Enduro suspension: Back to stock settings
Tomorrow I’m coaching a young DH pinner at Keystone. Since I no longer have a downhill bike, I have to make sure the Enduro suspension is dialed. So off to Hall Ranch I went for a mix of turny turns and rocky rocks.
I’ve been messing with the suspension settings since I got my 2011 carbon Enduro in April, and I’ve done more things wrong than right. Too soft, too stiff, too fast, too slow, too wallowy, too bouncy. What has felt good on loose scrabble has felt bad on stationary boulders. I’ve been searching for an elusive balance, all too aware of every mis-adjustment. Today I think I found a good all-around setup:
– Shock at 190 psi. Not only is this the exact pressure called for in the setup manual, it’s also the exact pressure Lars Thomsen from Trail Head Cyclery dialed in during Sea Otter downhill practice. I might have gone back to stock, but at least I know why.
– Fork at 60 psi. Both high and low speed compression eight clicks in from all the way out. Yeah, that’s the exact pressure called for in the setup manual, and the compression dials are back to stock. But at least I know why.
Back to stock, but at least I know why.
The point here is I rode the bike today, and it felt good. I was pumping when I wanted to pump, and I was plowing when I wanted to plow. The bike felt so balanced that I went faster, faster, faster until I was riding faster than I could think … wide eyes in a corner, set the edges and squirt on through … pounding through a rock garden, ping toward a boulder and melt right through it. It was random, imprecise — perfect.
For tomorrow’s DH adventure I’ll swap out the Eskars for meatier tires. If Keystone’s hits gobble up the travel, I’ll add some high speed compression.
Otherwise the bike feels good. Good enough to ride it faster than I can think.
Know more. Have more fun!
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