fork air pressure

[flugelboneman]

Is there an ideal psi pressure for air shocks on explorer +. Bought a shock pump. Now need to know optimum pressure.

 

[Mtl_Biker]

I asked the same question when I got my shock pump and there was no magic answer. How much pressure is needed depends on your weight and the particular shock (I was told). Some shocks come with an o-ring on them... the idea is that with your weight on the bike in normal riding position the shock should compress only about 20% of its travel. The o-ring, when you start, is snugged up tight and when you get on the bike the o-ring moves down and all you have to do is then measure the deflection. Much harder to do without the o-ring, but a Trump Sharpie could be used as long as you have someone to mark the position when you're on the bike. You adjust the pressure until you get that approximate 20% deflection.

I hope this helps.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Pressure is dictated by sag measurement because we all have different weights and riding stance.

FRONT FORK:
There should be a rubber ring around one of your fork stanchions and push that down until it touches the fork seal. If it doesn't, temporarily place a zip tie but be sure to remove it later. Sit on your bike if you ride recreationally, or stand and lean forward a bit if you're an aggressive rider. Check that your sag is around 25% to 30% of the max travel of the fork. Adjust the air pressure to suit.

REAR SHOCK (if it's full suspension):
Same thing. Sit on the saddle if you ride recreationally and check your sag - it should be around 25% to 30% of the shock stroke travel (NOT the rear wheel travel). Adjust pressure to suit. If you are an aggressive rider, stand and lean back a bit.

Be careful not to push down or bounce off when you sit (feet off the ground, lean against a wall or something) or when you get off the bike. You measure the sag after you've gently gotten off the bike.

Roughly 25% if you want a firm ride, 30% if your want a plush ride. It doesn't have to be exact.

 

[Mtl_Biker]

Pressure is dictated by sag measurement because we all have different weights and riding stance.

FRONT FORK:
There should be a rubber ring around one of your fork stanchions and push that down until it touches the fork seal. If it doesn't, temporarily place a zip tie but be sure to remove it later. Sit on your bike if you ride recreationally, or stand and lean forward a bit if you're an aggressive rider. Check that your sag is around 25% to 30% of the max travel of the fork. Adjust the air pressure to suit.

REAR SHOCK (if it's full suspension):
Same thing. Sit on the saddle if you ride recreationally and check your sag - it should be around 25% to 30% of the shock stroke travel (NOT the rear wheel travel). Adjust pressure to suit. If you are an aggressive rider, stand and lean back a bit.

Be careful not to push down or bounce off when you sit (feel off the ground, lean against a wall or something) or when you get off the bike. You measure the sag after you've gently gotten off the bike.

Oh! 25-30%? I'd better readjust mine because I was told about 20%. I should try it and see how it feels.

 

[flugelboneman]

Hmmmm. Seems like a pretty vague process. too bad they dont publish an optimum pressue for ur weight, e.g. 200 lbs? 150 lbs? All it needs is what psi the respective rider need to personaize his/her ride.

 

[J.R.]

Hmmmm. Seems like a pretty vague process. too bad they dont publish an optimum pressue for ur weight, e.g. 200 lbs? 150 lbs? All it needs is what psi the respective rider need to personaize his/her ride.

Either the fork manufacturer or Giant should give you a PSI range that works. There is a required minimum and maximum for air shocks/forks to work properly. My eMTB Rockshox has a label on the inside of the fork showing PSI range. What brand and model is the air fork?

 

[Mtl_Biker]

Hmmmm. Seems like a pretty vague process. too bad they dont publish an optimum pressue for ur weight, e.g. 200 lbs? 150 lbs? All it needs is what psi the respective rider need to personaize his/her ride.

But I think that's only a GUIDE... You have to experiment a bit to find what YOU like. Some people want firmer and some softer. And it also matters what kind of terrain you ride on most often.

 

[flugelboneman]

a guide would be advantage, e.g. 100 psi if you are 200 lbs. then u choose to move the psi up or down a bit depending on your preference for a firm or not so firm ride. i guess if i ask my bike techs they will give me a number to at least start with on my shock pump.

 

[Turfherder]

If you do a search on the web, you’ll find most recommend starting with 60% of your weight to start out with. Then adjust for rebound.
Have a Great Day,
Alan in the Amargosa Desert

 

[rich c]

No such thing as a guide. Staying with the 200 pound person. One rides gravel rail trials or fire trails. Another rider does a lot of jumps and drop-offs on advanced single trails. Either needs vastly different pressure settings. There are a lot of videos on youtube for setting pressure.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

Oh! 25-30%? I'd better readjust mine because I was told about 20%. I should try it and see how it feels.

Yes, try things out and see what suits you best.

There's also other considerations:
Do you need (or desire) to utilise the travel of your fork (or rear shock) to the fullest? Referring back to that rubber O-ring indicator, after a ride where you have hit the hardest bump (or landing) you ever care to tackle - did the O-ring end up near the very end of the fork stroke?

For recreational riding, it doesn't really matter. But on a long travel mountain bike, seeing as I paid for the extra travel and I'm lugging around and pushing the extra weight that produces this feature, I do want to use every millimetre to it's fullest. So if I'm not getting near the maximum travel stroke after my gnarliest ride, I would consider decreasing the air pressure (small increments at a time, until I do).

What I don't want is for the fork to bottom-out because of too little pressure.

 

[flugelboneman]

thx turfherder, that is precisely the guidance of which I seek. Now I havea starting point. Much appreciated

 

[Alaskan]

An Alternative way to get it tuned up is to start with 50% of your body weight as the PSI in the front fork and 100% in the rear shock. Then add air or bleed it off to tune the suspension from firm to soft according to your preference or to achieve the percentage of sag that you want. Make sure that your sag is not so great that your pedals are too close to the road on turns risking a pedal strike.

 

[flugelboneman]

i shud have stipulated the explorer +1 only has air front forks, no rear suspension. Origiinally I referred to my front forks as air shocks. My bad. So I am only concerned with air in my front forks. Thx for all the input. I think I have enuff info now to utilize my new pump to inflate my front forks.

 

[Alaskan]

i shud have stipulated the explorer +1 only has air front forks, no rear suspension. Origiinally I referred to my front forks as air shocks. My bad. So I am only concerned with air in my front forks. Thx for all the input. I think I have enuff info now to utilize my new pump to inflate my front forks.

Escellent! Your pump should have a little button that you push to let air out in a controlled fashion.

 

[flugelboneman]

you are right. it has that. very handy