I know people are gonna say "bloody beginner" but i had to laugh.

I finally manage to borrow a C Spanner and got a tape measure out.

For the record im 18 stone (i.e. chunky).

The guy i bought the bike of weighs 10 stone.

You can probably guess where this is going.....

14cms static sag at the rear

Thinking about it - the bike did bottom out when i'd sit on it having a breather

So i got the spanners out and its now a much healthier 7.5cm which im told is about right for a beginner.... And boy what a change. I have rear suspension movement now LOL

And the difference.... first thing i noticed (as i did it in the car park straight away) was i can now do a stoppie without trying. Just grab the front brake and the rear lifts on it own like magic. If i bounce the bike - i actually hop a bit. I guess thinking about it the bike was just bottoming out as i pushed down LOL

Next the rocks.... wheel up as usual - but whats this - the bash plate doesnt crash onto the lip and im up and over nice and easy:D

Then i go up the hills.... theres one hilly section at my local club where i always spin the rear and fall off. I thought lets give it a go. So i line up - go for it.... up i go no issues. No spinning up just drive.

I've been riding the bike for 9 months now and it's fair to say that whilst im never going to be a Dougie or Adam or Tony, im gonna find life a lot easier on my white routes and improve much quicker.

So get the tape measure out and play with those C Spanners

Jza

Well put

I know a fair few people that are scared to play with set ups on their bikes be it road, trials or whatever (even down to road cycling friends) But the difference a well set up machine makes WILL make the difference between a 3/5 and a clean.

If you are really not mechanically minded at all do whatever you can to record the settings as they stand, mark with a pen take photo's whatever it takes. You will not only reap the benefits from a more enjoyable/competitive ride but also get to know and understand your bike so much better.

Lets face it at most you need is a couple of Allen keys a C spanner and a screw driver or 2 and the patience to play around with potentially loads of combinations, just make a note of what feels good where whats feels totally wrong etc and soon enough all will fall into place.

I agree; take a careful note of your base settings before you start and note everything you do.

Another really good tip I used when road racing was to make big changes at first. This will give extremes of the adjustment your making; you will be clear as to what effect the adjustment makes, then you can then come back in smaller steps to the point where you started.

Road racing is a little less 'seat of the pants' than trials, because you can see the changes in lap times or tyre wear, however taking notes and trying the bike could well make a worth whle difference.

At the end of the day, you can always go back to your base setting and no harms been done.

I cannot recall all them stones vs kilos vs lb's things, but over 80 kilo's would do even better with the heavy spring available out there!

That little spring may POP!

I know people are gonna say "bloody beginner" but i had to laugh.

I finally manage to borrow a C Spanner and got a tape measure out.

For the record im 18 stone (i.e. chunky).

The guy i bought the bike of weighs 10 stone.

You can probably guess where this is going.....

14cms static sag at the rear

Thinking about it - the bike did bottom out when i'd sit on it having a breather

So i got the spanners out and its now a much healthier 7.5cm which im told is about right for a beginner.... And boy what a change. I have rear suspension movement now LOL

And the difference.... first thing i noticed (as i did it in the car park straight away) was i can now do a stoppie without trying. Just grab the front brake and the rear lifts on it own like magic. If i bounce the bike - i actually hop a bit. I guess thinking about it the bike was just bottoming out as i pushed down LOL

Next the rocks.... wheel up as usual - but whats this - the bash plate doesnt crash onto the lip and im up and over nice and easy:D

Then i go up the hills.... theres one hilly section at my local club where i always spin the rear and fall off. I thought lets give it a go. So i line up - go for it.... up i go no issues. No spinning up just drive.

I've been riding the bike for 9 months now and it's fair to say that whilst im never going to be a Dougie or Adam or Tony, im gonna find life a lot easier on my white routes and improve much quicker.

So get the tape measure out and play with those C Spanners

Jza

Try a heavier spring, jitsie do one for riders over 85kg. I did this in my motocross days and what a difference, it was like floating on air. Remember the standard spring once compressed due to the bigger rider gives very little control over the rear shock, so i would suggest you go harder. Even winding the spring up to get the correct sag will just make it like a pogo stick which is no good obviously.What the jitsie spring is like i aint sure and at