|   Romic shock and small bump sensitivity | Dropout
Jan 8, 2003 7:31 AM | | When people say that running a romic rear shock will effect small bump sensitivity, how exactly are they defining "small bump"?
Thanks. |
| wasn't that 5th Element, not Romic? nm | BrianL
Jan 8, 2003 12:50 PM | | |
| wheres the quote? | zedro
Jan 8, 2003 2:38 PM | | i think peeps are saying the anti-bob doesnt affect small bump sensitivity, cus i havent heard otherwise. |
| the anti-bob adjustment does reduce bump sensitivity | derby
Jan 8, 2003 5:14 PM | | Dialing in the "Bob-Nob" as Romic calls it, slowing the compression, adjustment makes the ride feel firmer (unless the surface is glassy smooth).
The more the anti-bob is dialed in the sharper the bump hit (or any vertical hit) is required for the shock to move fast. At 4 click in of 8, the ride felt nearly rock hard while coasting.
That was my experience fooling around on my 4 inch travel bike for a day with a Romic on it set up by a Romic factory mechanic and adjusted to be smoother riding over bumps by me. I'm suspect longer travel bikes with softer spring rates won't have as noticeable ramp up through the same range.
That was my experience.
- ray |
| ahhh... | zedro
Jan 8, 2003 6:41 PM | | was under the impression that the threshold was really low, and geared more towards low velocities. |
| No it doesn't | Steve from JH
Jan 9, 2003 8:17 AM | | We did a blind test. I had someone set the knob at a setting unknown to me and then I rode the bike over a level stretch of river dike that consisted of nothing but compacted baby-head boulders. Then we switched and the other guy did the riding. We did repeated tests at different unknown settings and were completely unable to tell or guess accurately what the setting was.
The only way I have noticed the compression knob setting to affect ride quality is over gradual rolling bumps. I mean where the bumps are less than the length of the wheelbase so that the two wheels go over them independently at a given speed, but not sharp bumps. I find that a setting that makes the bike feel good over such terrain also gives you the anti-bob effect you want.
From what I've read about the 5th Element, I would say that the Romic does not reduce bob nearly as much. |
| Maybe mine was defective, but I don't think so | derby
Jan 10, 2003 1:39 PM | | Maybe the blowoff ball was stuck closed on the Romic shock I tested.
I would have thought the factory mechanic who mounted it on my bike and adjusted it would have been able to detect that if true. He set it up very firm riding for me and said that's what Romic recommended for a bike with the leverage of the Tracer. I commented to them that it felt firm and they watched the action and told me to adjust it to my likeing. I had to back off the compression all the way out and raise the spring preload a turn in to obtain a ride as smooth without bottoming as the Float-RL I was normally on then. Each compression click slower made a noticable difference (to me). And I tried many combinations of adjustments.
I really wanted to get this shock since it conceptually made sence. But found the fastest compression setting was no smoother or better handling than my Float-RL on the Tracer. I imagine low pivot like riding bikes can use the slower compression to firm up the pedal bob nicely when faster compressing shocks let the bike feel choppy handling and pedaling.
I previously rode a Risse air shock for a couple years on my first fully with compression adjustment and the Risse would spike harshy on big hits when the compression was adjusted in more than a small amount. The Romic wasn't a spiky feel, just firmer. Small bumbs get harsher and big bumps had a firmer feeling. As the compression knob was clicked slower, the feel when first hitting sharp bumps didn't change much, but there was less overall travel compliance the bigger the sharp bump was.
Until I experieance otherwise I'll stick to my observations than the compression knob firms up travel feel to a near lockout feel.
The 5th Element I rode on a Santa Cruz Bullit reduced bob to not noticable even when standing and pedaling similar to my Tracer. And the ride was every smooth. My Tracer now with a Vanilla-R feels smoother over bumps and hits up to 1 inch than the Bullit with 5th Element felt. The Bullit felt smoother on bumps over 1 inches.
- ray |
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