|   XCE owners- Got a 500 pound spring? (Vanilla RC) | bikerx40
Oct 10, 2003 1:36 PM | | I have a 3 week old XCE and I've been dialing in the front and rear suspension settings. I weigh 160 lbs w/o gear, so the 550 lb spring that came on my Fox Vanilla RC is a little too stiff.
Anyone out there have a 500 pound that they would like to trade or sell me?
Thanks,
-Ryan
Also, anyone have any lighter springs for a '03 Marathon S fork? Stock ones are also too stiff (only getting 80mm or so of travel with 60mm oil height). |
| Maybe | Tscheezy
Oct 10, 2003 6:42 PM | | I gotta check, but if I do, it's yours. I ride a 550 or 600 (have both), and Barny rides a 350 or 400 (have both). I *think* I have a 500 collecting dust. I'll check.
tscheezy |
| Hey Tscheezy, | ena
Oct 10, 2003 7:38 PM | | If you don't mind, how heavy is Barny and which spring does she use for what type of riding? |
| 125ish pounds in street clothes, maybe 135 with camelbak... | Tscheezy
Oct 10, 2003 8:34 PM | | and gear, ready to ride. She never stands up for climbs or cruising, only when coasting or going downhill, so she pretty much plows into everything which comes along the trail 8^). She is a pure xc type, but needs some spring to counter her "style". She is pretty conservative on the descents. She has been on the 350 from the beginning and we are saving the 400 for a desert road trip where munching obstacles costs you rims. Here the worst thing you hit is roots. She bottoms the shock occassionally, but not a lot. She could probably get away with the 350 most of the time.
If you are trying to figure out spring rate, let us know your weight (street or with riding gear), your shock type, bike, and riding style.
tscheezy |
| Ooops, bad info. A correction... | Tscheezy
Oct 11, 2003 7:20 PM | | She was currently on a 400 and we just swapped it out for a 450 as I changed her RS Psylo SL over to a Fox Vanilla RLC with a slightly stiffer spring. Sorry, 350 was wrong.
tscheezy |
| thanks tscheezy | ena
Oct 11, 2003 9:40 PM | | I recently got an xce and I'm trying to figure out what spring rate would be good.
I'm 120 lbs, and about 125 with gear. I ride in New York (lots of ups, downs, roots, mud, snow...).
I'm using a 400 right now and it's really plush and soaking up all the bumps, but at the same time, I never seem to bottom out...
Of course, that might be b/c I never do more than 1.5' drops and 2' logs
So I was wondering if maybe I should go with 350? |
| There is nothing wrong with not bottoming your suspension. | Tscheezy
Oct 11, 2003 10:55 PM | | I tend not to pay much attention to the sag rule for determining spring weight. I go by how far I can push the bottomout bumper down the shock shaft on the biggest hit on roughest ride I am likely to do. ILikeFood said it best: it's ok to bottom "when you land the biggest drop you'll ever do, sloppily." In other words, very rarely. If you are only getting 2/3 of available travel, sure, try a softer spring, but remember that a 50# difference down in your spring rate range is a big jump compared to a heavier person going from a 700 down to a 650 (proportionally). If you are able to almost push the bottomout bumper down the shaft now with a 400, or you do push it down occasionally, at 350 you will squish it regularly.
Think of it as a proportion:
Me- 180 in street clothes on a 550 or 600. 550/180=3.1 and 600/180=3.3
Barny- 125 in street clothes on a 400 or 450. 400/125=3.2 and 450/125=3.6
You- 120 in street clothes on a 400 or 350. 400/120=3.3 and 350/120=2.9
It depends on your riding style (or lack thereof- wink), but the 3.1 ratio is good for me on smooth trails, but 3.3 is better for rough stuff. Barny was ok on the 3.2 ratio, but the 3.6 will be a good experiment for a while to see if we can keep her from going through the travel unnecessarily (I ride more aggressively than her, but I am also a little smoother). A 3.3 for you puts you pretty much in line with our setups, but the 2.9 seems kinda low.
It is a personal thing and comes down to riding style, as I said. It is nice to have a few springs on hand just to play with and experiment around. I'd watch eBay and the classifieds here and I bet you could find one inexpensively at some point. Just make sure it has a compressible length greater than 1.75" (i.e. 350x1.80 or longer).
Enjoy your bike, and check out the Turner_Tech website if you haven't already.
.jpg)
tscheezy |
| Yup, a 500x1.94. Email me. tscheezy AT yahoo DOT com. nm | Tscheezy
Oct 11, 2003 3:06 PM | | |
| |
