Originally Posted by shane45
Consider preload as sag. A rough rule of thumb is that you want about 20 percent of the forks total compression to be used just by sitting on the bike.
Preload is the fork reacting to compression. Rebound is the fork reacting to no compression.
If I sit on my bike the sag is literally about 1 or 2 mm... which means 1 or 2% of the fork's total compression... but then again my fork will compress 50mm after I throw myself off a 6 foot drop.