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I've recently updated the suspension of my 2019 Stumpy LT. I rode the bike for 3 years, with the stock standard Fox Rhythm 150 travel 34 fork and Fox CTD 140 rear shock, Alps, bike-parks, local stuff; all without any problems. Since "upgrading" to a Rockshox Lyrik 150 fork and Super-Deluxe rear shock I can't stop falling off! Furthermore, falling off on stuff I can ride on my Hardtail. I clearly don't have the suspension set-up correctly. Does anybody have a similar experience and possible remedy? Lots of suspension set-up tutorials online but I wondered if there was a best option?
Rent a shockwiz for a week, that should give you a decent base line, then you can decide from there what you want to improve/change.
What don’t you like about the way they are set up now?
Thanks tomhoward, I didn't realise that the shockwiz could be hired, I'll look in to this.
I suspect the manufacturers recommended pressures are too "stiff" and the rebound might be too fast but it would be good to get some empirical evidence.
really you shouldn't need a shockwiz. It isn't that hard to set up suspension. what are you falling off on exactly?
If you think the settings you have are "wrong" then adjust and try it.
Doddy’s GMBN yt vid on fork setup is full of useful info and nicely worded to make it all understandable. Worth a watch.
I found the biggest difference getting my new 34s setup was seeing how many tokens were installed... there were 4! there are now none.
My son has RockShox and once we removed a token from those they worked a lot better for him.
What are you feeling is different that is making you fall off?
I’d start with say 25% sag on the fork and 30% sag on the rear. Leave compression all wide open and just adjust rebound so it doesn’t buck you off and no slower. Then ride and see how that is. If the fork is diving then dial in some lsc - maybe 3 or 4 clicks from open to start with. If it’s an ultimate rc2 fork leave the hsc wide open to start (only 5 clicks of adjustment on that one vs loads on lsc).
If you’re bottoming the fork but you’re happy with the rest of the travel then add a bottomless token. If too soft on the fork overall add air pressure.
On the rear shock I don’t know if you have just 2/3 positions of compression or lsc seperate from that. If too much non and you have lsc then add a few clicks of that. If bottoming but happy with the rest of the travel add tokens.
Both the new rs units you have should be a step up from the low level Fox ones you had before so you should be able to get a decent setup (assuming the damping tune on the shock is right for your bike anyway).
When you get aftermarket shocks for existing bikes there is the outside chance that the stock valving isn't right for the bike's leverage ratio. I'm not talking about "customisation". Just whether you needed the light, medium or heavy standard tune but lets get the fork set first of all.
It depends on how you're falling off and it also depends on which Lyrik you got hold of. Lyriks are generally among the easiest forks to set up so getting you a good baseline should be easy-ish.
If you've got a latest 2021 model year with the new spring, it likes less sag that the 2019/2020. IF you're earlier than 2019, they again like less sag.
2021 (DebonAir, sometimes called C1) ~ 20% sag
2020/2019 (DebonAir, sometimes called B1) ~ 25% sag
2018 and earlier (Solo Air) ~ 18% sag
Also, what damper spec is your Lyrik? RC2, RCT3, RC (AKA on the 2020/2021 versions as Ultimate, Select+ etc.)
Rockshox "Trailhead" gives setup suggestions and they're not massively out for pressure and rebound. I would start here ( https://trailhead.rockshox.com/en/search/) (with a reliable digital pump). My preference is to go a click or two faster on rebound but the pressure is usually a good starter.
Factory set, there should be two air volume tokens in a 150mm fork. Again, start here as it won't be far off.
What weight are you? If you're either at the very light or very heavy end of the range, there may be more of a challenge.
My last top tip is that "optimised" suspension is about balance between the front and rear. Quick check for this is to push down on the top tube/seat tube junction and see if both te front and rear compress about evenly. If they do, you're balanced. If they don't, you'll never get it to feel right.
Some cracking advice there, thanks to all, I’ll get fettling.
Didn't realise you fell off because of poor suspension settings, I thought I was just a sh1te rider!
It isn’t that hard to set up suspension.
I thought this until I had a Float X2 recently. So many adjustments that were more interrelated than any shock Ive had previous. I got a bit lost with it, and a shockwiz really helped me crystallize my thoughts around where I was going with the tune.