Should I be bouncing so much (rear susp)?!

Hi all ~

Looking for more of your incredibly useful advice! Okay, as some of you know, I recently bought a wonderful used Titus Racer X fullie, and I am a newbie to all things mtb. I had the LBS give her a good tuneup, and one thing they did was pump up the rear Fox shock based on my weight. The tech had me up on the bike on the trainer to get it just right (I forgot the % he set it at, but I do have it written down somewhere - he said I could make it more rigid or more plush if desired). He used a special little pump thingie (which I don't own -- should I? What is it called?) to do the adjustment.

Riding trails, I did notice bouncing since I'd been suffering with a hardtail, but it felt great rolling over roots and rocks with no butt pain at all and not having to get out of the saddle for every little bump. Great. But last night riding fireroads (and a smooth double track trail), I felt like I was bouncing bouncing bouncing with every pedal stroke, and losing a lot of power on the long climbs. I looked over at my friend's rear shock and her saddle, and she didn't seem to be bouncing (or even moving!) at all in the rear as I bounced along up hills.

Is my shock adjusted for too much travel? Or is it okay for trails but not right for packed gravel roads? Or is my friends' shock just way too rigid (she's never pumped or adjusted it in years of having the bike, not being a bike weenie *at all*)?

Help!

Emily

It's called a shock pump. (Just drop the "thingie")

Does your rear shock have a lock out? Pedal bob is greatly diminished if you can lock out the shock. If not maybe that will be your next upgrade....$

Hello,

I also ride a used Racer-X. Definitely get yourself the rear shock pump, and also download the manual for the rear shock. It's a very useful manual (assuming you have a Fox rear shock, that is).

My rear shock does leak slowly - not enough to bother me on a single ride, but I do have to pump it rather frequently. (I'm not yet willing to find out how much it would cost to resolve this problem...)

So, I have to check my rear sag frequently - how far that rubber ring moves when you compress the shock by sitting on the bike. The manual recommends that when you sit on the bike, the sag should be 25% of the maximum travel. I also do a more aggressive pushing of my body weight down on the bike (for "maximum sag"), and I prefer to have the ring go no lower than 2/3 of the way down.

What shock do you have ?

Second advice about getting a shock pump and checking your sag. Also what about the rebound settings ? Too little rebound damping may have you boinging a bit ( I think I've got that the right way round)

How is your pedal stroke ?

You do have to spin smoothly on a full-susser else it can feel bouncy on climbs, especially compared to a hardtail. I used to think my Titus (MotoLite) climbed worse than my hardtail as I could feel it "squat" and bounce which bugged me, turns out I wasn't really pedalling smoothly and would try to push a higher gear than I really should, I would get away with it on the hardtail as there is no pedal feedback. If I concentrate on spinning smoothly it climbs like a demon and doesn't squat.

hence I GOT MY NAME!!!!! haha

Anyway...yes, get yourself a shock pump! check frequently and know your minimum/maximum pressure. I have an Fox RP3 and have had it blow out TWICE...sent it back to manufacturer to have fixed...now you may be thinking "BAD product" (I thought that too at first) but what we were told was that when the air pressure get too low it has the chance of bottoming out (no pressure at all)

Both times this happened we were traveling with an elevation gain/loss of over 6,000 feet quite abit (not to mention the temperature changes between NC & FL) Since I have been keeping tabs on pressure and have had zero issues...I usually check it 2-4 times a month and ALWAYS after Ernie has sat unridden for awhile or before a long remote ride.

As for pedaling...yes, smooth pedaling will help...play with your gears if you find yourself bouncing, maybe if your geared up one or two it will be easier to pedal without that bounce. I have gotten both sides of the story from mtbers...spin going uphill & use a harder gear/work those muscles!!!

Do what is comfy so try both...I do and it depends on my mood/strength whether I want to spin or mash (for a matter of speaking...always minding the knees so I am not really mashing just using a harder gear!)

Yes, you should have a shock pump - get one that works for your shock.

It is usually a poundage measurement. A good way to see if you are using all your travel, using it too much on an easy ride, etc. is to:

Most rear shocks have a little rubber ring on the shaft of the rear shock. Push it up to the top. as you use the travel on the shock, the rubber ring will move down on the shock showing you how much travel you got on a ride. If you used all your travel on a ride where there weren't many bumps, then your shock may not have enough air in it and you may need to increase the pressure. If you did not get much movement out of the shock you should let some air out. This is sometimes tricky so just play with it a little.

Shock adjustment is different for everyone. Some people just like a stiffer shock, some people don't. Some people are very aggressive and need a stiffer more pressure shocks, some people are not as aggressive and enjoy more movement. It is a personal thing. The weight to pressure is a good place to start but then you have to monitor that and also find what you really like with your forks shock and rear shock.

Not certain what shock comes on your bike but mine has the Fox Float with Pro Pedal. Frankly I don't like the feel of the "Full Squishy" setting. I generally leave the shock on "pro pedal" which means the bike rides as a hardtail (so great during climbing) but will release if I hit a bump etc.

Also shocks can be adjusted for "feel". Alot of my friends don't like the Full Squish feeling so they put in more air than recommended. If you have a shock pump, it allows you to air and release air - to play around until you find a setting you are comfortable with.

There is a whole other argument that if you are boucing your pedal stroke is not smooth. Occasionally I release the Pro Pedal and just practice riding (with full squish) and try not to bounce. I admit my stroke is choppy so it's been hard. Takes practice and practice. Keep at it - you'll find a happy medium.

Wow - thanks for all the great advice!

Now to find out exactly what pump I need to pump up my shock. It's a Fox Float R Race shock, model year probably 2000. It's a proprietary shock that Titus used to use. And there ends my very limited knowledge!

I have been riding on the road for years and am a spinner rather than a masher, plus use clipless pedals, so I think my pedal stroke (at least on rolling fire roads) is fairly smooth. Since I haven't pumped the shock since I brought Artemis back from the shop (a month or so), I suspect it's lost air.

Time to go do some research!

Thanks again - you gals are the greatest.

Emily

P.S. I don't think the shock has lockout.