Bomberhood

[Per Elmsäter]

Just read the FAQ and realize this group likes Bombers. Well that suits me
just fine since I happen to be the proud owner of a "2003 Bomber Marathon
S".

No need to send Brandy and cigars since I neither smoke nor drink. However
have a party on my behalf next time more than one of you bombers gather.

Now that we are done with formalities I'll let on how these fine bombers are
mounted and I expect ya'll to let me in on all the finetuning secrets of
these masterpieces.

They are setup on a 2001 Klein Adept Pro painted Plum Crazy with Fox Float
RC rear shocks
"2003 XTR Dual lever hydraulic brakes, complete group except an XT rear
cassette and a SRAM PC99 chain.
*Yes I removed the thumblever*
Easton CT2 MonkeyLite riserbar
Thompsson Elite seatpost and stem ( stem is on order).
Building new wheels at the moment. XTR hubs with XTR discs, Mavic X819 UST
rims.
And of course Nokian Extreme studded tires.

Now I just need to learn how to ride it and I'd appreciate any and all tips
on getting the most out of these shocks.
Question numero uno is of course how do I know if the spring coil is the
right strength and how do I figure out if I need a harder or softer coil. Is
there an easy way of reading the specs for instance, color coding etc.

I've set the sag sort of according to instructions and the rebound pretty
much right inbetween max and min. I don't really know yet if I want it to
rebound faster or slower. I was riding on a dirt road the other day and the
shocks were giving me a really nice ride as I entered a washboard section. I
decided to increase my speed. Everything was absorbed really nice up to a
certain point. All of a sudden I started bouncing way up in the air really
leaving the saddle, worse every time until I slowed down again.
Does this mean I need to tighten up the rebound settings so that the shocks
rebound faster?
Do I need to do it on both front and rear?
Or is it enough to do it on the rear if I let off some weight on the front
shocks?
If I speed up the rebound how will that affect the suspension as I get into
more technical terrain? I do prefer to have a good setup for technical
terrain if I have to make a choice.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

[Tom]

yay I got some bomber SLs the other week, I still feel sick when I look at
my credit card statement!

I <3 bombers :)

Cheers,
Tom

"Per Elmsäter" > wrote in message
...
> Just read the FAQ and realize this group likes Bombers. Well that suits me
> just fine since I happen to be the proud owner of a "2003 Bomber Marathon
> S".
>
> No need to send Brandy and cigars since I neither smoke nor drink. However
> have a party on my behalf next time more than one of you bombers gather.
>
> Now that we are done with formalities I'll let on how these fine bombers
are
> mounted and I expect ya'll to let me in on all the finetuning secrets of
> these masterpieces.
>
> They are setup on a 2001 Klein Adept Pro painted Plum Crazy with Fox Float
> RC rear shocks
> "2003 XTR Dual lever hydraulic brakes, complete group except an XT rear
> cassette and a SRAM PC99 chain.
> *Yes I removed the thumblever*
> Easton CT2 MonkeyLite riserbar
> Thompsson Elite seatpost and stem ( stem is on order).
> Building new wheels at the moment. XTR hubs with XTR discs, Mavic X819 UST
> rims.
> And of course Nokian Extreme studded tires.
>
> Now I just need to learn how to ride it and I'd appreciate any and all
tips
> on getting the most out of these shocks.
> Question numero uno is of course how do I know if the spring coil is the
> right strength and how do I figure out if I need a harder or softer coil.
Is
> there an easy way of reading the specs for instance, color coding etc.
>
> I've set the sag sort of according to instructions and the rebound pretty
> much right inbetween max and min. I don't really know yet if I want it to
> rebound faster or slower. I was riding on a dirt road the other day and
the
> shocks were giving me a really nice ride as I entered a washboard section.
I
> decided to increase my speed. Everything was absorbed really nice up to a
> certain point. All of a sudden I started bouncing way up in the air really
> leaving the saddle, worse every time until I slowed down again.
> Does this mean I need to tighten up the rebound settings so that the
shocks
> rebound faster?
> Do I need to do it on both front and rear?
> Or is it enough to do it on the rear if I let off some weight on the front
> shocks?
> If I speed up the rebound how will that affect the suspension as I get
into
> more technical terrain? I do prefer to have a good setup for technical
> terrain if I have to make a choice.
>
> --
> Perre
>
> You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.
>
>

[Michael Dart]

"Per Elmsäter" > wrote in message
...
> Just read the FAQ and realize this group likes Bombers. Well that suits me
> just fine since I happen to be the proud owner of a "2003 Bomber Marathon
> S".

Congratulazoni!

>
> No need to send Brandy and cigars since I neither smoke nor drink. However
> have a party on my behalf next time more than one of you bombers gather.
>

Carla you can send his to me. ;^)

> Now that we are done with formalities I'll let on how these fine bombers
are
> mounted and I expect ya'll to let me in on all the finetuning secrets of
> these masterpieces.
>
<snip nice bike spec>

> Now I just need to learn how to ride it and I'd appreciate any and all
tips
> on getting the most out of these shocks.
> Question numero uno is of course how do I know if the spring coil is the
> right strength and how do I figure out if I need a harder or softer coil.
Is
> there an easy way of reading the specs for instance, color coding etc.
>
> I've set the sag sort of according to instructions

You've kind of answered your first question here. If you have difficulty
getting the required sag you need to adjust your spring strength.

>and the rebound pretty
> much right inbetween max and min. I don't really know yet if I want it to
> rebound faster or slower. I was riding on a dirt road the other day and
the
> shocks were giving me a really nice ride as I entered a washboard section.
I
> decided to increase my speed. Everything was absorbed really nice up to a
> certain point. All of a sudden I started bouncing way up in the air really
> leaving the saddle, worse every time until I slowed down again.
> Does this mean I need to tighten up the rebound settings so that the
shocks
> rebound faster?

Yes the shock is 'packing up', the rebound is set too slow and the shock
can't extend quick enough for repeated high speed bumps. Back off on the
knob. Rebound and compression adjustments are a valve adjustments. Close
the valve and the oil takes longer to pass through, open it and the oil goes
faster.

> Do I need to do it on both front and rear?

Yes, it's a balancing act. If you adjust one end the other will react
differently.

> Or is it enough to do it on the rear if I let off some weight on the front
> shocks?
> If I speed up the rebound how will that affect the suspension as I get
into
> more technical terrain? I do prefer to have a good setup for technical
> terrain if I have to make a choice.

You just don' t want it to 'pogo stick' or bounce off of rocks and landings.
If the suspension bounces wildly on a single hit you need a bit more rebound
damping.

Also note new Marzocchi's need a bit of a break in period to achieve full
plushness. Maybe 5-10 hours (SWAG) of good hard riding.

Enjoy!

Mike

[Jon Bond]

"Michael Dart" > wrote in message
...
>snip<
> Also note new Marzocchi's need a bit of a break in period to achieve full
> plushness. Maybe 5-10 hours (SWAG) of good hard riding.
>
> Enjoy!
>
> Mike

And for those with Marzocchi air forks, like the Marathon SL, they take
significantly longer than that - mine took a good 15-20 hours before it felt
as plush as it does now. The air seals are tighter, because losing air is
not a good thing, so they take longer to wear in.

Jon Bond

[Per Elmsäter]

Jon Bond wrote:
> "Michael Dart" > wrote in message
> ...
>> snip<
>> Also note new Marzocchi's need a bit of a break in period to achieve
>> full plushness. Maybe 5-10 hours (SWAG) of good hard riding.
>>
>> Enjoy!
>>
>> Mike
>
> And for those with Marzocchi air forks, like the Marathon SL, they
> take significantly longer than that - mine took a good 15-20 hours
> before it felt as plush as it does now. The air seals are tighter,
> because losing air is not a good thing, so they take longer to wear
> in.
>
> Jon Bond

I know two riders with the SL forks. Both are having problems with their air
seals and tell me I was wise to get the coil version. I wasn't wise a deal
just landed on me including theese shocks. Is it a widespreaad problem or
are these two just statistics.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

[Per Elmsäter]

Michael Dart wrote:
> "Per Elmsäter" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Just read the FAQ and realize this group likes Bombers. Well that
>> suits me just fine since I happen to be the proud owner of a "2003
>> Bomber Marathon S".
>
> Congratulazoni!
>
Thankyou.

>>
>> No need to send Brandy and cigars since I neither smoke nor drink.
>> However have a party on my behalf next time more than one of you
>> bombers gather.
>>
>
> Carla you can send his to me. ;^)

Drooling now aren't ya?
>
>> Now that we are done with formalities I'll let on how these fine
>> bombers are mounted and I expect ya'll to let me in on all the
>> finetuning secrets of these masterpieces.
>>
> <snip nice bike spec>

So nice I almost wanted to paste them back again. When my wife first came
home and the bike was already standing in the livingroom, she looked at it
and asked how much it's costed. After a while I managed to tell her. She
looked at the bike again took in the Plum Crazy paintjob and just kinda
nodded her head like, "Yes of course with a paint job like that why
shouldn't it cost a mint". I caught her walking by and glancing at it
several times that evening ;)

>
>> Now I just need to learn how to ride it and I'd appreciate any and
>> all tips on getting the most out of these shocks.
>> Question numero uno is of course how do I know if the spring coil is
>> the right strength and how do I figure out if I need a harder or
>> softer coil. Is there an easy way of reading the specs for instance,
>> color coding etc.
>>
>> I've set the sag sort of according to instructions
>
> You've kind of answered your first question here. If you have
> difficulty getting the required sag you need to adjust your spring
> strength.
>

Sounds simple enough. I hope it is ;) I'm not sure if I have any difficulty
getting the required SAG yet. I'm just kinda trying things out still. One
thing I've noticed though is that it doesn't seem to stay put. The lever
that I lock out with keeps moving around and I have a feeling so does the
SAG settings. How can I fix that.

>> and the rebound pretty
>> much right inbetween max and min. I don't really know yet if I want
>> it to rebound faster or slower. I was riding on a dirt road the
>> other day and the shocks were giving me a really nice ride as I
>> entered a washboard section. I decided to increase my speed.
>> Everything was absorbed really nice up to a certain point. All of a
>> sudden I started bouncing way up in the air really leaving the
>> saddle, worse every time until I slowed down again.
>> Does this mean I need to tighten up the rebound settings so that the
>> shocks rebound faster?
>
> Yes the shock is 'packing up', the rebound is set too slow and the
> shock can't extend quick enough for repeated high speed bumps. Back
> off on the knob. Rebound and compression adjustments are a valve
> adjustments. Close the valve and the oil takes longer to pass
> through, open it and the oil goes faster.
>
>> Do I need to do it on both front and rear?
>
> Yes, it's a balancing act. If you adjust one end the other will react
> differently.
>
>> Or is it enough to do it on the rear if I let off some weight on the
>> front shocks?
>> If I speed up the rebound how will that affect the suspension as I
>> get into more technical terrain? I do prefer to have a good setup
>> for technical terrain if I have to make a choice.
>
> You just don' t want it to 'pogo stick' or bounce off of rocks and
> landings. If the suspension bounces wildly on a single hit you need a
> bit more rebound damping.

That would mean slower rebound, right? Like closing the front rebond and
turning the rear rebound towards the minus sign?

>
> Also note new Marzocchi's need a bit of a break in period to achieve
> full plushness. Maybe 5-10 hours (SWAG) of good hard riding.
>
> Enjoy!
>
> Mike


Thanks Mike

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

[Michael Dart]

"Per Elmsäter" > wrote in message
...
> Michael Dart wrote:
> > "Per Elmsäter" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> Just read the FAQ and realize this group likes Bombers. Well that
> >> suits me just fine since I happen to be the proud owner of a "2003
> >> Bomber Marathon S".
> >
> > Congratulazoni!
> >
> Thankyou.
>
> >>
> >> No need to send Brandy and cigars since I neither smoke nor drink.
> >> However have a party on my behalf next time more than one of you
> >> bombers gather.
> >>
> >
> > Carla you can send his to me. ;^)
>
> Drooling now aren't ya?

Yeah, but it's a condition many DHer's have. ;^P`````

<snip>

> Sounds simple enough. I hope it is ;) I'm not sure if I have any
difficulty
> getting the required SAG yet. I'm just kinda trying things out still. One
> thing I've noticed though is that it doesn't seem to stay put. The lever
> that I lock out with keeps moving around and I have a feeling so does the
> SAG settings. How can I fix that.

Perhaps you can put a mark on the knob to see if it really is turning. It
shouldn't once set. If it does I'd say contact Marzocchi. I don't have
experience with that year/model fork. I have a 02 Marathon Air. The sag in
that is set by air pressure.

>
> >> and the rebound pretty
> >> much right inbetween max and min. I don't really know yet if I want
> >> it to rebound faster or slower. I was riding on a dirt road the
> >> other day and the shocks were giving me a really nice ride as I
> >> entered a washboard section. I decided to increase my speed.
> >> Everything was absorbed really nice up to a certain point. All of a
> >> sudden I started bouncing way up in the air really leaving the
> >> saddle, worse every time until I slowed down again.
> >> Does this mean I need to tighten up the rebound settings so that the
> >> shocks rebound faster?
> >
> > Yes the shock is 'packing up', the rebound is set too slow and the
> > shock can't extend quick enough for repeated high speed bumps. Back
> > off on the knob. Rebound and compression adjustments are a valve
> > adjustments. Close the valve and the oil takes longer to pass
> > through, open it and the oil goes faster.
> >
> >> Do I need to do it on both front and rear?
> >
> > Yes, it's a balancing act. If you adjust one end the other will react
> > differently.
> >
> >> Or is it enough to do it on the rear if I let off some weight on the
> >> front shocks?
> >> If I speed up the rebound how will that affect the suspension as I
> >> get into more technical terrain? I do prefer to have a good setup
> >> for technical terrain if I have to make a choice.
> >
> > You just don' t want it to 'pogo stick' or bounce off of rocks and
> > landings. If the suspension bounces wildly on a single hit you need a
> > bit more rebound damping.
>
> That would mean slower rebound, right? Like closing the front rebond and
> turning the rear rebound towards the minus sign?
>

In that case yes, but from what you described you need faster rebound. You
can test the setting by compressing the suspension and watching how fast it
returns. There should be some delay but not too much.

Mike