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Another suspension tip courtesy of Wade Simmons and the fine folks at Marzocchi Canada |
The skill that many mountain bikers often overlook or don’t pay enough attention to is the skill of cornering. Sure, everybody can corner; you have to, but if you want to improve your overall riding, cornering will allow you to set up better for the next section of trail, whether it’s a drop, a steep section or even the next corner, and it will definitely make you a faster and smoother rider in the long run. Cornering with confidence is the key!
You can have all the skill in the world but if your suspension is not set up properly you’ll still have some sketchy corners and probably end up in the dirt. The most important thing for your bike to corner well is a tuned and balanced suspension. What I mean by this is having the front and rear suspension working in unison.
If your fork is too soft, it will dive into a corner and send you possibly over the bars. If the rear end is too soft, you’ll sit too much into the rear wheel and lose front traction. Ideally you want the bike to compress equally through its travel. And the way to do this is to have equal sag in your suspension.
Wade railing a corner, thanks to proper suspension sag - Photo © Marzocchi
What is sag you ask? Sag is the amount the suspension compresses when you simply apply your body weight. Sag is adjusted through the preload and/or air pressure on the front and rear shocks. It is the basis of how you adjust your suspension. Sag varies between rider preference and application but average suspension sag should be between 10-25% of total travel. That seems like a big variance, but you must learn to adjust your suspension to the suit your riding style.
Downhillers prefer a plusher ride, which would be more sag, where if you were hitting big drops you would want the suspension stiffer so it doesn't go through the travel. Now when you apply this concept to cornering it's the same. A tight dual slalom type of course would require a stiffer set up where more high speed carves can allow for a softer set up. Now I know this sounds complicated but it's not.
The easy adjustments on the new Marzocchi suspension (All Mountain, Z150, 66 and 888 forks and the Roco rear shock) allow you unlimited adjustment of the compression and rebound as well as the preload "on trail". You don’t need a team mechanic on hand to set up your suspension - you don’t even need tools. Dial up the compression adjustments if you feel the front end diving.
Not the place where you want to feel the front end diving...
- Photo © Marzocchi
A simple test after you think you’ve adjusted the suspension correctly is to hop on your bike and coast around slowly. With your body standing in a neutral position (meaning evenly weighted front to back) simply compress the suspension with your body weight extending up and down. The suspension should compress and rebound at the same rate front and rear. If that’s not the case make the necessary adjustments until it feels even.
Now the rest is up to you. Just get out and start shreddin’ some corners! Don’t be afraid to change the set-up of your bike for different situations or as your skill grows; you’ll be more confident knowing more about the bike!
If you want more information on your Marzocchi Suspension call Naz at Marzocchi Canada. No matter how great your fork feels stock, he can make it even better.
Stay tuned for more suspension set-up tips!
Wade Simmons
