ShockWiz offers tuning Suggestions for six adjustments. Depending on the manufacturer and model of your suspension it may or may not feature all six.
Before using ShockWiz take a moment to look your suspension over to identify which adjustments you have. If you are unsure refer to your suspension's owner's manual for more information, or visit a local bike shop to ask a professional for assistance.
Below is a basic explanation of the 6 adjustments ShockWiz offers Suggestions for.
Baseline Air Pressure - All suspension compatible with ShockWiz will have adjustable Baseline Air Pressure.
- The amount of air pressure in the positive air spring chamber when the suspension is fully extended.
- Baseline Air Pressure is changed by attaching a shock pump to the fork or shocks air valve and increasing or decreasing the air pressure.
- Higher air pressure will stiffen the suspension and less air pressure will soften it, throughout it's travel.
Air Spring Ramp - Your suspension may or may not be compatible with volume spacers, such as Bottomless Tokens or Bands. If you are unsure refer to your suspension manufacturer's owner's manual, or visit your local bike shop.
- The progressiveness of the air spring at the end of the travel stroke.
- Air Spring Ramp is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the volume of the positive air chamber with, in the case of ROCKSHOX, Bottomless Tokens and Bands.
- Adding tokens or bands will decrease the air spring volume and increase the Air Spring Ramp, making for a more progressive air spring. Removing tokens or bands will increase the air spring volume and decrease Air Spring Ramp, making for a more linear air spring.
- The more ramp an air spring has, the harder it will be to fully compress. The less ramp an air spring has, the easier it will be to fully compress.
Low Speed Rebound - All suspension will have an external Rebound adjustment dial. If your suspension has only one rebound dial, it controls Low Speed Rebound.
- The amount of low speed rebound damping controls how quickly the suspension can extend after being compressed.
- Low Speed Rebound is a damping adjustment that is controlled via a dial.
- Turning the dial in the Jackalope or '–' (minus) direction reduces the amount of Low Speed Rebound damping and the suspension will extend faster. Turning the dial in the Turtle or + (plus) direction increases the amount of Low Speed Rebound damping and the suspension will extend slower.
- Suspension that does not have adequate rebound damping (under-damped) will behave like a pogo stick. Suspension that has too much rebound damping (over-damped) will be unable to extend quickly enough, and will 'pack', or stay too deep into it's travel, after successive compressions.
High Speed Rebound - If you suspension has two rebound dials, one will control Low Speed Rebound, while the other will control High Speed Rebound. It is important to know which dial is which, so if you're unsure check your suspension's owner's manual.
- The amount of high speed rebound damping controls the speed of extension following a deep compression and effects the suspensions ability to recover following multiple impacts.
- High Speed Rebound is a damping adjustment that is controlled via a dial, when externally adjustable.
- Turning the dial in the Jackalope or '–' (minus) direction reduces the amount of High Speed Rebound damping and the suspension will extend faster. Turning the dial in the Turtle or + (plus) direction increases the amount of High Speed Rebound damping and the suspension will extend slower.
- Suspension that does not have adequate rebound damping (under-damped) will behave like a pogo stick. Suspension that has too much rebound damping (over-damped) will be unable to extend quickly enough, and will 'pack', or stay too deep into it's travel, after successive compressions.
High Speed Compression - High Speed Compression is an adjustment that many suspension products do NOT have an external adjustment for. If your suspension lacks this adjustment, ignore the Suggestion provided by ShockWiz and focus on the adjustments you do have.
- Controls the compression speed when the suspension compresses very quickly, such as hitting a rock or landing a jump or drop.
- High Speed Compression is a damping adjustment that is controlled via a dial, when featured.
- Turning the dial in the '–' (minus) or 'Soft' direction makes the suspension feel softer during a very quick compression. Turning the dial in the '+' (plus) or 'Firm' direction makes suspension feel harder during a very quick compression.
- Suspension that does not have enough High Speed Compression will move through it's travel too rapidly during a very quick compression. Suspension that has too much High Speed Compression will feel harsh during a very quick compression.
Low Speed Compression - Low Speed Compression is an adjustment that many suspension products do NOT have an external adjustment for. If your suspension lacks this adjustment, ignore the Suggestion provided by ShockWiz and focus on the adjustments you do have.
- Controls the compression speed when the suspension compresses slowly, such as a small bump or pedaling induced suspension bobbing.
- Low Speed Compression is controlled via a dial, when featured.
- Turning the dial in the '–' (minus) or 'Soft' Direction makes the suspension feel softer during a slow compression. Turning the dial in the '+' (plus) or 'Firm' direction makes suspension feel harder during a slow compression.
- Suspension that does not have enough Low Speed Compression damping will result in a loss of pedaling efficiency. Suspension that has too much Low Speed Compression damping will feel very harsh over small bumps.