TyWaugh
Husqvarna
AA Class
Hey Guys,
I'm finally getting ready to redo my forks and plan to make some changes. I have been researching extensively for the past 2 weeks and have come up with a setup that I plan to install and was hoping I could get some feedback from the more experienced on whether or not I'm headed in the right direction. I also have a few leftover questions that I can not find answers to so hoping to fill some gaps as well.
My experience, weight, terrain: I'm 160lbs without gear, intermediate rider and I ride rocky river bed type stuff, hard pack single track, woods, roots, etc. I dont ride any MX.
Symptoms/problems: As I've read on many others reports I find the front end very harsh and it deflects off obstacles especially in the rocky stuff. I have rebound and compression backed all the way off. Front tire pressure is 12lbs, and I don't want to go any lower. I find I have to ride with a lot of weight on the front to get decent performance out of the forks but this is not very confidence inspiring for me. I also find small ruts and pothole style bumps very harsh. I am also suffering from massive arm pump in the technical stuff. My old bike was a TE250 with OC setup and it felt a lot better for my style riding. Rear shock feels quite soft and preload is increased about 3/4 of full adjustment just to get the sag close to 4 inches with rider.
Some facts I could find about tuning the fork: Stock fork springs are 4.6kg, stock IC springs are 2.04kg. IC springs control plushness in beginning stroke of fork, too light IC Springs will affect positive benefits of twin chamber design by allowing cavitation, IC springs should not be used to compensate for the wrong main spring.
My desired setup: I want to take the edge off the initial harshness of the fork in small rutted bumps and make the fork track better in rocky terrain. I am planning to install 4.2Kg main springs and based on racetechs IC spring calculator I should be looking at 1.0kg IC springs (160lb rider, 250cc bike, enduro style riding). Also I plan to use 5wt oil in both inner and outter chambers.
Leftover questions/gaps: Will I need to adjust the valving stack with the change in IC spring rate? Does anyone know what the stock valving stack is? I did a regular ride with a zip tie on the fork and measured at the end of the ride and I used 9 inches of travel. Is this average? How much travel should my fork use on a regular ride? I could not find any answers to these questions.
How does this setup sound? Part of me fears it may be too soft as I've heard just changing out the IC springs to softer can dramatically affect overall fork plushness. I am eager to learn this stuff myself and I expect there to be some trail and error but any input from experienced tuners would be much appreciated.
-Ty
I'm finally getting ready to redo my forks and plan to make some changes. I have been researching extensively for the past 2 weeks and have come up with a setup that I plan to install and was hoping I could get some feedback from the more experienced on whether or not I'm headed in the right direction. I also have a few leftover questions that I can not find answers to so hoping to fill some gaps as well.
My experience, weight, terrain: I'm 160lbs without gear, intermediate rider and I ride rocky river bed type stuff, hard pack single track, woods, roots, etc. I dont ride any MX.
Symptoms/problems: As I've read on many others reports I find the front end very harsh and it deflects off obstacles especially in the rocky stuff. I have rebound and compression backed all the way off. Front tire pressure is 12lbs, and I don't want to go any lower. I find I have to ride with a lot of weight on the front to get decent performance out of the forks but this is not very confidence inspiring for me. I also find small ruts and pothole style bumps very harsh. I am also suffering from massive arm pump in the technical stuff. My old bike was a TE250 with OC setup and it felt a lot better for my style riding. Rear shock feels quite soft and preload is increased about 3/4 of full adjustment just to get the sag close to 4 inches with rider.
Some facts I could find about tuning the fork: Stock fork springs are 4.6kg, stock IC springs are 2.04kg. IC springs control plushness in beginning stroke of fork, too light IC Springs will affect positive benefits of twin chamber design by allowing cavitation, IC springs should not be used to compensate for the wrong main spring.
My desired setup: I want to take the edge off the initial harshness of the fork in small rutted bumps and make the fork track better in rocky terrain. I am planning to install 4.2Kg main springs and based on racetechs IC spring calculator I should be looking at 1.0kg IC springs (160lb rider, 250cc bike, enduro style riding). Also I plan to use 5wt oil in both inner and outter chambers.
Leftover questions/gaps: Will I need to adjust the valving stack with the change in IC spring rate? Does anyone know what the stock valving stack is? I did a regular ride with a zip tie on the fork and measured at the end of the ride and I used 9 inches of travel. Is this average? How much travel should my fork use on a regular ride? I could not find any answers to these questions.
How does this setup sound? Part of me fears it may be too soft as I've heard just changing out the IC springs to softer can dramatically affect overall fork plushness. I am eager to learn this stuff myself and I expect there to be some trail and error but any input from experienced tuners would be much appreciated.
-Ty