Suspension Upgrades For Heavy Riders

[random1781]

26 minutes ago, Jitenshakun said:

Camel Cory? I was wondering what he uses... 

Yeah I guess I could have just embedded the video...

 

 

[Hollybrook]

There are going to be significant compromises on the suspension of a heavy bike with limited travel. 

 

My personal choice is for a suspension that can handle big impacts over plush on smoother terrain. I think the Rally Raid shock is a good match for me, considering my weight and riding preferences. I haven't tried going even softer on the clickers, but there is still quite a way to go with them. 

 

I think anyone who is focused on 50/50 riding or even more street riding would be happier with a plusher shock. This would also apply to lighter riders.  I weigh 100kg without gear and my bike weighs 234kg fully fueled with my standard tools and parts. That's a lot of combined weight!

[Jitenshakun]

I watched Cory's vids. That is a whole other level of modification! 

[random1781]

On 9/26/2024 at 8:36 PM, Jitenshakun said:

I watched Cory's vids. That is a whole other level of modification! 

Yeah, but I think that was before extended travel shocks were widely available.

[Windblown]

On 9/26/2024 at 10:08 PM, Hollybrook said:

There are going to be significant compromises on the suspension of a heavy bike with limited travel. 

 

My personal choice is for a suspension that can handle big impacts over plush on smoother terrain. I think the Rally Raid shock is a good match for me, considering my weight and riding preferences. I haven't tried going even softer on the clickers, but there is still quite a way to go with them. 

 

I think anyone who is focused on 50/50 riding or even more street riding would be happier with a plusher shock. This would also apply to lighter riders.  I weigh 100kg without gear and my bike weighs 234kg fully fueled with my standard tools and parts. That's a lot of combined weight!

 

I'm gonna guess we would not like each others setup, LOL. For starters my bike+rider weight is about 45k (100lbs) lighter.  I suspect I'd find yours a bit like riding a hardtail and you'd think mine felt like a 1970's land yacht.  

 

All I want from a suspension  

1) Enough bottoming resistance to not slam into the stops following an "Oh crap" moment when I realize I'm about to hit something harder than I'd like to.

2) Enough damping prevent wallow and pogo. 

3) Compliance (firm yet plush) -   I like charging over rocky terrain at pace and find it makes a huge difference in how many miles I can put behind me in a day when off the pavement.  A 450lb machine that is too tight deflects, gets tossed offline, and fights to find traction. It's much more work to stay ahead of mentally and physically. 

 

If a bike eats trail trash for lunch while maintaining composure I'll be smiling in my helmet and playing with the throttle to make the bike dance a bit as the miles melt behind me.   If the bike is pinging off stuff or being unpredictable my eyebrows will be knitted up, I'll be stopping more often, and probably not smiling.  

Edited September 29 by Windblown

[Jitenshakun]

I'm with you @Windblown. I don't need deflection 99% of the time for that one jump or hole I totally misjudged. I want suspension that keeps the tires moving up and down to smooth as much ground as possible. 

[Hollybrook]

On 9/28/2024 at 10:47 PM, Windblown said:

 

I'm gonna guess we would not like each others setup, LOL. For starters my bike+rider weight is about 45k (100lbs) lighter.  I suspect I'd find yours a bit like riding a hardtail and you'd think mine felt like a 1970's land yacht.  

 

All I want from a suspension  

1) Enough bottoming resistance to not slam into the stops following an "Oh crap" moment when I realize I'm about to hit something harder than I'd like to.

2) Enough damping prevent wallow and pogo. 

3) Compliance (firm yet plush) -   I like charging over rocky terrain at pace and find it makes a huge difference in how many miles I can put behind me in a day when off the pavement.  A 450lb machine that is too tight deflects, gets tossed offline, and fights to find traction. It's much more work to stay ahead of mentally and physically. 

 

If a bike eats trail trash for lunch while maintaining composure I'll be smiling in my helmet and playing with the throttle to make the bike dance a bit as the miles melt behind me.   If the bike is pinging off stuff or being unpredictable my eyebrows will be knitted up, I'll be stopping more often, and probably not smiling.  

 

I suspect the difference is not so much as one might think.  My bike+rider weight is about 335 kg (735 lbs),so even if you are 45 kg lighter, it is 13.5% less and I don't think that would make such a difference that riding each others bike would be awful, though certainly not optimum.  If we were talking MX or enduro bikes, the difference in rider weight would be much more significant to the setup versus a bike that weighs 2+ times more! I tell you what, if we trade off bikes for an experiment, I will remove my 15 lbs of tools and tubes! 

 

As for your suspension wish list, I think we are down to semantics, because that is just about the same as I want.  My point was that when I have to make a trade-off, I would prefer not having a crushing impact due to bottoming out over a plush ride.  Not that I ride any way remotely resembling Pol Tarres or Chris Birch, but I do like to keep up a good pace on fire roads and two track with their sometimes deep water bars.

Edited September 30 by Hollybrook

[Jitenshakun]

A local shop that's highly recommended stocks the K-tech kits, can turn my bike around next day, and has better pricing than any of the online vendors. 

 

At less than the price of a shock to do front and rear I'm giving the K-tech a go. 

[Windblown]

2 hours ago, Hollybrook said:

 

I suspect the difference is not so much as one might think.  My bike+rider weight is about 335 kg (735 lbs),so even if you are 45 kg lighter, it is 13.5% less and I don't think that would make such a difference that riding each others bike would be awful, though certainly not optimum.  If we were talking MX or enduro bikes, the difference in rider weight would be much more significant to the setup versus a bike that weighs 2+ times more! I tell you what, if we trade off bikes for an experiment, I will remove my 15 lbs of tools and tubes! 

 

As for your suspension wish list, I think we are down to semantics, because that is just about the same as I want.  My point was that when I have to make a trade-off, I would prefer not having a crushing impact due to bottoming out over a plush ride.  Not that I ride any way remotely resembling Pol Tarres or Chris Birch, but I do like to keep up a good pace on fire roads and two track with their sometimes deep water bars.

 

Let's do it! My schedule is much more flexible now that I have finished my House To-do list for the year.   I know a few places we can give the suspensions a good work out.