Simple Suspension Setup

[Vellos]

If anyone hasn't gotten around to getting their suspension set due to whatever reasons I encourage you to get it done, it will make a world of difference in your riding. I'm offering free suspension setup for general riding conditions, but I can only work within your current settings range. I'll also tell you if you should get your bike done by a professional for new springs or other roadblocks. I have set suspension to a handful of bikes, including my own, but if you believe I've made yours worse we can always go back to your original settings.

If you'd like to come over for this please PM me. You will need to bring the following to make my life and your own much easier.

• Your preferred riding attire.
• Service manual suspension adjustment section.
• Proper tool to adjust rear shock preload.

Cheers.

[Mel]

Just because this is in Bike Tech, and is something which can literally make or break someones ride, what are your qualifications for performing these changes to suspension settings? What kind of history do you have making these changes, on what types of bikes are you comfortable (as they are all different), what kinds of setting are you offering to help people with (street, track, race, riding cross country, canyons, with/without passengers).

Another tip both you and anyone seeking your assistance should consider is their weight, and the weight of any passengers they typically ride with (and having that passenger with them when setting the suspension sag).

Just my $0.02 and questions since, well, I am certainly not a professional here.

[CaneZach]

Mel read my mind, but I would say suspension is not something you should play with. Leave it to someone who knows what they're doing.

[Pigpen]

Hi George,

Are you offering this free service with the hope that it will prevent less people from crashing on your rides?
Why do you need the service manual for the bike you are adjusting? Is adjusting preload different depending on the bike?
Why do you need the proper tool to adjust the rear shock? Do you not have a spanner wrench?

~PP

[dragos13]

While suspension is VERY complex, simple changes can make a world of difference. I'm no expert but I have helped many people (ones who are too scared or intimidated to change anything) with small and basic suspension changes and it always works.

What I suggest, have the rider do a lap around your neighborhood or meet somewhere near a canyon run, depending on the riders typical style. Make changes and run the exact same loop again. Do this at most 80% speed. Keep making adjustments til you find a good spot.

Basic sag can be done in the garage and should also help a lot.

Good luck with whatever you are pursuing. You don't have to be a certified master to make a bike ride better. Just be smart and be careful. If this goes beyond your personal friends, you might want to think about a release form. You could make someone's bike better, and if they crash afterwards and have a family lawyer you might find yourself in a lawsuit.

[brennahm]

Nice offer George. I agree that preload/sag can be set pretty easily. You can also find general suspension settings for the clickers from Sport Rider for most modern sportbikes that will put you in the neighborhood.

[Ghost]

Are you merely setting sag, or actually "dialing in" suspension?

Pretty much anyone can set sag without a lot of experience and typically not run into issues, but actual setup is not simple or easy or something for amateurs.

[CaptGoodvibes]

Vellos is offering to help. I don't see the problem.

[Ted]

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/50335_2253894864_5997_n.jpg

[Mel]

Ok, I am going to pre-emptively lock this thread because I don't see this going much of anywhere productive. The information from Vellos on how to contact him is in the first post, the rest is not going to change that.

Vellos: Your offer to help people is very generous, and I am sure people will appreciate your offering to help out. I think from a forum/administrative standpoint, we need to be very careful with people offering to do something for you, especially something which, while "simple" and quite google-able, is something which can have serious ramifications for someone, especially someone without much riding experience. Tech-days and offers for group assistance are something where the (usually new) rider takes active participation in the changes and modifications being made...someone physically making changes without the rider learning from it is something which should most likely be left to professionals...

Take some time to impart the knowledge you may have on this subject, and let the new riders come away with a better competence and understanding of suspension than they had before.