I have a DVO Diamond D2 and set it to the spec in the book. Having ridden BMX for half my life and switching to MTB, I'm a bit lost as far as what the suspension is supposed to do when riding and how I should judge it's performance. I know i still act as a shock on my hardtail, but what should the forks react to? How should they be on trails? It may be a stupid question but if i've ridden a bike with front suspension in the past i just used it as is and didn't really think much on it. When watching videos on youtube most of the people use their entire range of suspension and sometimes i even wait for the forks to bottom out and smash, but they never do. I'd like to setup my suspension properly this season instead of just making do with how it's been setup.
What does a PROPER front fork setup ride like?
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StayVigilant35
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To say your fork is stock other than the tuned damper somewhat contradicts it being stock fork.
So again, I don't have a problem buying another fork if recommended. I'd like the bike to be playful but still be useful on the trails. What's the difference between trail/XC forks and trail/enduro? That would help me read more into the suspension types. I'd assume (with no prior knowledge) the enduro side of the forks is more robust and the XC is lighter. My current fork is 140mm travel, 44 degree offset.
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The first action is not buying a new fork. The diamond is already a good fork.
If you think it isn’t set up correctly, focus on getting it so. I suggest following the dvo setup guide again, for 10 lbs less than your actual riding mass.
A new fork isn’t a panacea for good setup. I have six different forks across five bikes and six fork manufacturers in the family fleet. They’re all pretty much the same once setup for the rider weight and ride style. Sure, I prefer a coil over air, and my youngest prefers an air over coil, but the difference are not that big as far as base function, just in final feel, like the last 5% or 3%. There is one fork in the lot that can’t stay on a bike (it’s a 2019 Lyrik). It’s not bad, just most everything else is better, it needs a bushing burnish.
you could buy a new fork, and maybe the out of the box experience will match your needs, but probably it will need to be setup for you too, and you’ll be in the same place.
If you think it isn’t set up correctly, focus on getting it so. I suggest following the dvo setup guide again, for 10 lbs less than your actual riding mass.
A new fork isn’t a panacea for good setup. I have six different forks across five bikes and six fork manufacturers in the family fleet. They’re all pretty much the same once setup for the rider weight and ride style. Sure, I prefer a coil over air, and my youngest prefers an air over coil, but the difference are not that big as far as base function, just in final feel, like the last 5% or 3%. There is one fork in the lot that can’t stay on a bike (it’s a 2019 Lyrik). It’s not bad, just most everything else is better, it needs a bushing burnish.
you could buy a new fork, and maybe the out of the box experience will match your needs, but probably it will need to be setup for you too, and you’ll be in the same place.
So my fork lacks HSC which I’ve seen in other forks. where does that come into play?
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No need for a new fork. Take the time to understand your fork and how to tune it for your needs. Be patient and perform one change at a time. This isn't rocket science even though it sometimes appears to be.
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1,326 Posts
Its all personal preference on how and what you ride and no one tune will work for every scenario
However………..
Of course you can tweak to your liking - every turn of the knob is a compromise somewhere else............
However………..
- I heard someone say once long ago that the job of the fork is to keep the front wheel on the ground - not to offer a cushy ride – this helped me find what worked for me.
Of course you can tweak to your liking - every turn of the knob is a compromise somewhere else............
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422 Posts
OP’s question is honest and interesting. A lot of us who have tinkered with MTB suspension for decades will obviously get lost in the weeds sometimes. “Do I have my spring rate exactly right,” “could my rebound speed be better optimized,” “I’m feeling inadequate because my fork doesn’t have enough dials,” etc.
I watched a minute of the video Dougal posted. That for sure shows a well-setup fork reacting to the terrain. Not sure mine would look like that if filmed.
My short answer would be: whatever makes your ride faster, more fun, or more comfortable. Ideally you could find a short section of trail you know well. 3-4-5 minute run that’s easy to get back to the start. Pick a section that’s typical for you, or a section that usually gives you trouble and you’d hope to get better at. Ride it over and over, bracketing clicks (change only one thing at a time!). Does your speed, comfort, or experience change for the better? You’re on the right track! If you’re not noticing any difference, forget it! Go back to the middle settings and have fun riding.
*** Edit to add: if you’re curious about the function of the settings, make sure to try both extremes to feel what they do. Most forks, average size person, you’ll find it very unpleasant to have rebound damping at full closed. But ride it around a little to get a feeling of what “too much rebound damping” feels like, for instance.
I watched a minute of the video Dougal posted. That for sure shows a well-setup fork reacting to the terrain. Not sure mine would look like that if filmed.
My short answer would be: whatever makes your ride faster, more fun, or more comfortable. Ideally you could find a short section of trail you know well. 3-4-5 minute run that’s easy to get back to the start. Pick a section that’s typical for you, or a section that usually gives you trouble and you’d hope to get better at. Ride it over and over, bracketing clicks (change only one thing at a time!). Does your speed, comfort, or experience change for the better? You’re on the right track! If you’re not noticing any difference, forget it! Go back to the middle settings and have fun riding.
*** Edit to add: if you’re curious about the function of the settings, make sure to try both extremes to feel what they do. Most forks, average size person, you’ll find it very unpleasant to have rebound damping at full closed. But ride it around a little to get a feeling of what “too much rebound damping” feels like, for instance.
There's two schools of thought: use all your travel every ride, or only use al your travel on the biggest hit. Your sag will be a reflection of which you prefer. Unlike the rear shock, there is no correct sag. I run my fork pretty stiff so I dont' bottom or have excessive brake dive. This means little to no sag, and at slower speeds poor sensitivity.
Good advice I have read is to bracket your settings, take one setting at a time and go from one end of the spectrum to the other, and keep backing it off to find approximately the ideal range. For me this really helped me understand what the knobs do by feel, and with only incremental changes, it is hard to really tell what is happening.
That can be good when you dont' know what you prefer anyway. You have HSC it's just not adjustable. I usually leave my HSC open because I like a pretty firm spring rate. If you like a softer spring rate adding HSC can be used to help with harder impacts (faster stroke movement) . The negative is you can get "spiking" when the HSC starts limiting oil flow. I like to let the oil flow and get support and bottom out resistance from the spring rate. When you can't adjust HSC you are force to use the spring rate. That's not always a bad thing.
I've had every compression dial hsc/lsc wide open on all my forks and shocks. By the time I have the spring rate to keep the front end up on the brakes in steep rollers and keep the rear end up in fast berms so the front doesn't understeer it doesn't need anything else slowing it down. YMMV
Thank you for the help guys, much appreciated. I talked to DVO directly and was told to try adding a spacer for the OTT but my fork is basically maxed out. So, I’ll be looking for a new fork and coming back to this thread. I started a new thread asking for suggestions on suspension.
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You've said that about everything that DVO ever produced though. Which makes it kinda hard to trust your judgement.
Nope. As stated it's stock apart from one change.
Which is quite different to the other configurations I've run and video'd.
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2,313 Posts
What’s your riding mass?
Currently 270. I’ll be down to 225-230ish by mid June.
LOL. As soon as you changed something it’s not stock.
PS, next time you take a self-portrait, try smiling.
That's custom tune weight. Even 220/230 IMO. Unless things have changed. Dampers are tuned for an average rider weight of 170. My opinion is anyone 50lbs up or down from 170 will benefit the most from a custom tune. I would shop for a used Yari and buy an Avalanche damper set up for your weight and riding style. That will likely cost you less than buying whatever else and you'll have a killer custom damper nothing out of a box is going to match.
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17,486 Posts
I’m looking to keep the fork 2000g or less
That's basically every 36mm fork other than the X fusion metric. The metric runs a beefier chassis than other 36mm forks. yari/ava should be under though I can't remember if the Ava damper is open bath or a cartridge? If it's bath it might tip over that 2kg mark?
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