I’ve searched the web and only find general articles for fork setup
I just got a Specialized Rockhopper Expert 29er and have the Rockshox Tora TK fork
It has a lockout lever on the drive side (right) of the fork which I think can control dampening by closing it part of the way, not sure if that’s true.
A dial on top of the left side of the fork and which I think adjusts the spring preload
Another adjustment on the bottom which I think adjust the rebound.
Can anyone explain how to adjust all of these? I think I got the preload right but the fork seems very soft and cushy.
The top knob is going to be rebound and lockout. You can adjust this to however fast you want the fork to return to it’s ‘normal’ position after hitting a bump.
The bottom adjustment is damping and should be set based on your weight. Rock Shox almost always has a chart in the owner’s manual or on the fork that will help you set this up – I know they do on the air forks so I’m not sure about the coil. If you have a LBS that deals mostly with MTB’s, they should be able to help you with the set up.
The left leg contains the spring, so the top knob should be preload. Use this to set the sag, usually 20% with you on the bike sitting still.
The right leg contains the damper. On most RS forks, the bottom knob is rebound. The top knob is compression/lockout. If there is a blow-off/pop-off setting (to overcome the lockout), that will be second knob on top of the right leg. Setting rebound and compression is done by feel. My Reba and Revelation (both air spring, but I think similar damper design) are set in the mid-range for rebound and wide open on compression for descents. Climbs I move the compression to the midpoint. Pavement, I lock it out, with the pop-off set just beyond the point that my standing pedal stroke would activate it.
The top left adjusts spring preload, when you sit on the bike it should sit between 10% to 20% into the travel, some prefer a firmer feel, especially for XC. Bear in mind that on a coil fork the knob adjusts preload adjustment only, not spring rate. If you have to crank the adjuster all the way down to achieve 20% or you find the fork bottoming out more than once or twice a ride on a hard hit then you might need to go up to the next spring weight. Companies give the bike the spring rate they think will suit the weight and riding style of the majority of users, but its not always spot on.
The top right on a rock shox is the compression damping which will go from full open to fully locked out. You can use this to tune the feel of the fork as it compresses, but bear in mind its a tradeoff. Light compression damping makes the fork very sensitive to small bumps, but means that you will experience more diving under braking and fall into the travel more on big hits. More compression damping reduces these tendencies, but tends to make the fork harsh on things like small braking bumps. The more basic the damping system is (as in your Tora) the more pronounced these tradeoffs are.
The bottom right is the rebound control. A rule of thumb on initial set up is compress the fork hard and release your handsquickly from the bars, it should just follow your hands up. Too little rebound damping will cause your fork to skip around on rough trails, too much damping will cause it to “pack down” on surfaces like washboards because it doesnt have time to fully rebound before the next bump.
Dont be afraid to experiment, but make small changes and write down the settings and how they felt. It takes time to tune spring rate, compression and rebound settings. When I get a new bike I will typically spend at least a month or more messing around with the suspension settings before I feel I have it dialed in and will still make small adjustments depending on where I am riding.
Hope this helps. Enjoy the new bike, 29’ers rule!
