Fork/Can Pressures

[M L]

I would like to know how much pressure you guys run your forks and/or shocks given your weight and amount of travel. I always seem to find the pressures given on forks very hard, I like a very plush ride in the front and could use some good advice on how to set up a rockshox sid/monarch rt3 properly, any tips for a more plush fork with good small bump damping?

 

Setup:

Fork: +95psi, -100psi

Shock: 200psi

 

Weight: 160lbs/75kg

 

Travel 100mm front and rear

Edited January 12, 2013 by wheelerdealer

[Mike Bike]

On the Sid your neg pressure must be about half the pos pressure. Mine runs 110 and 60? I bet with your current settings you don't have 100 mm travel

Edited January 13, 2013 by Mike Bike

[M L]

On the Sid your neg pressure must be about half the pos pressure. Mine runs 110 and 60? I bet with your current settings you don't have 100 mm travel

 

No I don't! Ok thanks I will give that a try.

[Helpmytrap]

On the Sid your neg pressure must be about half the pos pressure. Mine runs 110 and 60? I bet with your current settings you don't have 100 mm travel

I disagree! I run my 100mm SID at 80+ and 95- with a 23% sag when I sit on the bike (I'm 60kg). The neg determines the plushness of the fork. As long as you deflate the neg, pump up the pos and then the neg, you don't lose travel.

[M L]

Rock hard, so the (-) pushes the fork up from the bottom and the (+) pushes from the top?

 

And when does one know that the fork will be too soft and bottom on a trail? I am a very light rider, as in I put my weight or the rear.

[Helpmytrap]

The (-) helps the fork "move", if you had to completely deflate it you will find that the fork has little give. Thus the (-) helps overcome the stiction of the fork while the (+) determines the travel and further whether it'll bottom out or not.

 

EDIT: pump the (+) up to the point where you can no longer bottom the fork out, that is the best way I suppose. And like I said, use the (-) to make the fork plush to your liking.

Edited January 13, 2013 by Helpmytrap

[M L]

Thanks for the advice.

[M L]

Solid advice helpmytrap, googled for a while now and everyone seem to have their own settings so this is the best post I found.

 

How to set up your fork:

1.) Empty both air chambers starting with the (+).

2.) Fill the (+) chamber to 90psi (good rule of thumb is 60% your weight in pounds) and push down on the fork a few times as hard as you can. You should come damn close to bottom out the fork. Inflate or deflate the (+) accordingly.

3.) inflate the (-), 5-10 psi more than positive gives a plusher ride and vice versa, inflate to you liking.

 

Myth Busted: When using a proper pump no air will escape so don't over inflate thinking 10psi will escape, the bit of air you hear when you unscrew the pump is just a bit of air still in the pump.

 

Good luck to everyone still struggling to get a nice fork pressure!

Edited January 13, 2013 by wheelerdealer