127
Warning
Suspension forks are designed in a way to absorb shocks. If the fork is too
rigid and jammed, shocks are undiminished introduced in the frame which
is usually not designed for that. If your suspension fork has a lockout mech-
anism, do not activate the lockout function when riding over rough terrain
(but only e.g. on smoothly tarred roads).
Warning
The suspension fork should be set and adjusted in a way that it does not
reach the end of its travel, i.e. bottom out, unless in extreme cases. A spring
rate which is too soft (or too low an air pressure) can usually be heard or felt
as a “clunk” type noise. This noise is caused by the sudden complete com-
pression of the suspension fork as it reaches bottom out. If the suspension
fork frequently reaches bottom out, it will sustain damage over time, and so
will the frame.
Damping and lockout
Damping is adjusted via valves inside. Excessive bobbing of the suspension
fork after having ridden over an obstacle is prevented. For long uphill rides
involving hard pedalling out of the saddle it is advisable to disable the
damping (Fig. 139), if the suspension fork has a lockout mechanism. For
downhill rides on uneven ground the lockout mechanism must be opened.
Fig. 139
