1 common mistake that's killing your suspension.

[@charliehicks2554]

" It's not leaving money on the table, it's room to grow". I like that.

[@SemiSendy]

I’m glad you liked that. 🤘

[@tinshield]

The common mistake I’ve made is listening to other people. For me recommended PSI is always way too high. I’m in my 50’s and prefer a plusher ride since I ride a lot of rocks and roots and don’t do a whole lot of jumps. I find that more sag is preferable for my style and trails. For a while I wasn’t running any tokens and more pressure and was just harsh. I’ve moved to less air and more tokens and have the small bump compliance I like and a little ramp for bigger hits. For every big bump there’s a 100 small ones.

[@MaYbYl8eR]

i dont crash on the small bumps tho

[@carpedownhillem]

I use the same setup. But your bike is exactly set as the video recommend us to do :D You dont use most of its travel because its more progressive with tokens.

[@shemshem9998]

Simular, I ride 10-15psi under the recommended with one volume spacer in my fork. The only thing you always need to ske sure is that giur sag is not too far, because if your sag goes over let's say 30% it really starts to fuck with your geo

[@tinshield]

@@shemshem9998 spot on

[@shemshem9998]

@@tinshield oh and funny enough, this becomes more true the bigger the suspension. On my fox 34 I'm on the recommended pressure and 2 volume spacers, sometimes 5-10 psi above even. On my fox 38 I'm 10% under the recommended with one spacer. And with fox 40s I run no spacers and still 10% under the recommended

[@andrisvelmeris]

I tend to run around 0 psi in my forks and I use a strap around the crown and the fork arch to use full travel all the time. I find that it also has the added benefit of feeling everything the trail has to offer

[@gregmiller2170]

Where do you ride? I can’t imagine that in the Pacific Northwest!

[@andrisvelmeris]

@@gregmiller2170 lol, I'd imagine that it would suck anywhere as long as you ride mtb 😉

[@iangrumpypirate568donovan3]

You wanna get that psi into negative numbers dude. 😂

[@andrisvelmeris]

@@iangrumpypirate568donovan3 not shure how to attach a vacuume pump to the fork but will try that... and I'm pretty sure negative pressure isn't possible...?

[@KapitanPisoar1]

@@andrisvelmeris 0 PSI in fork must feel "awesome" :D

[@sixty2612]

This is interesting because this is how I’ve always done it and told people how to do it. I’m basically looking for bottom out only on the biggest flat drops and g-outs in my whole riding area. I don’t want to adjust suspension every ride for the specific trail, and many rides I only use 3/4ths of the travel which is fine. My thought was always “this easier trail isn’t one where I SHOULD be using all my travel.”

[@carpedownhillem]

If someone want to use all its travel on blue trail for exaple, front would just dive in corners even with full low speed compression.

[@fredEVOIX]

@@carpedownhillem good point...I recently deflated slightly and it was something I noticed on my fox34 fit4 120mm (cross country bike) open fork and shocks became unusable in some situations they plunged too much...ah...forgot about that...time to reinflate them I guess

[@lathamstylemtb]

Great video. My first bike was a 160/160 but my home trails are really geared for a 140-120 travel bikes. Once I bought a Tallboy which is 130/120 it really opened my eyes to my setup on my “big bike”. The Tallboy when setup correctly uses 90% of its travel with a little insurance. Now if I take my big bike out on the same trails a good setup only uses about 130-140 travel and if it’s using more then I know my setup is going to be way too soft for the terrain it was designed for. Having a supportive setup is way more confidence inspiring to ride fast then a rocking horse type of setup that constantly blows through travel.

[@lathamstylemtb]

Although sag can be hard to measure the sweet spot for fox forks is in that 15-20% range. Anymore and it will be divy and harsh

[@axial27]

Recently I have drifted away from manufacturer recommendations and just set up my suspension to what I think felt better. Even though I am not using as much travel I have way more grip and confidence in the front end, so these videos really do help for people like me who have been setting up their suspension wrong for however many years.

[@SemiSendy]

That's awesome, prite_S!

[@cgreeneblue]

For me, the advise of "you should be using full travel" was always a head scratcher...If I'm not landing hard from a drop or something, why should I be going through all my travel on the trail?? This was a good explanation of rational and settings. Well done.

[@MakeXRC]

Good points. I only use about 50-60% of my bike's available 140mm of travel on a typical ride. Enough to help maintain control, but not as a substitute for using arms and legs to smooth out smaller rocks and features. I figure it's better to have additional headroom in case the unexpected happens than to stress the fork by bottoming out all the time. Then again, I ride a hardtail, so total plushness isn't something I expect from my bike's suspension.

[@SecondHalfofLife]

I've been learning this a bit on my own but good to have it re-confirmed. Going out on my local trails I was looking at my bike after the ride to see how much front/rear travel I used then adjusting pressures after to try to maximize travel. I quickly noticed the reducing pressure in the front fork netted me the full travel but made the bike feel sketchier down hill (geometry change, and too soft maybe). Regardless I bumped it back up to where I was only using maybe 2/3 travel but the bike felt much more stable and... just like you said, hit a tougher trail recently and noticed at the end of my ride it had used up all the travel even with increased pressure. Conversely the rear seemed to like to run a little less pressure and more sag and still worked great and felt maybe more stable. Moral of the story, set it up with good guidance from the experts then play around with the setup to see what feels best for you. You can always revert back to the baseline setup as long as you record it all.

[@davenawahine4428]

I don't worry about travel usage. I look for support, traction and most of all what setting gives me the most confidence. Also, What I can feel through the bars, is there any kickback, harshness and most important, deflection. I'll choose stiffer setup that tracks well... over a plusher set up that wallows and hangs back on roots, holes, rocks etc...

[@ShreddySteve]

It's nice to hear someone else say this. I've been running my suspension like this for a while now and it's in those "oops" moments where the travel you left in the bank saves you. Made a definite difference on a case that nearly sent me OTB.

[@SemiSendy]

Cheers, Renier 🤘

[@carpedownhillem]

Same here. If I ran 0 tokens and recommended pressure it would be a hard crash OTB for me as well recently.

[@geronimo9595]

I'm a heavy guy and I ride fairly aggressively. So either I'm bottoming out the shock on the jumps/drops or I'm overpressured & harsh on the fine stuff. I just ordered some volume spacers to ramp up the progression so that I can use a little less pressure overall. we'll see how it goes. I'm hoping to get better small bump sensitivity whilst being supported for the bigger hits. Luckily volume spacers are a low cost investment and kit has various sizes so I have room to fiddle. Thanks for the tips!

[@benwithrow5044]

Nice videos, as always. Suspensions are tough puzzles to solve for regular riders (like me). A ShockWiz was so helpful for me on both setting up the suspension and learning how the different knobs respond to tweaks. In my case (215 lbs), I ended up adding a bunch of spacers and lowering the air pressure in the fork and shock and my bikes were transformed. I don’t think I would have gotten to this point without the ShockWiz. A review on that awesome little gadget might be fun for your community.

[@UKCoopeR]

I had a similar experience. After doing the adjustments it suggested, my bike felt completely new and I gained a bunch of confidence. I had way too much psi and not enough spacers just like you, leading to an unnecessarily rough ride. More plush off the top and and with support in the mid feels so much better!!

[@Hihi1234-i1q]

What fork/shock are you riding? How many spacers and what pressures? I'm about same weight and wondering how far off my settings are from where you got with the Shockwiz? Thinking about getting one..... Thx

[@benwithrow5044]

@@Hihi1234-i1q Fox 36/grip 2, 160mm, 6 tokens (maxed out), 68 psi, compression settings are basically open, rebound on the fast side - feels great on two different bikes.

[@petedog9581]

I have found that running the rear shock 10 PSI higher than the recommendation on my horst link bike works best. It is at about 20% sag for a firmer platform, but I ride the compression almost wide open and the rebound slightly dampened to the slow side. Horst links don't pop as easily as other designs, but they flow over terrain like water. I am about 200# too, so I was blowing through the travel on small things when setting the sag to specs. Great vids about keeping things simple.

[@SemiSendy]

Nice, Pete Dog! Glad you dig the vid as well. 🤘

[@benwithrow5044]

You should play around with adding volume spacers and reducing air pressure. You may get a less firm and more stable ride. It’s easy for us heavier guys to end up with unnecessarily harsh rides. I’m 215, and ended up needing to come close to maxing out the spacers and significantly reducing pressure, but the ride is so much better. As I noted in another comment for this video, the ShockWiz was absolutely with it and so helpful.

[@petedog9581]

@@benwithrow5044 My fork is fine. Was talking rear suspension characteristics and tuning for a somewhat "lazy" feeling hosrt design. Can you put volume spacers in rear shocks?

[@benwithrow5044]

@@petedog9581 yes, you can for most shocks.

[@jameswilson2815]

When I got my new fork I just rode it and tried to concentrate on the feedback from it. I take my shock pump with me and let some air out, ride somemore, repeat, until I get the feel that I want. Takes time but once set, all good. Mahalo for that info. Gives me something to think about. Aloha

[@jimmyhopkins9497]

After snapping my rear swingarm twice I run no less than 20% sag on my shock now and I've ran 20-25% sag in the front for awhile now. I run compression wide open and have my shock set 7 clicks to slow and the fork just kinda in the middle since I've never felt it make a click. I actually like it set up that way and I only end up using full travel of the fork on big drops. I'm on a Diamondback Atroz 3 with the stock fork(RS Recon RL) and shock(RS Monarch R), 130mm up front and 99mm travel in the back.

[@otisjordan5613]

This perfectly explains how suspension should be set up. I tinker a lot with my suspension, but I never think I should always use full travel on every trail. I usually set my suspension, on MTB and MX (with MX being my ''main sport'') with a bit more suppleness in the rear and a harder front end, because I want it to ride higher in the available travel.

[@raheemgahelable]

I could swear this is Snowshoe bike park in the video , the rock garden and the drop on lower hareball, unless I'm losing my mind! Great video , man!

[@SemiSendy]

Thanks man, and you guessed it right! Love me some snowshoe.

[@ToogyHowser]

Thanks for the video! I was just looking into why I wasn't getting full travel on my fork and then this video came along! It makes sense that I don't really want it to be using full travel all the time unless absolutely needed!! thanks!

[@gennarocaputi1700]

Hello did you have a setting sag video ? You mentioned it , But can’t seem to find it ?!!

[@gordonbrown5633]

Shaun is awesome! I live in GA but when the V2 Ripmo was impossible to source he had one and was able to get it to me. Big shout out to N+1!

[@LackingLoam]

“I paid for the whole fork, I’m gonna use the whole fork”

[@Prophecy-bs9ds]

Most people have no clue which adjustment to make to change to make the bike feel better for them. Some don’t even know the adjustments are there or where they are. This sometimes leads people to have a bad experience riding and may even have them selling their bikes after a crash. Suspension is a very complex thing and requires professional set up if you want the most from your bike. Different riders like different things from the suspension so there is no single setup for everyone. This is why I suggest using the shock wiz. It’s not perfect but can get you in the ballpark of where the setup should be. I agree write down all settings and use the formula of better or worse.

[@SemiSendy]

I try my best to be a resource that’s not too overwhelming, and can help people navigate their suspension without getting too overwhelmed. Having things set up with enough support and a balanced feel really goes a long way towards adding a bit more confidence and control on the bike. Cheers ✌️

[@MTBTrailRider]

I’ve felt like this for awhile but never knew how to put it to words. Like why should you be going through 180mm of travel at enterprise south nature park. Haha where I find trouble is that I always feel like I can make it feel better.. or.. I find myself using all 150mm of travel and trying to figure why I used that much or what section I used all that travel on caused nothing felt that crazy. Then, it’s a matter of do I set it up to handle that one or two gnarlier sections where the other 80-90% of the trail doesn’t need that adjustment. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@jacobjarvis1335]

Not related to the video but, your video quality is phenomenal! I 100% think your channel is going to grow a ton, keep up the great work!

[@SemiSendy]

Thanks so much!!

[@tekjim]

Yes! Whenever someone says you must use all travel at least once during every ride, it's safe to assume they know nothing about tuning suspension.

[@Perception_]

I just got a new bike with Fox 36 on it and I just need more time on different terrain before I am going to touch anything(The shop did a basic setup for me, but I cannot know if that's right or not till I've tried it enough). First I need to find the need, or else I'd be adjusting with a blindfold. It does feel a bit harsh to be honest, but I just need more time because this is only my first impression. It's a Pivot Switchblade btw.

[@traceyodonnell1969]

I'm left not understanding the point of this video 🤣 perhaps i was sleeping thru it.

[@charliehicks2554]

Thanks!

[@SemiSendy]

Thank you, Charlie! Stoked to see you over at Patreon.

[@lifeintheriver342]

I have a similar approach to suspension setup. I assess my setup for a given ride in terms of bike handling. Can I pop small features on a flowy trail? Do I have control/ comfort on gnarlier downhill tech? I also ramp up my bottom-out control so as to NOT have a hard bottom out when I send it off a drop.

[@robertschmelzer1589]

Love the Sugar Mountain sign on your wall! A great little Mountain that I've skied at foe decades.

[@SemiSendy]

I unearthed that sign from a pile of old construction dirt in the woods by the creek that runs next to the bunny slope lift. It was all crumbled and tattered, but cleaned up and hammered out nicely. Love the old beat up character of it! I have strong ties to that area, so it’s a great piece for the shop.

[@russellparker4568]

I had trouble with my new 38’s feeling harsh. I used the fox recommended settings at first. I’ve found that with those settings the rebound was too slow. The fork was packing down and not recovering. I added more lsr then hsr. Then I found I needed some lsc to keep the fork propped up in the first half of the stroke so I added more of that but left the hsc for bigger hits. It feels awesome now, supportive but active when the big hits come. I usually have about 10mm travel left over on most chunky terrain and use it all when I g out or land big jumps. Also I found as I added compression it affected the rebound so I needed to speed that up slightly along side with compression.

[@tac6044]

I have the 38s and they suck in my opinion. My sons $170 Chinese Bucklos air forks ride better in my opinion.

[@Immanamastehoe]

​@@tac6044 you're definitely doing something wrong. The 38 is an amazing fork.

[@tac6044]

@@Immanamastehoe I've been riding for 30 years, I'm definitely not doing anything wrong.

[@Immanamastehoe]

@@tac6044 ok Bud.

[@johnr5001]

@@Immanamastehoe Some people simply lack the ability to set up a fork with lsr,hsr,lsc,hsc, sag and tokens. Too many settings, they get frustrated and say the forks sucks. When it;s just their comprehension.

[@zeekmx1970]

I'm using 26 inch 3 inch wide tire and have my suspension on springy with a quick and equal speed of return. Back Spring factory springy setting. If it ain't broke don't fix it. If it's going to get broke, use a stronger spoke. Singed: Blood Sweat and Gears.

[@dvoob]

I ride an Epic evo with a 120mm SID select and this video is even more true for XC forks. The full 120mm is there as a bailout, but XC forks are so progressive that I can't think of many times that I've fully bottomed it out. You spend 90% of your time in the first 20% of your travel, it's best to optimize your ride for those ranges.

[@MrBaltazaris]

Hi i have also sid and im really sad about this fork... First 30mm is sag another 70mm is travel (sometimes less) and last 20mm is how for meter drops.. My question on you is... How change pressure or exist good option for this megaprogressive fork? Inside zero tokens. Sorry for my english isnt good i know.. :/

[@dvoob]

@@MrBaltazaris I ended up swapping to an upgraded damper and it's been quite a bit better. I run ~20% sag now and will regularly get close to bottoming it out.

[@stevenhu202]

You could turn slow down rebound so it can pack down more before bottoming out and keeping traction high.

[@mrvwbug4423]

That usually results in a loss of traction from the wheel skipping instead of tracking. Also your hands will hate you, suspension packing is a very unpleasant sensation when it happens, you basically get your brains rattled out and it feels like you're barely in control

[@truthbike]

I need to try some of the new riding pants - what brown pant / blue jersey is that?

[@fireblade1986]

I found that setting sag is just garbage... Riding your bike is about what force you can reliably through your bike. ... So the good old parkinglot test works way better... Stand up and then drop into a squad and put as much power through your bike compressing your suspension (compression fully open) You should manage about 2/3 of the travel on your own... The last 1/3 is for the added acceleration from g-outs and hard hits. (if you are really heavy you still can't put down more power than what you already have... If you are really light you might still be strong af and push hard, but your inertia is still limited) Do the same by "jumping" and pushing into the fork as hard as you can on flat ground. I did this for quite a few riders (young talented shredders as well as alot of girls on intermediate level) and all of them managed to get much better smallbump comlience as well as enough bottom out support (rarely using full travel, but usually way harder than people use to run on their own) Positiv effect is that you can run less rebound damping as your suspension operates in the slower/weaker beginning stroke more often, rather than constantly fireing back out of the endstroke rampup

[@georgekrpan3181]

I get the "using all the travel" lecture from my riding companion even on a smooth trail with no big hits.

[@shemshem9998]

I barely ever bottom out. I ride 10psi under the recommended pressure, more low speed compression, no high speed compression, and the recommended high and low speed rebound (I'll say the manufacturer is almost always on point when it comes to rebound) and one volume spacer. On regular trails I don't often go past the 80-90% of travel, but I still got that little extra for the big hits and I do use it sometimes. And I am no slouch either, I ride at a semi pro level, the double black jump trails are part of my package as well as basically any tech trail with decent speed. Now I ain't the best, but I still ride with those lower psi, even my shockwiz (little electronic device you plug into air suspension, and it surgests changes for you dependant on your chosen riding style, cor me that's neutral when it comes to pressure and planted) said I should run even lower pressures for most trails, but I felt the bike sag a bit too much in the travel so I kept it at that pressure.

[@mtb_alan]

Good stuff. It's nice to see a vid that suggests an individualized approach.

[@anthonywalters7434]

They way my suspension is set up makes it so I use about 80% of my travel normally and the last 20% only comes into play on larger hits, or if I miss the landing off of a 4-ish foot drop. That being said I absolutely need to use more volume spacers out back. Currently running 210 PSI as a 170 lb rider on a 2021 GT Force to get the feeling I’m after out of it.

[@SemiSendy]

Give the spacers a try and see how it goes for sure. Might be just the ticket. 👌

[@anthonywalters7434]

@@SemiSendy I think it will be, as is the bike is insane on tech, but I wouldn’t mind more progression for jumps and stuff

[@jerryspeedbumps512]

I need to play with the default setup on my Ripley. I definitely use all of the travel on the bike, but most of my rides generally have some high speed downhill sections and some smaller drops etc. I have been thinking that maybe I need to play with the setup. Maybe more high speed compression. Not a whole lot of chunk or chatter where I'm at.

[@SemiSendy]

Sounds like you’re not too far off. Like you said, might need to just bump the Support up just a bit to give you a little more headroom.

[@esc5060]

ive got a downhill bike (custom norco dh race 2011), i run a 500lbs spring on the rear and a medium spring in the forks, feels perfectly equalised front and back(im a very light rider around 60kg), i have my suspension higher sprung than my weight needs so i don't bottom out just in case i need the extra travel at some point on a trail, I only ever really use 2/3 of my fork and rarely bottom out my shock

[@MrTonka]

Congrats on 10k!! You deserve it!

[@SemiSendy]

Thank you so much, my man!! Hope we can get together and ride again soon.

[@johncole3010]

I find that rockshox are pretty user friendly compared to fox because you can upgrade to 2.1 debonair charger and do a service at home. I took the front to 130mm travel and like a stiffer ride to really get the pop off the trail and skip over rough hits up to 18 mph.

[@robert50173]

What damage does bottoming out do to a basic (just air and rebound) fork?

[@cassysamel3914]

I know it shouldn't matter. There's just some sort of satisfaction seeing that o ring high up there. I used to ride crotch rockets thru canyon roads. What was always satisfying to see was tire wear on the outer edges of the tread.

[@Coreycarp]

I think even on gnarly trails its good to have it stiff enough to leave some room at the end for those "oh $#!&" moments

[@carpedownhillem]

Its good to pump a little less on super gnarly blacks imo, while keeping front stiffer than rear shock. You would be suprised how many people set their front super plush while giving 0 damns about the rear. The effect is quite simple, their front dives changing the bikes geometry.

[@insanebmxthomas]

i had a major 'oh shit' moment on a long table that stepped down into a right side 90degree berm/corner. You have to go really fast for that table so i floored it, and i guess i didn't preload my suspension right, so i dead sailored straight into the meanest nosedive landing. Turned my stomach mid-air. Well imo, the only reason i didn't break my neck is because my 180mm fork at like 175 psi (iirc) didn't compress fully. Bottoming out my fork would have been a certain frontflip on that landing.

[@galatians22122]

If you could ride one trail in the US what would it be? Thanks

[@jimmyaugustine4181]

Great content. What kind of brown pants are you wearing thru out this vid? I'm looking for a good pair. Those look like a good choice. .

[@SemiSendy]

Hey Jimmy, those are the HandUp AT+ pants. They no longer make that color, but this seasons olive color ended up being one of my favorites from them.

[@Smettli]

Great video, this was very helpful! I also like humble people explaining it to me :)

[@justinf7674]

I see lots of snow shoe clips and what appears to be Virginia looking terrain. Where you based?

[@SemiSendy]

I'm at Snowshoe a lot in the summer, and I'm originally from VA. Living down in TN these days.

[@justinf7674]

@@SemiSendy very cool! Love your videos. Music, voice cadence, film put together creates a very unique stylistic approach that's second to none. New sub here! Give a shout to us VA locals if you come out to ride.

[@oneofthebikingchannelsever]

where are the trails you ride? they look super fun :)

[@simonchaddock3694]

I have twinlock on my scott genius so that helps with using the right amount of travel for the terrain im on cheers

[@truekingfpv]

My favorite mountain bike saying is: “it’s not the bike, it’s the rider.” In my experience no matter how well you set up your bike it won’t change the way you ride. My friends bike is a 6000$ bike and even so, me on my 3000$ bike, I’ve been riding for less time than he has but practice much more, which pays off because I am a much better rider than he is.

[@iangrumpypirate568donovan3]

A balanced setup. Front and rear compressing and rebounding at the same rate I find is most import.

[@michaels8607]

Thinking of starting my first full suspension with the Giant Trance 3....it's going to be different..

[@Sunrazor]

Still don't like full suspension bikes. Hardtail is my way. I like the immediate response from the pedals and the feeling of the back wheel. But that's me. I wouldn't go do high jumps or drops with it. But for general forest riding it's perfect.

[@profoundwill43]

I agree. When you get that immediate feedback, you end up fully respecting the trail.

[@treemantravis]

Great video and very professional.

[@SemiSendy]

Glad you enjoyed it, homie!

[@Emtbtoday]

Pro rider Doods from GMBN does exactly the same with his suspension he has a good video explaining what he does and so he knows he's got the extra travel there for the next race if needed but limits his to what trail he's riding! It's pretty interesting

[@CobraKyle]

Useful info and an incredibly soothing voice!

[@SemiSendy]

Haha, thanks Cobra Kyle!

[@robertrenfrow8621]

Semi-Sandy, do you think that 15 more mm in the rear and 20 more in the front would be a worthwhile upgrade?

[@bikesense3867]

The only time I bottom out my 130 bike is off a 5-ft huck to flat on my local. Otherwise if I use more than 70% of my travel, something’s wrong with my suspension. Most of my buddies bottom out their suspension just riding around. They don’t listen.

[@whothat4684]

I think people obsess and rely on air pressure more than they should. It’s the damper that controls everything. Air pressure is all about having enough “drop travel” for the terrain you are riding and having a supportive mid stroke. Also, DVO has killer damping circuits in their stuff 👌🏽

[@dukeofmtb]

Great video as usual. I've always setup my suspension to only really bottom out on big drops. I'm always surprised to see how soft some folks run their suspension. Anyway, congrats on the Patreon thing. I'd love to start one too but I just don't think I can find the time to make extra content for patrons. I can hardly find the time for the channel as it is. I wonder if it would be okay to just use it as a way for folks to support the channel without any other expectations. Thoughts?

[@johncole3010]

After getting it wrong and lowering the shox pressure to much resulting in a fracture at Angel Fire, I went to a little more press ( @25% sag) and I hit a two foot drop going down a steep rutted hill and was actually able to stop in thick dust and avoid a stump w/ out going over the bars. I would rather ride loose and higher in the front especially on a 29r

[@dukeofmtb]

@@johncole3010 Yup. I usually run 18% sag front and 28% rear. Plushness is good, but you also need support.

[@workhorsemtb7075]

Excellent as always. Great work sir.

[@SemiSendy]

Thank you, Workhorse MTB!

[@crax_point_o3778]

i have a remedy 9 rsl whit 160 fork and 150 back suspensions and thats the best in my opinnion to

[@uncoant4750]

Imo every fork as only 60-70% common usage range. Ie 200mm DH fork. 20%+ is 'lost' in sag plus the last 20% of travel should be 'emergency use only' (case, flat land etc) so a 200mm fork has 160mm of usable travel...

[@micheandmikey]

Team Ripmo..........love it! Bugzappers for life!

[@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

so if you're a tame rider riding on really mellow trails aiming to use ALL of your travel, you are probably running on too low a spring rate for your suspension ?

[@shaunoleary8740]

Good info here. Thank you :)

[@viperdemonz-jenkins]

never could get into full suspension, it just feels odd. but last one I tried was 10 years ago, may be time to give new tech a go.

[@eric4698]

Super solid points

[@tylerlloyd3101]

Rich, man thanks for these videos on suspension setup. Such a simple guide from a normal riders perspective. I found them super valuable

[@SemiSendy]

Glad you like them, Tyler! I enjoy doing these myself.

[@EdBraunbeck]

Do you have any guidelines on the percentage of travel that should be used? Let's assume that the ride represents 80% of your rides.

[@michaelchristopher2939]

If your shock bottoms out that can cause many problems. There Is one general rule, don’t let it bottom out

[@Pedritopancito]

Suscribed. Finally somebody talking about how a looser suspension modifies the geometry more often. I never used the whole front suspension and was concerned. Not anymore. Thank you!

[@borisserrano8361]

Do you any tips in how to set up the dvo suspension on the ibis ripmo af ? I recently bought one and I haven’t been able to get the suspension dialed , especially when ibis suggests a different set up then DVO

[@SemiSendy]

Boris, I would use the Ibis settings since they are specific to the tune that’s specific to what’s installed on your bike. Use bracketing to find the settings that work best for you from there. Here’s a video on how to bracket to find your sweet spot: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i52UlqWpbcejgck

[@borisserrano8361]

@@SemiSendy I have been using the Ibis recommendations and it felt ok in the beginning but lately it’s been feeling too plush like the fork sinks too easy and sinks too much when I pedal standing up as well but I will check out your video and keep making adjustments to find my sweet spot , Thanks you very much for responding .

[@SemiSendy]

@@borisserrano8361 it's really just a launching off point. Through this process you may end up finding yourself at very different settings, and that's perfectly ok. All that matters is that you land on what feels best for you!

[@borisserrano8361]

@@SemiSendy Thanks again!

[@robertsas9001]

Personally I prefer my suspension fork to pumped pretty much to the max. Just prefer it firm, on road and town etc usually its locked 🔒

[@Trugoy1]

What brown/tan trousers are you riding in? They look great

[@SemiSendy]

Thanks, Ryan. Those are the Handup AT+ pants. They’re my personal favorites.

[@Trugoy1]

@@SemiSendy thanks! I’ve never heard of handup before. Great stuff and reasonably priced. Told them you sent me on their site :)

[@SemiSendy]

@@Trugoy1 Glad I could help!

[@jakekee7581]

Great video !

[@SemiSendy]

Thanks, Jake!

[@mrvwbug4423]

People don't tend to think about their suspension in reference to cornering and pumping features. If they're running too soft so they "use all the travel" on a blue trail with no big hits they're not going to have much support when loading the bike during cornering or trying to pump and pop off features.

[@SemiSendy]

100%!

[@Jesticles85]

I'm pretty new to mountain biking and this seems like common sense to me. Why would anyone assume that you should ALWAYS be using your suspension's full range of motion? Seems like a silly idea to begin with.

[@SoGoMTB]

Amazing. Good trip!

[@SemiSendy]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@simondrew7346]

Always amusing when someone at a trail centre is trying to use all 160mm of travel on their Enduro-gnarpoon…they come bobbing and bouncing round the corner like they’re riding on flat tyres and wonder what the problem is?!

[@bikevoltrides7209]

Fast and hard as possible for me.🥳 feels harsh but feels more faster and nimble on the trails.

[@aleksanderaleksandrov168]

Well and what if I don't want the full travel from every little drop and bump

[@SemiSendy]

Hi Aleksander. Not sure what you mean. The video you’re replying to IS about why we shouldn’t be using full travel on every little drop and bump.

[@jacob.rausch]

nice job team

[@SemiSendy]

Big up!

[@eddieschouten6861]

I sorta agree but then again I disagree. When I started out I was using 3/4 of the suspension. Now that I’ve grown and progressed as I rider and tend too attack the trail rather than just go with the flow I’m consistently using near 7/8. Even on a green trail I’m looking for things to pop off. Hence why I agree but also think that as we progress with our ability our settings are gonna change. On the flip side there’s set and forget riders which hey that’s fine. Then there’s the tune to the conditions which as a rule one trail does not equal another which in essence makes you fine tune too the trail which correlates to getting the upmost out of your suspension. That being said only a small percentage of us are racing professional pros chasing the upmost 100 % of our suspension. We’re more like weekend warriors or amateur racers. I think the prob is we’re forgetting who we are & what our skill level is and at the end of the day we get brain washed into wrong choices

[@SemiSendy]

Hey Eddie, actually I 100% agree with you, and that was something I was trying to get at in this video, though maybe I didn't convey it well enough. Very well said!

[@stevenkilleen8149]

I just rode mt creek for first time and wasn't using last probably 20 mill of my suspension was pretty rough but I wasn't going as fast as I know I can or doing all jumps or drops so I 100% agree riding nuckproof mega 160mm maybe drop 5 psi try but gotta Play or u won't know also save my settings I had alway want to be able to go back

[@SemiSendy]

Sounds like you’re pretty close. Really depends on what trails you’re riding up there. Those free ride trails are so dialed that there’s not a lot of compression when you’re hitting those landers just right. The tech up there though, it can be rowdy! Cheers, Steven!

[@stevenkilleen8149]

@@SemiSendy yeah did all the blue trail no blacks and not the big freeride but from motocross I do hit landings smooth

[@bullit4x]

I think the most common mistake people make is listening to KZbin content people instead of what feels good. Unless you’re Jordy, a World Cup mechanic or an elite racer your OPINIONS don’t mean $hit.

[@D91Mart]

Well I didn't even know this was a debate. I thought it was common sense to set your suspension up according to your weight and terrain not based on how much travel you are using. Interesting.

[@danfox1458]

Set it to your weight, like you do car, van, truck tires, then you can start to tweak it

[@DaStuntChannel]

you want to use that travel because you want it to be more comfy for those trails that don't neccesitate it

[@KapitanPisoar1]

There is one authority on the internet that can tell you how you should set up your suspension and that is the manufacturer...

[@kodithebear]

I've got beard envy 😂

[@clivesexploringadventuress6394]

I Love my 200mm travel Saracen Myst al !!! Its A dream!!!!

[@psclassy1123]

Don’t obsess over suspension just middle of the road set up and go ride. That’s what your supposed to do unless your a pro,

[@pires3476]

Bro I ride with a broken fox 40 from like 2010 😭

[@paulhanks4740]

Hey! What are those brown pants you’re wearing? I love ‘em !

[@SemiSendy]

They are the AT+ pants from Handup Gloves. They've been really solid and the price is very reasonable. I have a coupon code for them, which is 15% off as well: SEMI$ENDY