SETUP GUIDE

A real mechanical lockout does not exist in modern suspension components. Instead, the pedaling platform lever or the compression lever can be used to almost fully close the compression damping, which results in a very firm suspension feel. This is achieved by significantly restricting the oil flow in the system.

A linear suspension requires an evenly increasing amount of force to compress. A progressive suspension becomes exponentially harder to compress towards the end of the stroke.

Volume spacers (tokens/bottomless bands etc) are small inserts that can be used to reduce the volume of an air chamber thereby modifying the behavior of the suspension. If for example you frequently use up all the travel and bottom out hard, you can add one or more tokens to the air chamber. At equal sag, this will increase the progressivity during the last part of the suspension stroke which will prevent the suspension from bottoming out. Conversely, if you do not use all the available suspension travel despite running the correct sag, you can remove any pre-installed tokens from the air chamber to enable the shock to use more of its stroke. The number of tokens used affects the progressivity of the suspension: More tokens = more progressive Less tokens = more linear Please observe the manufacturer's instructions regarding the maximum amount of tokens that can be used, as well as token installation and removal. We recommend starting by adding or removing two tokens at the same time to make sure the effect is noticeable. Once you are sure that you do indeed need the shock to be more or less progressive, you can fine-tune the amount of spacers one by one to determine the right number.

Start by making sure that the air pressure and sag are correct for your weight. If the problem still persists, you can try to gradually reduce the compression damping. For coil shocks, a lighter spring rate may be required. You can read more about how to swap out coil springs in the relevant manufacturer's manual.

Start by making sure that the air pressure and sag are correct for your weight. If the problem still persists, there may be too many volume spacers in your fork or shock. Reduce the number of spacers, set the sag according to your weight, and try again. For coil shocks, a lighter spring rate may be required. You can read more about how to install or remove spacers and springs in the relevant manufacturer's manual.

Start by making sure that the air pressure and sag are correct for your weight. If the problem still persists, adding volume spacers is often a good solution - for a coil shock, you would need a higher spring rate. You can read more about how to add volume spacers or change the coil spring on your fork or shock in the relevant manufacturer's manual.

We started with a very basic version of the Suspension Guide for the Rolling Circus in 2019. The latest edition is much more advanced and comprehensive, yet still easy to use, so it is now ready to be offered to all our customers as well. Collecting the required data for bikes before 2019 is almost impossible today, as the data for each individual bike model is gathered by our team rider Erik Irmisch on a test track and these bikes are simply no longer available to us.

Every suspension component manufacturer recommends a full service at minimum yearly, or more often depending on the number of riding hours. If you ride aggressively, race, or ride in bad weather conditions (very wet or dusty), it is recommended to shorten the service intervals.

From a mechanical point of view, the spring can consist of different materials: With air suspension, the air is compressed, producing an exponentially higher counter-pressure at the end of the compression stroke, which generates a progressive spring curve. With coil suspension, the spring is often made of steel (or other metals like titanium). The resistance or counter-pressure of a metal spring increases in a linear fashion as the spring compresses, which generates a linear spring curve.

Please contact the manufacturer directly (if possible), or turn to your nearest suspension center, as we do not offer any suspension customization services ourselves. Please always follow the manufacturer's recommendations if you intend to make any modifications to your suspension components.

Low-speed refers to the speed of compression and rebound suspension situations and not the actual riding speed itself. Examples of low-speed suspension situations are rider weight transfers, hitting berms, etc.

High-speed refers to the speed of compression and rebound suspension situations and not the actual riding speed itself. Examples of high-speed suspension situations are jumps and drops.

Rebound damping refers to the amount of damping that affects the rebound phase of suspension travel. Rebound damping should always correspond to the air pressure and be set according to the manufacturer's recommendations, with only minor deviation, if at all.

Compression damping refers to the amount of damping that affects the compression phase of suspension travel.

The "System Weight", which is also often referred to as the permissible "Total Weight" is the sum of: 

SAG is the measure of how much the suspension compresses under the rider's weight. For a harder suspension setup, you run less sag, and for a softer feel, you run more sag. Sag correlates to the suspension air pressure or the coil spring weight.

We generally forward the suspension components to their respective manufacturers for service, so it usually works best to combine this service with an annual inspection of the bike itself. To book the service, please use our Service Order Form. FOX enables direct customer contact for inquiries, service, and warranty issues concerning their products: For FOX click here