HOW TO SET UP YOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE SUSPENSION

SET UP YOUR SAG

You need to rope in a buddy for this bit. (Buy them a coffee after to say thanks!)

Open up your compression damping knobs.

With your buddy holding the mountain bike upright, get on the bike and stand up in the pedals, Bounce your weight through the bike, to get the suspension ‘warmed up’ and moving.

While you stand in the pedals, ask your buddy to move the O-rings on the stanchions on your fork and shock all the way to the bottom.

100% Get off the bike and look at the stanchion to see how far the O-ring slid up the stanchion when you were standing on the bike.

You need to assess roughly how far the o-ring has moved down the stanchion, or there may be pre-printed graphics to guide you. You need the o-ring to have moved approximately 25% of the way down the stanchion. Less than 25% down? -> Too much air in the fork / shock. More than 25% down? -> Not enough air in the fork / shock

SET UP YOUR SAG

Using the shock pump to adjust the air in your suspension:

Remove the dust cap from the shock and open up the valve.

Screw the shock pump head onto the valve, ensuring a safe and secure connection.

Take a look at the pressure on the gauge – that shows what the pressure is in your shock / fork.

100% Based on how far your o-ring moved in the step above, assess whether you need to add or remove air.

If you have too much air in the fork, you need to bleed a little out using the bleed button. If you have too little air, use the pump to get more in. Getting the exact right pressure that works for you requires a bit of trial and error but it’s not too tough!

When you’re happy with the sag, it’s a good idea to take a note of the pressure that you found to work – having this on record will make it easier to re-set your suspension if your bike is serviced.

CARBOHYDRATE

For longer rides, adding carbohydrates to your drink is essential to keeping your energy topped up! Carbohydrate is our muscles’ key fuel source, so to keep fast and have fun, they’re vital.

There’s only so much carbohydrate that your body can store at any one time (around 2,000Kcal) and this is depleted faster than you think. If you’re riding super hard, you could burn all that energy in two hours. If you’re going to ride it’s definitely worth adding a carbohydrate powder to your drink and starting to drink it straight away, so that your tank of fuel is always full.

You want to aim to take in around 40g-60g carbohydrate per hour when you ride, and most servings of a sports energy drink deliver around 40g. So, if you have one of these and a sugary snack per hour you’ll be in flying form!