#!markdown
It usually just comes down to firmer spring and damper settings to deal with
faster riding and bigger hits. As you move further in that direction it gets
harder and harder to keep bump compliance and comfort, because not only do you
have stiffer springs and firmer damping, you're also hitting those bumps at
higher speeds as well, and tyre pressures have to be a bit firmer to resist
squirming in corners. The net result is an exponential increase in the
harshness the rider experiences as abilities/speeds pick up and the setups
shift correspondingly. We set up a top 20 WC rider not long ago and data
logging showed that the maximum fork travel he was using on the test track -
which was not as rough as some WC tracks - was consistently around 75%. Below
that it was too soft and unsupportive. That setup would have SUCKED for anyone
who wasn't as fast or as physically strong as him, unless you were twice his
weight.
Dec. 14, 2016, 4:52 p.m. - Steve Mathews
#!markdown It usually just comes down to firmer spring and damper settings to deal with faster riding and bigger hits. As you move further in that direction it gets harder and harder to keep bump compliance and comfort, because not only do you have stiffer springs and firmer damping, you're also hitting those bumps at higher speeds as well, and tyre pressures have to be a bit firmer to resist squirming in corners. The net result is an exponential increase in the harshness the rider experiences as abilities/speeds pick up and the setups shift correspondingly. We set up a top 20 WC rider not long ago and data logging showed that the maximum fork travel he was using on the test track - which was not as rough as some WC tracks - was consistently around 75%. Below that it was too soft and unsupportive. That setup would have SUCKED for anyone who wasn't as fast or as physically strong as him, unless you were twice his weight.