80
Gently get off your bike again. Measure the
distance the O-ring has moved on the piston
rod. For cross country / all mountain use, the
O-ring should have moved by 20 to 25 % of
the total travel of the damper; otherwise there
is a risk of bottoming out, resulting in a dam-
age of the frame.
5. Adjusting the rear shock absorber
If your rear shock has an overall travel of
approx. 60 mm, the table below allows you
to classify your value measured with regard to
the sag with a rear wheel travel of 90 mm.
Distance measured on the
rear shock (mm)
Sag in percent (%)
Sag of rear wheel given 90 mm
rear wheel travel
6
10
9
12
20
18
18
30
27
24
40
36
30
50
45
40
60
54
The highlighted fields show the recommended adjustment.
In general, a long sag makes for soft riding,
which is good for freeriders, enduro riders
and comfort cyclists, while a short sag makes
for hard riding, which is what is needed for
cross country and marathon cycling. For the
overall travel of your rear shock model, see
chapter 27.
“Assembling and equipping a
MERIDA frame”
.
If the sag is not as you want it, you can adjust
the spring rate by altering the air pressure.
If you want a shorter sag, i.e. a harder ride,
you will need to increase the pressure.
When adjusting the spring rate, a
good value to begin with is 4 bar.
Make it a rule to inflate the rear shock with
0.5 bar more than intended, as air escapes
when unscrewing the pump.
Ask you MERIDA dealer for the sag
and the overall travel of your damper,
in order to be able to make the adjustment
in accordance with the example.
