rider sag

[Gazz]

hello to everyone, first of all i should say that i am relitavely new to biking and the vara is only my third bike over a 5 year period so i`m looking for some advice from any suspension gurus out there as i either must be doin sumit wrong or my suspensions shot. its a v7 non abs model on nearly 8k btw.. been trying to set up my rear preload rider sag  based on the following: 30% of total travel which i beleive is 145mm. so the calculation is about 43mm rider sag. i first measured with the bike on the centre stand from the axle to a fixed point on the pannier rail which came to 360mm. i then took the bike of the stand and sat on the bike with all my gear on and measured again in the same way. this measurement was 280mm. this gave me a rider sag of 80mm!! i then upped the preload to max and made the measurements again which gave me a final rider sag of 60mm which is still 20mm over the recommended setting. am i doin sumit wrong here?  any help appreciated

[varonda]

suspect your mistake is by putting the bike on the stand --first measurement should be with the
bike just stood on the wheels ,  take the fixed measure then load up and ask a mate to take the
measure from the same fixed points as the first then adjust as required , others may come up with a more scientific
method 

[SB]

According to "Wilbers" data sheet :

The difference between Wheel off the ground and Bike only is the "Static Sag"

The difference between Wheel off the ground and Bike +rider(s) + luggage is the "Dynamic Sag"

For a road bike Dynamic Sag should be 33% of total travel.

SB

[Gazz]

thanks sb, so the dynamic sag should be more or lee 48mm at 33% of 145. i`ve done the measurements again and their still the same - giving me a dynamic sag of 60mm with the preload turned up to max! i`,m just wondering (hoping) if the vara has naturally more sag than other bikes. i would be very grateful if someone with the same bike (v7 non abs) could also do these measurements. i appreciate the riders weight will obviously be different (i`m 16 stone) but it might give an indication of the bikes natural sag compared to the 33% rule

[Herghott]

Yes, Vara has little more sag than other bikes (and anyway, I think all these sags declared by suspension makers are too general and meant for sport or naked bikes).

I had 50 mm on Hyperpro and even 60 mm on Ohlins. In this case it is really better to evaluate this by percentage of total travel (ideally approx. 33 %) or by feeling during ride. Try that in all possible scenarios (solo, two up, luggage, different surfaces...).

Herghott

[Gazz]

thanks to everyone for replying. i think the shock is probably ok tbh but i saw a only slightly used nitron shock for sale and got a bargain. that should be arriving in a few days. the advice seems to be to change the front springs also if your changing the shock preferably using the same brand, however nitron dont do fork springs for the vara. can anyone recommend a good match for the nitron or will the stock springs be ok? hagon progressive seem to be popular but they all seem to be a similar price. also some have different settings depending on rider weight i presume but hagons are standard, starting to ramble now, anyway any advice appreciated. i`ll give a review when the works completed

[Gazz]

ok, fitted the nitron shock today. tha hardest part was removing the old shock, took me ages. had to remove rear wheel so as to move swingarm up and down. didnt think i was gonna get it out when suddenly it just dropped through. anyway fitted the nitron, torqued all the bolts and mad e bracket to fit the remote adjuster which now nicely protrudes on the right hand side opposite to where the old adjuster was (non abs). havent ridden the bike yet (too knackered) but did notice that it leans more on the sidestand and is easier to put on the main stand. a flatfoot should help with the sidestand. gonna measure the sag tommorrow to see if its better thaqn the 60mm i was getting on the stock. i have been in touch with nitron who recommend 40mm. the shock was set up for a 15 stone rider however i`m 16.5 stone so i`m just hoping the remote preload can be adjusted within my requirements. if it cant the nitron manual states that the shock can be altered but only with the spring removed. dont think i could cope with taking the thing off again tbh. hagon fork springs also arrived today with their recommended 7.5 wt oil. i was expecting 15 wt tbh so looking for advice on that one, anyone?? anyway i`ll report back after i`ve done the forks.

 regards, gaz238

[Herghott]

Oh man, 7,5W seems to me very soft. I think 10W is minimum, 15W optimal. I use 20W, and very satisfied

Anyway, use what Hagon delivered and have a test ride.

Herghott

[Gazz]

thanks herghott, i`ll try the 7.5 first. just done the sag measurements with the new nitron shock and the result are virtually the same as before if not worse. i`m getting about 75mm of rider sag with the preload on max. feel like i`ve wasted my money but maybe a test ride will prove otherwise. 

[Gazz]

herghott, i`m gonna take your advise and just see how it feels.  i dont think you can use the recommended set up figures on this bike. both shocks cant be wrong !!

[Herghott]

Yap, take a ride, make some adjustments... Nothing else matters when you feel comfortable and safe.

Herghott