I don't know if it's the new damper that still needs to break in, or if it's the different shim stack I'm using, but now I can feel a litlle noise when the fork compresses.

Perhaps is the sound of oil flowing through the shim when blow-off force is reached.

Before I had so much platform that I always opened the LSC to MAX-7 or even MAX-8 (full open) when riding downhill. So oil always flowed through the LSC, not shim stack.

Now, with only 1 platform shim, things are different. I can feel the HSC coming into play, and i adjust the knob no more than MAX-5.

Could this explain the noise?

Unfortunately I havent tried it full open, so i cant tell for sure..

 

I don't know if it's the new damper that still needs to break in, or if it's the different shim stack I'm using, but now I can feel a litlle noise when the fork compresses.

Perhaps is the sound of oil flowing through the shim when blow-off force is reached.

Before I had so much platform that I always opened the LSC to MAX-7 or even MAX-8 (full open) when riding downhill. So oil always flowed through the LSC, not shim stack.

Now, with only 1 platform shim, things are different. I can feel the HSC coming into play, and i adjust the knob no more than MAX-5.

Could this explain the noise?

Unfortunately I havent tried it full open, so i cant tell for sure..

It could be that you lost too much oil, and now you get some cavitation because of airbubbles reaching the piston.

 

Updated Abs+ Tuning Guide

Here's the last version of Manitou's Abs+ Tuning Guide

It has no major changes from the one previously posted, but there is an introduction page that might be interesting for newbies.

 

Oil moving past the shims will make some noise, but make sure you have the correct oil level.

 

Yes, I need to check it again, as I didn't follow the exact procedure when refilling last time.

According to Manitou's Service Guide you should:

Pour oil into the stanchion leg until it is about a quarter of the way up. Cover the hole in the stanchion with a rag and cycle the fork 7-10 times. Failure to do this will cause an incorrect oil height. After cycling the fork, continue filling the stanchion leg with oil to the oil height specified on the Oil Height Chart found in this manual for your fork model.

 

I can't find 17.5 mm shims. Is it better to use 17 mm or 18 mm shims, as an alternative? Or is it worth trying both?

I'm not sure whether 18 mm is still a speed shim. Perhaps it is large enough to touchr the border of the piston, and so it's a platform shim actually?

 

You want shims that lay flat and still cover the holes..

I wonder if there is a method to precisely grind 0.5 mm off a shim, so that shim remains otherwise intact. Like clamping it in between a pair of thick, rigid discs precisely 17.5 mm in diameter, and dremeling off the rest.

 

You want shims that lay flat and still cover the holes

A 17 mm shim would cover the holes, wouldn't it? One of the documented velocity shims is 15 mm, so I assume that 17 mm would work well.

Have you found 17.5 mm shims somewhere?

 

Go with 17. I believe 18mm will hit the lip on the piston.

 

Thanks for the info! I'll go with 17 mm, plus several other shims

UPDATE

In the end I contacted Manitou's support and they kindly sent me several 17.5 mm speed shims by post for free!

I'm very impressed on how helpful and customer-focused they are. I'm not used to such attitude here in Italy..

 

solitone,
does the noise resemble the sounds made when someone or something is hastily devouring semi-liquefied food, chewing with their mouth open? If so, this is normal I think.

 

Yes, I believe your description of that sound is accuarate

I never noticed it with the previous abs+ damper that came stock with the fork. After breaking it during maintenance I replaced it with a new one and now I hear that noise.

Not too bad, though, just something different than before. I'll see whether that noise diminishes with usage.

 

Both my forks make noise on compression, and rebound. If your oil level is correct, its not something to worry about.

 

I'm so glad I found this site. I'm an experienced off-road motorcycle rider/racer but a noob with the mountain bike. I just picked up a '13 Rockhopper 29. My first ride out on it beat the crap out of my arms and upper body. The stock Suntour fork only had 1" of travel with preload all the way out and no other adjustments (pile of crap if you ask me).
I found this forum and began my search for a good fork with the ability to tune it. From the cost perspective, reviews on here and reading how the Manitou forks work I ended up buying a Tower Expert.
Now after reading this entire thread I have no doubt that I made the right choice. I can't wait to get it on the bike and try it out.
Thanks to those who give a wealth of information here. This has made my job as a newbie so much easier.

 

Can anyone help me out? I took apart my ABS+ damper to get familiar with it, and I thought I had installed it correctly but the knob does four full rotations with a lot of clicks before it locks out. I'm reading that there should be about six click settings for the knob. Verification please?

 

But does rotating the knob indeed lock and unlock the fork?

This is strange, because you're right--6 or 7 clicks (about half a turn) is all that is needed to fully open or close the damper.

 

It will eventually lock after the four full rotations. I'm looking at the ABS+ shop drawings and can't figure out if I re-installed it incorrectly, and the service manual isn't much help. Is there a proper step-by-step write up on installation?

 

I can't see how an incorrect installation could result in that behaviour. The lock-unlock mechanism of the abs+ damper cannot be changed--it will take about half a rotation.

Have you tried to unmount again the top cap? If you turn the knob, how much does it rotate? Half a turn as it should?

If so, you probably did not put the little springs and balls is the right way,or perhaps you didn't close the top screw at the right torque?

 

Did you do anything to the damper after taking it out? If so, what did you do?

 

Didn't do anything but have a look since I didn't have the shims, just wanted to see how difficult it was to remove. I had a semi-difficult time removing it and used needle nose pliers to gently grab and pull. I replaced the oil and pushed the damper back in afterwards as a whole piece using the gland nut and socket.

 

It doesnt sound like you did anything wrong. Its best to grab it with your hand and pull it out though. I lean more towards the "its unscrewing itself" theory because if it was broken, I would think that it would not work at all.

Take it apart and see if the LSC hex keeps turning and maybe post a few pictures if you can.

 

You were right on the dot, the hex was unscrewing and the top nut came out but the damper remained in the leg. I pulled it out, cleaned it up, put some more loctite, and now it's perfect. I get six clicks and then full lockout. Thanks for the help!

 

Awesome, Im glad it worked out for you:thumbsup:

 

i'm new here and just recently got Manitou R7 100mm pro here in Philippines. i weight 210lbs and pump 110psi. that gives me 10% sag.

i want something like this
10-15mm sag
10- 15 mm a little hard during hard packs
60-65mm plush for trails
10 mm hard to keep out from bottoming

i ride mostly XC that why i got this fork

 

i'm new here and just recently got Manitou R7 100mm pro here in Philippines. i weight 210lbs and pump 110psi. that gives me 10% sag.

i want something like this
10-15mm sag
10- 15 mm a little hard during hard packs
60-65mm plush for trails
10 mm hard to keep out from bottoming

i ride mostly XC that why i got this fork

Looks like you need an XC stack with some customized platform.
Given your weight, "a little hard" can mean factory stack will do (factory stacks can differ batch to batch, sometimes they are not way too thick).

To make use of the factory platform, you'll have to ride with LSC port nearly closed (red knob clockwise).

 

Its kinda hard to follow what your looking for.

 

hahaha

btw, when i turn to lock-out (platform) i can still push it down. i believe we can still make this more solid by adding "Blow-Off Shim 19mm x 0.2t" am i right?

then eliminating brake dive when adjuster fully open, we need to add "Velocity Dependant Shim 17.5mm x 0.20t" right?

i rode my bike yesterday just inside the village, trying to find a good rebound and i think i like turning it clockwise just passing the middle setting for rebound.

i still need to buy a shock pump this week to experiment diif kinds of PSI settings..

 

hahaha

btw, when i turn to lock-out (platform) i can still push it down. i believe we can still make this more solid by adding "Blow-Off Shim 19mm x 0.2t" am i right?

then eliminating brake dive when adjuster fully open, we need to add "Velocity Dependant Shim 17.5mm x 0.20t" right?

i rode my bike yesterday just inside the village, trying to find a good rebound and i think i like turning it clockwise just passing the middle setting for rebound.

i still need to buy a shock pump this week to experiment diif kinds of PSI settings..

From my own personal xp then yes. I had the production XC stack 3x19 x .2t had when fully locked out it was fully locked out, but my small bump well there was none. I removed (2) shims and the fork was a little more plush but the full lockout is not there. I am looking to getting different shims to tune it more to my taste.

 

another great thread on this fork. just picked up a tower pro but it sounds like I absolutely need to get this new xx firm "clydesdale" spring in first before I tinker with this stuff. I'm 250lbs byt the time i'm geared up probably closer to 265 but have heard a lot of big guys have gotten this fork to work well.

 

Hey guys,

I love this thread and I have a problem of my own I would like to share.

I have a 2011 Minute Pro and I weigh appr. 155-160 lbs with gear. The problem is that I can not get it to be compliant on small bumps, but not bottom out when not keeping my weight perfectly centered on jumps (jumps <50 cm/20"). Also, I get the feeling that, despite setting the rebound knob half way, I sometimes get slight top-out. Lowering air pressure increases small bump compliance, but worsens bottoming. Increasing compression damping helps a bit, but again decreases small bump compliance. I first thought that the stock spring might be wrong, but considering my weight it should be about right (and finding replacement parts in the Netherlands is a PITA).

It seems that making the spring rate more progressive would be the way to go, but I prefer not to open the fork if there is a simpler solution. Can you guys give me some advice? Thanks in advance

p.s. Sorry if this is the wrong thread, but I'm new here and not allowed to start a new thread yet. I thought this might be the most relevant one for my question.

 

Send Manitou an Email here: Manitou Suspension Forks & Bicycle Components for Mountain Bikes

I believe you can add some oil to the air chamber to reduce volume and create a more progressive spring rate. Usually thick oil(like 80w) is used. That seems to be the best solution. But email Manitou, their tech people are quick to respond and will give you the best solution to your problem.

 

I'd try adding a speed shim or two (one large diameter to cover HSC ports, one smaller diameter above it) and leaving LSC open wide enough to get small bump sensitivity.

As for the spring side, Minute Pro has Mars Air spring. At your weight, small bumps should be adequately handled with the stock coil spring (but you may have to check if you have the Medium spring indeed). If you want more spring progression, maybe add more oil to the air spring chamber.


PS
Yes, go for the thickest oil for air chamber.

 

Which travel Minute?

As for the spring side, Minute Pro has Mars Air spring. At your weight, small bumps should be adequately handled with the stock coil spring (but you may have to check if you have the Medium spring indeed).

Out of curiousity what travel Minute Pro do you have Mac? The 140mm travel Minute comes with the firm spring whereas the 120mm, 100mm come with the medium - according to the website that is....