Volume Spacers – Mr Thicky content

Pray tell me, will adding volume spacers help stabilise my fork during standing climbing e.g less bouncing about per pedal stroke?  I’m talking XC racing smashing a short uphill section climbing, so pretty aggressive movement.

No, unless your fork is terribly set up. You want less tokens (if possible), more air.

Volume spacers allow the first part of the travel to be ‘accessed’ easier, but then ramp up harder. So it is likely that ‘bob’ (initial 40% of travel) would get worse…

And maybe a touch more low speed compression damping?

No, adding volume spacers would do the opposite- it would flatten the initial half of the curve. Remove spacers and add compression damping (the clue is in the name – you want to restrict the compression of the fork so you add compression damping. Low speed in this case). If you can’t get the support that you want from the compression adjusters then it would be worth having the forks tuned by one of the suspension pros.

Ok thanks this confirms my befuddlement.

So this is Fox 34 fit4, the one with the small black compression dial.  I’m riding in Firm (middle) mode with that adjust 8 clicks of 22 from full firm.   Setting it to full firm – 0 clicks – feels at though it’d do the job, but won’t that affect the Low speed and make the fork a bit crashy?

feels at though it’d do the job, but won’t that affect the Low speed and make the fork a bit crashy?

Yes.  You want your cake and to eat it?  Remote lockout or electronic gubbins (e.g. live valve) required

But no.   I found this video that intimates the LSC circuit isn’t used in Firm/Medium mode.   The black dial isn’t therefore making a difference.

More air for racing I guess….

I found this video that intimates the LSC circuit isn’t used in Firm/Medium

Then how did it feel as though it would do the job?

Regardless, there is a reason XC race bikes come with remote lock outs (and Bruni’s DH bike maybe)

The LSC adjustment is only changing the LSC in open mode.

For your use case (short smashes up a climbs out the saddle) the actual fix you want is to fit a remote lockout.

Run the fork correctly setup, sensitive and active for the 99%, and hit the lockout for the 1% your not currently happy with.