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General notes on the adjustment of the
frame
Your dealer should have adjusted your bike
already prior to delivery, i.e. the spring
should have been selected or the air pressure
adjusted, according to the frame size and the
anticipated weight of the rider. The spring
characteristics of the rear shock have to be
adapted to the rider’s weight and posture.
The rear shock of the rear swing arm (and
the suspension fork) should retract slightly
under the rider’s weight to allow for suffi-
cient negative spring excursion (referred to
as sag). When the rear wheel passes over
a hole, the spring will rebound and the sus-
pension mechanism will smoothen the uneven
movement.
If the selected spring rate is too high, this
effect is lost because the wheel will already
be fully extended. This means the loss of an
important feature of safety and comfort.
For city riding, touring, trekking and cross
country cycling the sag is normally set to
somewhere between 15% and 30% of rear
wheel travel.
5. General notes on the adjustment of the frame
Enduro riders and freeriders set the sag to
approx. 25% to 40%, depending on the type
of shock absorber. As this is in part a matter
of taste, you can try different versions or vary
the adjustment according to the terrain.
The rear shock should be adjusted in such a
way that it never bottoms out. A spring which
is too soft (or with air-spring-only models, too
little air pressure) makes itself felt and usually
also clearly heard by the hard shocks caused
by the sudden complete compression of the
shock absorber. If the rear shock frequently
bottoms out, it will become damaged in the
long term, and so will the frame.
The action of the rear shock is governed by
valves inside which control the oil flow rate
and hence the speed with which the rear
shock moves in and out. In this way it is pos-
sible to optimize the bike’s reaction to obsta-
cles. Adjusting the rear shock is a delicate
job, as even a small change on the adjusting
wheel can have a big effect. Try approaching
the exact setting you need in increments no
larger than a quarter turn or click by click.
Bobbing of the rear frame under the impact
of pedalling occurs only to a small degree
with MERIDA bikes and on some models it
can be inhibited altogether.
Do not ride your mountain bike with
spring elements that bottom out – risk
of failure!
