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Confidence with Compression: Adjusting your fork

7 15 19 Compression and Confidence

Confidence with Compression: Adjusting your fork

Confidence with Compression – sort of a vague title right? Am I gaining confidence on trail from compression? Am I confident adjusting my compression? Well, both.

The abridged back story: I had a chance to move further south. BikeCo’s website has been growing at a rate that I can now work remotely mostly and come up to the shop a couple times a week. Anyhow – for the first time since I started bikes I’m consistently riding trails I don’t know. This presents some really fun challenges particularly as I tend to ride solo most the time.

Now I didn’t move and decide I was one of our pro riders looking for the most ridiculous lines possible. Nor did I move and decide I was going to find every gravel trail to take my SB130 on. I’m riding the same basic level of trails but the unknown adds quite a bit to riding. Continue reading Confidence with Compression: Adjusting your fork

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44mm vs 51mm Fork Offset

44mm vs 51mm Fork Offset

Many clients use our custom builders to quickly spec the parts they need for frame swap projects. That’s awesome. We’re glad to dial in everything from frame swaps, factory builds, semi to full custom bikes with our clients. We have had A LOT of clients ask about utilizing previous generation offset forks to their new bikes. Let’s take a look at the advantages of the lower offset forks, particularly the 29″ 44mm versus 51mm offset.

I guess let’s start at the end.

29″ bikes have reached an amazing level of performance. Modern 29’s pedal amazing while being much more behaved on the descends. We see smaller riders enjoying the current generation of big wheel offerings. Compare this with the days when Small 29’s weren’t even made because they scare riders out of the sport! Continue reading 44mm vs 51mm Fork Offset

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Front End Support – Fork Air, Volume & Compression

Front End Support – Fork Air, Volume & Compression

Between our BikeCo Pro Tune services as well as working with some of the fastest racers in MTB we get a lot of questions regarding suspension tuning. Modern forks offer more ways than ever to dial in your ride. Getting the right front end support with fork air, volume and compression improves tracking, ride quality, dive, and how your bike performs in the chunk.

Recently BikeCo Pro Rider Cody Kelley was in town working with Joe Binatena on the 2019 Alchemy Arktos 29. It was an interesting opportunity to sit down and listen to Cody and Joe discuss setup. Continue reading Front End Support – Fork Air, Volume & Compression

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Trust Message Fork Review, Geometry

Trust Message Review Trail

Trust Message Fork Review, Geometry

At BikeCo.com we receive a lot of questions on suspension and bike setup. What works for who, how and why. With the launch of the carbon fiber Trust Message fork we’ve had many clients reach out. This blog is a Trust Message Fork Review concentrating on geometry and application.

As stated by Trust the Message fork rides unlike telescopic options. The Message utilizes an arced axle path from a pair of pivot arms with a leveraged air spring and damper. The differences in ride are somewhat hard to lay out after only a couple rides on the chassis. So rather than add to the “what I feel” category let’s look at factors in the wheel arc as well as the fork’s overall geometry. Continue reading Trust Message Fork Review, Geometry

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150 vs. 160 Fork Headtube, Trail & Flop

150 vs 160 fork headtube trail flop comparison

150 vs. 160 Fork Headtube, Trail & Flop

The Story Behind the Images. Looking at 150 vs. 160 Fork Headtube, Trail & Flop

I wrapped up the 150 vs 160 comparison and needed an image. I grabbed BikeCo’s demo SB130 (with a stock setup) and mine with the 160 fork and headed out. And struggled. I couldn’t get an image to show with any level of credibility the difference in crown race height. With a 10mm steer spacer in hand I tried to figure out how to photograph such a small difference.

Some quick math said the axle to crown height difference when the forks were standing straight up would be only 1.76%. Less when you factor in the headtube angle when viewed straight on.

Intrigued I downloaded a trial of AutoCad recalling my old design days. Continue reading 150 vs. 160 Fork Headtube, Trail & Flop

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BikeCo Full and Partial Fork Services

Full and Partial Fork Services by BikeCo.com

BikeCo Full and Partial Fork Services

For the best performance it is important to properly service MTB suspension. BikeCo Full and Partial Fork Services provide 3 options to keep suspension riding at its best.

Partial Fork Service from $40, Full Fork Service Level A from $125 and Full Fork Service Level B from $175.

 

These services maintain both standard and Pro Tune forks. Running a stock fork? Learn more about advantages of BikeCo Pro Tunes here.

Service interval recommendations are based upon mileage, riding conditions, riding style as well as preference.

BikeCo’s staff will help you define which service is best for your needs at time of drop off (for local clients) or over the phone for suspension shipped in. Continue reading BikeCo Full and Partial Fork Services

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Fork Volume Spacing Calculator with Sag

9 4 18 Volume Sag Calculator BikeCo

Fork Volume Spacing Calculator with Sag

We had a lot of click through, emails, chats, etc on the previous volume spacing calculator. We decided to produce second to help riders better understand tuning windows. Check out BikeCo’s Fork Volume Spacing Calculator with Sag.

Like the previous calculator this works best on a computer. It will work on a mobile device however the data will stack vertically. It is again based on the basic dimensions of a 160mm Fox 36 Float Grip 2 fork.

Expanding on the concepts in the earlier calculator this offers riders a chance to look at how adding or subtracting sag in correlation with volume spacing changes PSI. Use the calculator to gain a visual concept on how modifying volume spacing, sag or both will change a PSI ramp rate. Continue reading Fork Volume Spacing Calculator with Sag

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Volume Spacing Calculator & Explanation

9 1 18 Fork Volume Spacing Calculator BikeCo

Volume Spacing Calculator & Explanation

MTB suspension setup is crucial for performance. Working with clients all over the world we hear a wide range of questions and theories. In this blog we take a look at setup offering a Volume Spacing Calculator & Explanation.

Let’s get some quick disclaimers and notes out of the way. We measured a 2019 Fox 36 Float Grip 2 29″ fork with 160mm of travel for the calculator. Measurements are fairly accurate – but I would not claim them to be exact. They are however, certainly close enough for the comparison theory we want to present. Continue reading Volume Spacing Calculator & Explanation