Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/807546
March/April 2017 21 derstandable. To complicate ma ers further, we ride a variety of terrain and all have varying skill levels. Adjus ng rebound and dampeners helps, but in the end, it's all about the way a suspension is sprung and valved. Late last year I decided to take ma ers into my own hands and learn how to set up forks and shocks my- self. The goal wasn't to become a professional tuner, but to have a li le fun, learn a few things, be able to help friends do the same, and most importantly, show that anyone with reasonable (but not expert) mechanical skills can pull this off . I chose the Race Tech route. They have a reputable product, tested recipe and good technical support. I won't get into the step-by-step details on how to do this since we all have diff erent confi gura ons, but I will use a few highlights on what I did to revalve a standard 48mm cartridge fork. Before you start, it's important to have all of your tools together, as well as parts. The RaceTech site and instruc ons lists is what's needed. They also have a handy fork spring rate calculator. I recommend using this to make sure that your springs are close enough to your specif- ic body weight. If there is a signifi cant variance, I recommend doing the springs too since all of the components are designed to work together. They show the factory spring rates for comparison, but it's always a good idea to refer back to your specifi c owner's manual. In my case, I needed the typical wrenches, pick, a fork seal driver, a fi le, a precision torque wrench, oil level tool and digital calipers. These items are available online and at various home-backed systems. These are all rela vely inex- pensive tools so it's easiest just to buy them. While you're doing this, I recommend changing the seals and bushings. The fork oil is a given. Furthermore, if you want to become an "expert," I recommend their book. Paul Theade does an excellent job of ar cu- la ng the in's and out's of suspensions and breaks it down in a quite understandable manner. I think it's a good read even if you're not planning to revalve your suspension yourself. It'll help you ar culate your needs to a tuner. First, start by pulling the forks and disassembling them. While the service manual should be handy, I recommend taking a few pics of seal placement since this is likely hard to see on the manual and you don't want to reinstall one of these upside down. There are also a variety of YouTube videos available from RaceTech and other sources. I found those helpful to watch before diving in. I like to pull the forks apart in the evening and let them drain over- night to avoid a mess. Cycle them a few mes to get as much out as possible. Trust me; you won't get it all through so have a pan ready. Once you have them pulled apart, it's me to remove the valving stack. For me, this involved an allen wrench and cartridge holder. You may see online posts from those who've managed to extract their valves without a cartridge holder. I have my doubts and you will need one to reassemble anyway. Now that you have the valves out, it will start to get fun. Valving stacks are curi- ous li le items. They are surprisingly simple. The brains of the whole system are in how the various shims are confi gured. If you have been following any instruc ons, you'll already have entered your weight, ability, and riding style into their online system. This will kick out the sequence of shims needed for the stack. Hint: be fair on your riding ability. If you're really a novice, don't rate yourself as an A class rider or it will be way too fi rm for your needs. In addi on to shim sequence, the calcula- tor will also give fork oil levels, damper and rebound se ngs. When you reinstall your forks they will be plug and play! Se ng up your shim stack is the hardest part of the whole process. These shims vary in thickness by .05mm and have various diameter sizes. I recommend doing this over a clean piece of white paper. I also recommend making a stand out of a coat hanger so you can assem- ble the stack before installing it. If you need reading glasses have them handy. Clean hands are paramount. If you've been playing around with oily fork parts these ny shims have a tendency to s ck together. Assemble the stack. You may have to omit a spring or spacer that was part of the original stack, so read the instruc ons carefully. At this point, I recommend taking a picture of the whole stack and sending it to a RaceTech support person. This should be done if it's your fi rst me, or if you have to omit pieces. Although the direc ons are quite clear, some things are not as they seem and you should verify that you did it correctly before you install it back in the fork. Once you get the green light, torque it back together (Yes, those measures on the valving stack are really inch pounds and it is important). Then reassemble the forks and go have fun! I recommend going to your favorite sec on of trail and hammering into some nasty ruts and square ledges that would cause your bike to defl ect, pogo and do all sorts of crazy stuff so you can now say "ahhh!" You have now been given the key to the chapter room and can say you did them yourself. You are not likely a professional tuner at this point, so those guys don't need to worry about being put out of business but you are MUCH more knowledgeable than before and can now vary up the shims as you see fi t for your needs. Enjoy and happy shimming!