Ask the experts

[Powder Ho]

Still dialing in the suspension on my Mojo 4.
Sag and rebound/compression set in accordance with the Ibis set up guide. Ride felt great but only used 60% of travel. Removed one of 2 spacers in the fork and replaced the .95 cu inch spacer with a .6 one.
Rode same trail, the ride is still great and now using 70% of travel.
Should I remove all the spacers or leave it as is? I'm 150lbs and not an aggressive rider.
As a side note, I noticed on the review videos, the riders only using about 80-85% of travel.

[HAB]

Still dialing in the suspension on my Mojo 4.
Sag and rebound/compression set in accordance with the Ibis set up guide. Ride felt great but only used 60% of travel. Removed one of 2 spacers in the fork and replaced the .95 cu inch spacer with a .6 one.
Rode same trail, the ride is still great and now using 70% of travel.
Should I remove all the spacers or leave it as is? I'm 150lbs and not an aggressive rider.
As a side note, I noticed on the review videos, the riders only using about 80-85% of travel.

Can't hurt to try it. But yeah, in general, less aggressive riders aren't going to need or want as much progression so going to smaller / no volume spacers doesn't sound crazy.

[simple]

Spacers? Shouldn't you be adjusting air pressure and not tokens?

On a normal ride i use full travel maybe once sometimes never. Are you purposely trying to find bottom out?

[ticketchecker]

And this:
https://www.amazon.com/CDI-Torque-Pr.../dp/B00C4Z00Q8

Can you get by with on of the 5nm tools or should you really have an adjustable one?

[jackstraw]

Can you get by with on of the 5nm tools or should you really have an adjustable one?

My shop gave me a 5nm tool because Ibis sends one with every new bike...or at least they did.

[toast2266]

Can you get by with on of the 5nm tools or should you really have an adjustable one?

It's nice to have some adjustment. Dealing with clamps on carbon means a little more precision is warranted, and there's some variation in torque specs for cockpit controls.

[ticketchecker]

It's nice to have some adjustment. Dealing with clamps on carbon means a little more precision is warranted, and there's some variation in torque specs for cockpit controls.

I've been looking at them, some that don't say Park on them get mixed reviews re: accuracy

What do you have?

[Boissal]

Still dialing in the suspension on my Mojo 4.
Sag and rebound/compression set in accordance with the Ibis set up guide. Ride felt great but only used 60% of travel. Removed one of 2 spacers in the fork and replaced the .95 cu inch spacer with a .6 one.
Rode same trail, the ride is still great and now using 70% of travel.
Should I remove all the spacers or leave it as is? I'm 150lbs and not an aggressive rider.
As a side note, I noticed on the review videos, the riders only using about 80-85% of travel.

The one issue with popping spacers is that you'll need to increase pressure to maintain the same sag level. You might go deeper in the travel but things could feel harsher at the top. Compromises all around...
What does the compression damping look like on fork/shock? If you're light and not aggressive opening things up might help a bit. The recommended settings on my last ride were heavily damped and the bike wanted to ride high in its travel all the time. It felt pretty dead overall and I had to get way off the number of clicks recommended by Fox to liven it up and really get into the travel.

[Dee Hubbs]

I've been looking at them, some that don't say Park on them get mixed reviews re: accuracy
What do you have?

CDI 2-8nm Adjustable Torque tool. On sale for $40
The Link is the best price on the internet right now. They retail for over $100, and wholesale is over $55, not sure why this site is so cheap. I have purchased form them in the past, reputable tool company out of Florida.
CDI is the torque tool division of Snap-On tools. Its an American company, and supplier to General Service Administration of the U.S. Government.
This tool accepts any 1/4" hex bit you already own. Plus it includes a 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, T25, and 4" Long 4mm, 4" Long T25 Bit.

[Powder Ho]

Spacers? Shouldn't you be adjusting air pressure and not tokens?

On a normal ride i use full travel maybe once sometimes never. Are you purposely trying to find bottom out?

If I'm at the appropriate sag how should I adjust the air pressure? I thought the recommended sag was always the starting point
I'm not trying to find bottom out, but I feel like I should be using more of the travel.

[Powder Ho]

The one issue with popping spacers is that you'll need to increase pressure to maintain the same sag level. You might go deeper in the travel but things could feel harsher at the top. Compromises all around...
What does the compression damping look like on fork/shock? If you're light and not aggressive opening things up might help a bit. The recommended settings on my last ride were heavily damped and the bike wanted to ride high in its travel all the time. It felt pretty dead overall and I had to get way off the number of clicks recommended by Fox to liven it up and really get into the travel.

The shock is fully open and the fork is 7 out of 8 on HSC and 10 out of 16 of LSC. Small bump compliance feels really good. Big hits for me also feel really good. The bike is more capable than I am.

[ticketchecker]

CDI 2-8nm Adjustable Torque tool. On sale for $40
The Link is the best price on the internet right now. They retail for over $100, and wholesale is over $55, not sure why this site is so cheap. I have purchased form them in the past, reputable tool company out of Florida.
CDI is the torque tool division of Snap-On tools. Its an American company, and supplier to General Service Administration of the U.S. Government.
This tool accepts any 1/4" hex bit you already own. Plus it includes a 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, T25, and 4" Long 4mm, 4" Long T25 Bit.

Done, thanks Dee

[Andeh]

CDI 2-8nm Adjustable Torque tool. On sale for $40
The Link is the best price on the internet right now. They retail for over $100, and wholesale is over $55, not sure why this site is so cheap. I have purchased form them in the past, reputable tool company out of Florida.
CDI is the torque tool division of Snap-On tools. Its an American company, and supplier to General Service Administration of the U.S. Government.
This tool accepts any 1/4" hex bit you already own. Plus it includes a 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, T25, and 4" Long 4mm, 4" Long T25 Bit.

Thanks, I've been thinking of replacing the wrench in question for a while.

[simple]

If I'm at the appropriate sag how should I adjust the air pressure? I thought the recommended sag was always the starting point
I'm not trying to find bottom out, but I feel like I should be using more of the travel.

Yeah so now start dropping a psi or two and see how it feels. Tokens are for bottom out ramping. Removed the old BAM! hit of older air forks when going full travel.

[Boissal]

The shock is fully open and the fork is 7 out of 8 on HSC and 10 out of 16 of LSC. Small bump compliance feels really good. Big hits for me also feel really good. The bike is more capable than I am.

So 1 from fully opened in HS and 6 from fully opened in LS? I can never remember how Fox counts the cliks. Regardless, playing with LS might help a bit? Worth a try anyway. Same things with running higher sag than recommended, if the bike doesn't wallow and bob all over the place it's fine.

As an aside, I'm using full travel on my shock all the time but only once in a great while on my fork and it's set to be super linear (as in no crazy ramp up at the end stroke). It takes a nose-heavy drop or a slam into a big compression to gobble up all the travel. Usually I don't really touch the last inch or so, even when I ride like an absolute hack (read: often). The bike is balanced too, it's not like I'm running it super squishy in the back and stiff in the front.

[homemadesalsa]

Can't hurt to try it. But yeah, in general, less aggressive riders aren't going to need or want as much progression so going to smaller / no volume spacers doesn't sound crazy.

I'm barely 130#, and went through the same process on my HD3. Now I'm at no spacers in fork and maybe 50# of pressure in shock. As far as I understand, compression pressure is geometric, not simply along a continuum.

Sent from my SM-A600A using Tapatalk

[grinch]

Many wheel builders refuse to reuse spokes. Is there any basis to this, or is it out of a desire to sell you new spokes, or out of not wanting to bother with unlacing the wheel?

If the spokes arent damaged i find the used/prestretched spokes build a strong wheel. No real proof but ive just moved one spoke at a time from one rim on to the new rim a bunch of times. Most of the time they stayed true longer and needed less maintenance. I do see prebuilts from mavic, dt swiss and hope seemingly being prestretched to perfection and needing no retensioning. I imagine other reputable wheel companies as well but not all. A friend/mechanic that used to build my wheels on the first day he got the parts but i wouldnt see the wheels for almost a week. I think he walked on them every day and i didnt get them until they were gtg

Sent from my SM-G950W using TGR Forums mobile app

[skaredshtles]

<snip> Small bump compliance feels really good. Big hits for me also feel really good.

I would suggest not worrying about it if these two requirements are met.

[grinch]

What do I grease to fix creaky bars? I should probably pull out the torque wrench and check them but they are pretty tight. Newish pnw bars in an older syntace megaforce stem on the hardtail.

We can start the debate on stem screw prep grease vs loctite 242 medium strength blue.

Are you 100% sure it's the bars? Front end creaks are like .05% handlebar / stem, 99.5% something else. I'd be looking at the headset, CSU, frame, etc.

The only time I've ever had a creak in the stem / handlebar was when my stem was cracked. If the faceplate bolts were loose enough to creak, I suspect the handlebar would have rotated.

Id go with this^^. Aluminium bar and that stem should be good. Beauty stems with the 5mm bolts. Carbon bars will creak and you have to be mindful of not too much tourque and carbon paste may be needed. Your bar/stem combo i would think would be good. Id start by just putting grease in between all the top headset assembly. Usually the beveled washer is where the creaks happen. Especially after the moon dust weeks of summer

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[jm2e]

Small bump compliance feels really good. Big hits for me also feel really good. The bike is more capable than I am.

File this in under When Is It Okay To Stop Fiddling?


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[XXX-er]

CDI 2-8nm Adjustable Torque tool. On sale for $40
The Link is the best price on the internet right now. They retail for over $100, and wholesale is over $55, not sure why this site is so cheap. I have purchased form them in the past, reputable tool company out of Florida.
CDI is the torque tool division of Snap-On tools. Its an American company, and supplier to General Service Administration of the U.S. Government.
This tool accepts any 1/4" hex bit you already own. Plus it includes a 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, T25, and 4" Long 4mm, 4" Long T25 Bit.

I like the looks of that one ^^

if folks don't trust the tork wrench why use it ?

I have used them and i have a couple somewhere, things i deemed to need even pressure like a head gasskete but other wise my tork wrench was if i fuck this up I have to come back and fix it

[Powder Ho]

I would suggest not worrying about it if these two requirements are met.

I think you and jm2e are probably right. Thanks.

[Powder Ho]

I'm barely 130#, and went through the same process on my HD3. Now I'm at no spacers in fork and maybe 50# of pressure in shock. As far as I understand, compression pressure is geometric, not simply along a continuum.

Sent from my SM-A600A using Tapatalk

So you ran 50% sag in your shock? Did you still have any spacers?
I thought without spacers the compression was more linear.

[EWG]

If the spokes arent damaged i find the used/prestretched spokes build a strong wheel. No real proof but ive just moved one spoke at a time from one rim on to the new rim a bunch of times. Most of the time they stayed true longer and needed less maintenance. I do see prebuilts from mavic, dt swiss and hope seemingly being prestretched to perfection and needing no retensioning. I imagine other reputable wheel companies as well but not all. A friend/mechanic that used to build my wheels on the first day he got the parts but i wouldnt see the wheels for almost a week. I think he walked on them every day and i didnt get them until they were gtg

Sent from my SM-G950W using TGR Forums mobile app

Yup. After I build a wheel I pump the tire up hard and bounce it off the ground a bunch of times, retrue it, then repeat until things stop moving. Similar concept.

[volklpowdermaniac]

Just to close the story:
Tried to dremel a slot for a flat head in the back side of the broken end of the bolt. Made some progress backing it out but then things got soft or I got too pushy and the hole and bolt went to shit. Just bit the bullit and found a replacement stem for less. Ah another idiot move in the life of learning how to work on and build your own bikes, this is build 3, and things are less frustrating but still the occasional f bomb.