Can you tell me what air pressure you run on your suspension units. I know its totally individual, and I have experimented a bit with mine, but am unsure. I have a 09 514 with the Fox float 140mm fork on the front and a Fox float R shock at the rear. I weigh 65 kgs (body weight, not my total weight with riding kit, never weighed my total riding weight. etc) I am running 70-75 psi in my forks and 120-125 psi in the shock. Anyone of a similar weight got any advise on what pressure thy run.

Hey

I assume you have used the sag-o-meter on the bike itself for the rear suspension? It really is the most accurate way of doing it.

As for forks then you need to run them at what you like, i personally go or 25%ish sag.

You will find you will get better results in your full kit btw-even a camleback with 2l in it adds 2kilo which is enough to alter your settings.

Mark

I own one as well incidentally. Its got a coil shock on it and it rides right inbetween the XC/XR setting – the little hashed bit on the meter.

Hi mark,
Yes I use the sag indicator jobby. Maybe its just that I am not use to such a long travel bike. I tried it with full camelbak etc this morning at 120 psi and the sag just sits outside of the sag zone on the top of the XC (15) setting, slightly above it at about 14mm but even this feels really like the bike is sitting far too deep into the travel, and like I would blow through the travel if I rode it hard ! I know that makes no sense but I have been running recently at 125 psi and that sags to about 11mm which is well above the little hatched zone on the indicator, but at this setting I am a good 10mm from ever getting full travel on the shock shaft. Do you reckon I just run too firm all the time.

As thebikechain says the rear should be pretty easy to set up with the sag meter, though it is a bit tricky to see where it is looking directly from above while seated I find. Have you put a zip tie on the forks to measure the sag? I also put marks with pen on the fork crown at the min and max of the recommended range to compare the zip tie to, sort of a homemade sag meter for the front really! For what it's worth I run about 80 in the fork and 160 in the rear but I'm a fair bit heavier than you.

I just measured up again, yep with correct kit on and 120psi in the can I get exactly 14mm sag on a 57mm shock. Guess I should just go and ride the bike at those settings and see how I like it, it just feels really soft at the rear like that, but the sag is right and everything is working fine.

slightly above it at about 14mm but even this feels really like the bike is sitting far too deep into the travel, and like I would blow through the travel if I rode it hard ! I know that makes no sense but I have been running recently at 125 psi and that sags to about 11mm which is well above the little hatched zone on the indicator,

just go with the indicator. it really does work well.

You have to ride it to get a proper feel for it. They are active designs so sitting and bouncing will make it feel plush but its all good on the trail.

Have fun.

Thats good advice thanks, I will try it out. I always set my bikes up on the firmer side, so I guess its a mental block I need to overcome. Does everyone set the sag up stationary ? Or do you check it when moving (smoothly)

Mine was set up stationary up against a wall with both feet on the peddles, made sure the sagometer jobby pointed between the two marks, XC & XR, which it did first time, lucky for me. Same time did the fork so there was about 30mm ish sag by using a cable tie, can't remember the pressure sorry and I'm a bit heavier than you at 75Kg.
Seemed really easy at the time and has ridden really well since. Its last years 514.
Go with the indicator they put it there to make it easy 🙂

Yep thats pretty much how I do it too. Looking forward to trying tomorrow night for the first time with the pointer actually in the correct zone (all be it right at the edge of the 15mm XC limit) which for some is probably still too stiff, but I am all for trying new stuff. I just love that feelig that the bike is really propping you up, and not the feeling that you have just sat in a bowl of rice pudding, but it could all be an epiphany for me and I may just start to get the most out of the bike that the designers intended people to do 🙂

Hey there, very interested to hear how you get on as I'm similar weight. I picked up a 514 recently and having come from a stumpy HT I'm finding it all too soft going uphill even though people rave about the climbing ability of these. I find it impossible to climb out of the saddle.

I'll let you know, how it feels running the proper sag, as opposed to the 5 months I have been running the bike firm

Take a load of air out of it and try it for one ride with loads of sag.

Take a load of air out of it and try it for one ride with loads of sag.

Loads of sag meaning more than 25% ?? The top marker on the indicator is 15mm which is approx 25% and the bottom is 19mm approx 33%. For the previous 5 months I was running at about 11mm (which is about 19% sag)Now in its new saggy setting is at 14mm (so just under 25% sag) doubt i'd dare go any softer, I think I'd bottom it out too much.