Mountain Biking - Why are all forks so SOFT??? UGH

every fork i've ever riden ever on a bike has been soft!! i'm not fat, @ 140 lbs i bottom out everything. i have a shiver sc i bought because apparently it was stiff. i bottomed it out on a 3 ft, which is weak. So i got heavy springs, and still bottomed it out on small stuff. Now i have raised the oil level like crazy and now it's a little better. I wish they weren't like this. I'm nervous to take this off an 8 ft drop to flat concrete which i used to do on my manitou stance flow. I only did this on the flow because i could care less if it blew up because it bottomed out so hard. So i guess i'm going to get some extra firms, as well as some 10 wt motorcycle fork oil. Who else is sick of buying ride kits besides me? :mad:

I think you are misunderstanding why people call the shiver stiff. It is laterally stiff, but has progressive travel. Meaning the top of the travel is plush for high speed downhill and the bottom of the travel stiffens up so you don't bottom it out.

Sounds like you don't know how to pick your fork. That is EXACTLY how that fork should perform at your weight. Look to xc forks if you want forks that are more linear. Marzocchi dj forks are also stiffer at the top of the travel to feel more rigid like.

Comparing the flow to the shiver is like comparing a ferrari to a ford hatchback. They aren't anywhere near the same quality ride.

Get a rigid and quit yer fussin'!

Get a rigid and quit yer fussin'!
i havent exactly ridden a rigid mtn bike, but i would have to agree

i havent exactly ridden a rigid mtn bike

:eek:

I guess that's ok, i have yet to try full suspention

As Maelstrom has hinted, it sounds like you want a fork with a high spring rate with possibly a linear profile.

Adjust it?

why would i ever go rigid hahhaha

As Maelstrom has hinted, it sounds like you want a fork with a high spring rate with possibly a linear profile.


I thought I said that...I didn't think I hinted :D

I'll trade you my RST Gila T5 for your Shiver? I GUARANTEE you won't bottom it out. xD (Yesterday I set a new record by using up an 1/8th bottle of lube on the stantions and then doing some nice high speed downhill, managed to get 60mm of travel out of it at my 110 or so lbs! :))

PS: 8 foot to flat isn't healthy, I don't think it does the fork much good.

All mtn bikers should have to ride a rigid bike for 2 years before they get a suspension.. toughen them up a little. It never really occured to me that there are newbies out there that have never riden a rigid bike offroad.

if you dont know how to land perhaps learning to land from smaller height drops will help you not land so harsh to where you are bottoming out the fork
or else go rigid. I guaruntee( intentional mispell with cajun accent) you will learn how to land softer then