Posted by: fartymarty
Also while i'm having a brain dump - does anyone else soften their suspension for winter?
My air fork softens itself automatically in the winter due to temperature change, and I don’t try to fight this effect. I agree with your rationale on the lower speeds and lower traction being better suited for a softer spring, so definitely give it a try if you have one.
This is the inverse of winter dropper etiquette which requires max++ pressure to keep the return speed adequate.
I feel like damping can be a mess in the winter. Ideally you’d dump some lighter weight oil into the suspension, but I’m not riding an individual bike enough to justify 2 or more $200 fork services a year for cartridge oil changes. However, lighter way oil for the lowers always feels good! One nice product to have around is Red Line LikeWater which is a 0wt oil that’s very temperature stable. You can use it to lower the viscosity in your other suspension oils too.
I also use LikeWater in my Cura4s and other mineral oil brakes. Much less freeze-solidey than the bike branded toothpaste at -20.
TLDR: Softer is good. Or go rigid for simplicity. :)