Shock Adjusting / Best Replacement Shock

[jagered]

do have the right pump, my Cannondale mountain bike has a rear FOX shock that I have to pump up to 150PSI every now and then.

yes, all hardware present.  i think it may be the mechanical stop in the actual shocks... that is what was slamming on my vulcan custom when it was dropped 3"... after i removed the lowering kit, it was fine.

right now sitting around 50PSI they seem ok... will have to try the dampener on 4 with a passenger to get the full affect.

thanks!

[chief]

If you plan on keeping the air shocks, get one of the progressive brand mini-pumps with the gage. Those are lossless so you don't lose pressure taking the pump off. They are also very accurate. You will lose some oil, but it should only be a small amount. Of course that means you lost some pressure too.

Replacing the fork springs really helped the handling of mine, and adding the new shocks took care of the rest. I could never get the air shocks to my liking.
You DO have the hardware under your two-up seat, correct? There shouldn't be any "metal to metal".... the seat will hit the rear fender if there is something amiss there... the fender floats with the swingarm...

[jagered]

thanks chief, it shouldn't be a problem to bleed out a little bit since only a minimal amount of oil will come out right?

think i will take it down to at least 50... then play with the dampener.  i can only see it being an issue when 2up but it was ver sluggish/floaty when i had it done at the dealer even... i would bang hard on a solid bump - definite metal to metal sound?!?! 

[chief]

Well, depending upon your loading if you get too far above the manual max you may push past the point where you pop the seals if you hit some solid bump etc while riding. There's a safety margin, I expect. I never put mine above 45... before I replaced them.

[jagered]

cool thanks for the input...

i did go to almost 58PSI?!?    it is really hard now but the dealer actually set them to 45-49 last time i had it in so i am wondering how the manual can say 43PSI for the hi when my dealer even went above that?!?

i weigh 225... and with my girl on it who is maybe 120... i think running about 50PSI with setting 4 should be good... will try that and then bump if need be.

[chief]

No, don't go near 71psi... you will likely pop the seals when you ride it...

The dampener setting runs 1-4 with 1 being soft for light loads, good roads and low speeds  - 4 is hard for heavy loads, bad roads and high speed. Adjust to suit yourself.
The air pressure should run between 0 to 43 - 0 is intended for 150 pound rider with no passengers and no added "stuff". 43 is the manual high, hard, heavy, bad road setting. I ran with 45 before I changed over to 440's. The bike's rear wheel should be off the ground when adjusting. A no loss progressive shock pump and gauge is recommended.
Have a look at the MODS/TIPS section of the web site. There is some info in there about this stuff... also look in the accessories area for pumps, shocks etc.

[aclone]

Progressive 440 or if your riding two up 440 HD .  When its time to change the fork oil put progressive springs in.
Mark

[jagered]

i have a 2002 and the shocks seem to be "sloppy".  i have verified at least one side is getting pressurized and the other i could not - so i took it to a dealer and they said they had no problems?!?!

i don't get it... i have a small hi press pump for my mountain bike shock and can get PSI in the right side, but the left side never shows any pressure?!?  any ideas?  i found a bunch of replacement shocks but which would be the best one and the easiest...

Phat Performance has a 412, 416, 418, 430, 440 and 812 series???  would any one of them be better than OEM?

thanks

EDIT - ok, tried it again and made sure all weight was off the rear and the tire spun freely... got pressure into each shock.  now, question about PSI and Dampener Setting... I have read that 71PSI is the absolute max and the dampener setting is 1 to 4 for soft to hard (4 being hardest)... is this right?