Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1527076
28 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Shop Profile! Shop Profile! Racer's Choice Suspension Racer's Choice Suspension By Beau Viens By Beau Viens Let's face it, suspension is one of the most cri cal factors on a dirt bike. Most of us go through a life me of riding dirt bikes without even turning the clickers to see if the suspen- sion would be be er or worse. Those aware of the importance of personalized suspension components typically send the forks and shock with minimal informa on like height, weight, ability, and what terrain they ride in, mostly hoping the tech gets it right and they are hap- py. Very few will immediately go tes ng and put the me in to see if what they have will work for them or not. The hardest part about suspension tuning is learning how to describe what you like or don't like about it to the tuner. That's another level and whole language that takes years of working with someone personal- ly who's a suspension wizard and teaches you this. It's like trying to order Spanish food, but you don't know Spanish. Guys, don't feel bad. Mostly, the elite fast kids who get factory test days or have their own personal mechanics get to be so lucky. It takes me and effort, just like anything else. There's no perfect formula because everyone likes something different. Now, late in my years of racing, test riding bikes, and tes ng products, I'm blown away at what I s ll don't know about suspension tuning. Luckily, I had an older buddy, Mike Carlon, who spent a lot of me teaching me about bikes and the basics of suspen- sion. For example, when se ng your suspension, ride the same small loop or stretch of the track or trail repeatedly, adjus ng clickers one at a me or a few clicks at a me, and try it. It will either be be er, worse, or I can't tell. Repeat the process over and over un l the bike ride is riding flat and boring, meaning the bike is doing all the work, saving you energy also. My point is that you need someone who will give you that me, teach you the ropes, work with you, and educate you so your suspension can best suit your tailored needs. We aren't all in- shape pros. So, with all that said, here's where Nathan Smith of Racer's Choice Suspension shines. Nate has been an adver ser here at Trail Rider for a while now, and luckily for us, he reached out to see if we had any suspension projects we could collaborate on.