring pressure. Check you are getting 20-30% sag.

If you are not getting the correct amount of sag adjust the pressure until you are. The guide in the manual is just a rough guide put what ever pressure is required, don't be afraid to higher or lower than that range.


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 12:50 pm
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Oil is new

Could it be that there's either too much oil or it's too thick?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 12:51 pm
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If I go 30% sag I assume the rebound needs to be faster than at 20% sag?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 12:52 pm
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No the sag and rebound aren't really connected.


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 12:59 pm
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well they are really as if the fork is harder at a given rebound it will rebound harder so it needs to be slowed/controlled more surely?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 1:00 pm
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A few questions need answering on this one:

What air pressure?
What weight are you?

What weight oil is it?
How much oil is in them?

Where are your clickers set to?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 1:24 pm
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80psi
74kg plus kit
5wt mtul
115mm from the threads as per sram tech
10 from fast on rebound
no lsc/hsc


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 1:46 pm
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If there is no springy feeling that sounds to me like the rebound is too slow the forks will feel dead. Faster rebound will make them feel more lively.


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 1:56 pm
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Shouldn't need to adjust the rebound too much if any if going from 20% to 30%.

If you were going from a 70Kg rider to a 100Kg rider the spring would have to be much stiffer to support the heavier rider and then rebound might need adjusting.

Can you explain what you mean by

they feel like they thud into bumps/depressions and don't track well at all.

I took this to mean that the forks are not moving very much when you drop the wheel into a depression. Did I understand correctly?

Also do you have a dual air spring or the solo air spring? Note dual air is something different to dual position.


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:12 pm
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dual position which is solo air

the thudding - not sure if not compressing or rebounding too quick/not enough


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:14 pm
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OK check you are getting correct sag first.

Then play around with the rebound. If you keep the rebound on the slower side you will get more grip as it hugs the terrain better the bike will feel more stable but less poppy.

If you make the rebound too slow the fork will pack down on successive hits and you will loose grip and stability as the fork is not running as intended. So experiment and find the sweet spot.

I like to start with my rebound so when off the bike, you compress the fork and lift the front end up. The front wheel should rebound slow enough so it leaves the ground momentarily before extending fully and touching the ground. If the fork can extend as fast as you can lift it then try adding more damping to slow it down a little.

This is just a rough setting to get you roughly in the correct zone you need to experiment a little from this point.


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:27 pm
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Thats where i currently am and the result is wooden - maybe its more to do with position on the bike?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:30 pm
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Rebound being 10 from fast seems way too low for me, don't SRAM say 4-4-1 for Lyriks....with them having no High and low speed damo
I'd be looking at the damper to make sure all is good though, when were they last serviced? As in proper service, all seals,oils and bushes etc?

Do the forks fully compress when no air pressure is removed? Crucial!!! If not it could be that the forks are hydraulicing due to over filling.
Smaller air gap means the damping start earlier in the stroke, it could be trying to damp from the very top of the stroke which IMO could cause a dead feeling.

If you only have rebound and air pressure to adjust then you must be able to try all scenarios and work out whats going on...

Eg: Stick with your pressure, if you're getting the right sag its about right.

Increase rebound to fastest = Same better/worse?
Decrease rebound to slowest = Same better/worse?

If all the above is correct and you are 100% sure the correct volume of oil is inside the damping leg then without looking at the forks myself I;m out of this one


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:31 pm
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441 is the h/l/floodgate settings for older mico dampers


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:34 pm
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They had new wiper seals a bit back, all the other internals are new 6 months ago max. new oil about a month back. Oil height is spot on according to the sram tech email pasted above


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:36 pm
 iolo
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After all that you should cedar improvement.


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:50 pm
 hora
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has Hora changed his username?

I saw the title and I thought the OP had nicked my mantle.


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 2:59 pm
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Rob, 4-4-1 may be the older style Mission Control Damping, but if you remove the floodgate from those forks you effectively get the same high and low speed compression damping just no floodgate.

Just because your fork is slightly newer, they haven't changed the way it works or in fact the settings to dial them in. I'd check all of your settings and check your oil level, once you are 100% spot on then come back to us.

P.S. I'd still go by the manual and add 184ml of oil


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 3:19 pm
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Why manual over service guy?


 
Posted : 24/10/2013 4:09 pm