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Maerstro rear suspenstion adjustments

1417 Views 15 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  NormanPCN
Are there any rules of thumb as far as air pressure in my swinger 3 way? Like my NRS had your body weight up top and 50 psi in the bottom. I've tried differant pressures and can't make heads or tails of the manual:madman: :madman:
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Unlike your NRS, these bikes ARE designed to be setup using SAG, so to get a good starting point try enough PSI to get 20-25% SAG. From there mess around so you get it how you like it. Same applies for the fork.
The manual from swinger said about 1/2" of SAG using the Oring as a measure. 1/2" is not 20% of 6" !!!. I'm now set up with my body weight up top and about 170 PSI on bottom and about 1/2" SAG. Sounds like I need to rethink that.
6" is the wheel travel, not the shock travel. The shock travel is significantly less (i.e., about 2.5", of which .5 is 20%).
Now thats a little clearer..:D
Next time then maybe say you don't know how to measure SAG and you'll get a more detailed discription of what to do :D Swood. thanks for the beginner lesson/

Biscuit Pants said:
Now thats a little clearer..:D
swoodbrn said:
6" is the wheel travel, not the shock travel. The shock travel is significantly less (i.e., about 2.5", of which .5 is 20%).
I'm pretty sure the shock stroke is 2".
Stroke on the Trance is 1.5" so 2" does sound more likely than 2.5". Anyhow I checked Manitou's site and it's 2" stroke (that's the longest stroke the 3 way comes available in) so that would make it 25% SAG that Manitou recomends.

Steve71 said:
I'm pretty sure the shock stroke is 2".
Both '05 & '06 Reign's spec a 7.875" x 2.0" shock so sag (measured at the shock shaft) should be ~0.5".
Hey guys, I have a question about this too, but more geared toward the SPV. The most common explanation I've read is that the pressure to run in the SPV chamber is going to vary depending on your psi in the spring chamber. Now, does anybody have any guidelines on how the suspension should behave with the proper SPV pressure? I'm 170 lbs and have my main chamber set at 140 psi to get the 1/2" of sag on the shock. Now I started out with 75 psi in my SPV as recommended by the manual, suspension felt really rough over small bumps and just bounced off of loose rocks. I lowered the SPV to 40 psi and it turned super plush but bobbed terribly when out of the saddle. I'm still fuzzy on the purpose of the SPV pressure, how does it work, can I achieve a balance? I know it means Stable Platform Valve, so I'm guessing its a kind of resistance to the compression until a certain pressure is reached overriding the valve and opening up the shock, am I close?

PS - I'm now running 55 psi in an attempt to kind of split the middle, but I still get alot of bob out of the saddle.
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Cluthcman, although I have never used a SPV shock I can instill a little advice.............. Remember one thing, all modern suspension can feel so much different by just adding or subtracting 5PSI of pressure, so don't go for big changes once you figure out what the extreems do - you did this when you went to 40PSI from 75PSI. Try 60PSI, then 65PSI if it still bobs too much -seriously you'll be amazed what 5PSI can do.

Maybe someone who uses SPV can chime in a bit more on setup.

Clutchman83 said:
Hey guys, ....................... I'm still fuzzy on the purpose of the SPV pressure, how does it work, can I achieve a balance? I know it means Stable Platform Valve, so I'm guessing its a kind of resistance to the compression until a certain pressure is reached overriding the valve and opening up the shock, am I close?

PS - I'm now running 55 psi in an attempt to kind of split the middle, but I still get alot of bob out of the saddle.
Clutchman83 said:
I lowered the SPV to 40 psi and it turned super plush but bobbed terribly when out of the saddle.
in the Manitou shock manual, I think they say not to go below 40 psi!
Mine, at 40 psi (I put 75 psi but it tends to loose some air with time) make a terrible clicking noise...
I had a chance to ride an '05 Reign3 with a swinger 3-way for a while. Manitou reccomends you try 50-75% body weight in the SPV chamber. I would say start at 50%. Move in 10psi increments to a get very positive difference. Take the shock pump on the trail and try various sections at various SPV pressures to find you best all around. Once you think you have gone too far for a change then shoot the gap with a 5psi change. I am 220lbs and do not have the smoothest pedal stroke and 110 was a pretty good platform on the Reign for my taste (not racerboy). 90 gave a good ride for downhill while still having some platform effect.
You are supposed to set your SPV pressure first and then set the sag using the pressure in the main chamber as the SPV pressure affects the ride height (sag). I had a VT for over 2 years and this worked well for me.With my body weight of 180 I ran 150 in the main and 90 in the SPV. Any more SPV and the shock became too unforgiving on smaller bumps and any less it was too soggy to pedal.
I now have a Reign and I find the SPV is still good at 90 (only the bike pedals WAAAAY! better) Main chamber pressure is now down to 120 for the same amount of sag (20%).
I read about guys running 150 plus when they're my weight or less and I just don't understand it, at 150 it rides way too stiff and wants to buck me off the seat and definately has less than 20%..
The guy who said only 5psi can make a big difference is SO right. The difference between my TALAS forks being sweet or lousy is about 3-4psi and about 5psi on my Swinger.
I assume you guys are allowing for the escape of air from the SPV valve when removing the pump. I have to pump in 150 to get 90, just receck it again after you release the pressure to double check it.
Don't forget to play with your rebound knob too, I set mine faster for harsh rocky trails and slower for smoother more flowing singletrack. It makes a difference.
Good luck guys.
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You Need A Shrader Valve Tool

The guy who said only 5psi can make a big difference is SO right. The difference between my TALAS forks being sweet or lousy is about 3-4psi and about 5psi on my Swinger.
I assume you guys are allowing for the escape of air from the SPV valve when removing the pump. I have to pump in 150 to get 90, just receck it again after you release the pressure to double check it.
You shouldn't be loosing that much air when you remove the pump, just a small amount. I had the same problem with my swinger(s), but there is an easy fix. It seems Manitou doesn't like the screw the internal shrader valve tight from the factory, go to your local auto parts store and ask for a shrader valve tool, tighten that bad boy up and you'll see how much more precise your tuning can be.
Terrance said:
I assume you guys are allowing for the escape of air from the SPV valve when removing the pump. I have to pump in 150 to get 90, just receck it again after you release the pressure to double check it.
No. If you connect the pump after removing it you are looking at an incorrect reading. The air you hear escaping when you disconnect is coming from from the pump itself. There is air in the hose under pressure. When you connect notice that you do not hear air escaping like when you disconnect. If the valve leaks on disconnect then it will leak on connect. I doubt you hear air leaking on connect. When you connect air fills of pump and gauge and affects the reading. The SPV chamber is pretty small and is easily affected when connecting the pump. The main chamber on the swinger is not affected much when connecting. At least on the 7.875x2.0 size swinger I am familiar with.
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