Yes, buy a suspension pump. You could prob. get by with a floor pump, but one wrong "twitch" and you could accidentally blow up your preload chamber. Floor pumps push alot of air really quick.

Start off by setting your rebound and compression damping really fast. (low) Put a zip-tie around one of your fork legs (stanchion [upper]) just snug enough so it won't move on it's own, but can slide up and down the fork leg easily.

Now, depending on your style (it may take time to figure yourself out) you may want anywhere from 15%-30% sag on your fork. Sag is the amount your fork compresses when you sit on it with all your gear. Start with the mfgr. recommended air pressure for your "geared up" weight. Push the zip tie all the way down your stanchion tube unitl it touches the wiper seals, and gently sit on your bike. (flat surface) spin around a flat pkng lot or tennis court or something smoothly and gently...roll gently to a stop. If you use your brakes, you will sink into your suspension a bit, so be careful. Get off your bike and measure the distance from the bottom of the zip tie to your wiper seal. This is your sag. As stated above, it should be around 15%-30% of your total fork travel. 15% will feel more "firm" and be more efficient for XC'ish stuff. 30% will be more plush and feel more supple over the bumps.


Negative spring pressure is a magical thing. More negative spring will make the first portion of your fork travel very supple and smooth and when you reach the end of your negative spring, it becomes more progressive and resistant to the big hits. Less negative spring will give you a little less sag and make the ride feel a little more firm.


I usually set the rebound damping first. Rebound is what slows down the forks "extension". (obviously) I back it off to where it's pretty fast (low) and ride off a curb. If the bike wants to "pogo" like a car with bad shocks...then add rebound. I usually have it set to where the fork cycles up-and-down one time (ish) for starters. Too much rebound will cause the fork to "pack up" over washboard or repeated bumps. It doesn't allow the fork to extend fully enough for the next bump. If the fork feels good off a curb, but packs up over repeated bumps, decrease the rebound damping a little.


Compression damping is a beautiful thing. Compression allows you to run the optimal sag but still resist bottoming out. (use your zip tie) When you have your sag set where you think you want it, hit some larger bumps that resemble some of the bigger hits you will encounter on the trail. If your fork bottoms out (zip tie goes all the way to the crown) then increase the compression damping. I usually set it to where it comes fairly close, but doesn't bottom out over a bigger hit. Your suspension should just barely bottom out on the biggest hit on your trail. (doesn't have to...it's all up to what feels good to you in the end) Ride a few loops on your trail and check the zip tie once in a while to see how it's going. If you're not coming close to bottoming out...back off the compression a little and enjoy an even smoother ride. If you have it set to where it's just barely not bottoming out, but it feels like it compresses really sluggish...back of the compression and add a little more preload. (note: this will decrease your sag as stated above) A little less compression and slightly more preload will probably feel better in that situation.

As far as partially/fully locking them out. It probably won't hurt it, but I wouldn't make a habit of locking out the fork and hucking a 6footer. You can partially turn the lockout knob for more compression for a big drop though. That's what compression adj is designed for as I stated above. If your trail is really smooth, but has say "1 big drop"...reach down and turn the knob a few degrees for that drop then turn it back for the rest of the trail and enjoy the cush.


Floodgate is a really KEWL Rockshox feature. You can set it basically one of two ways.
1. Turn the floodgate really low and lock it out completely. This will cause the fork to feel fairly efficient for sit'n'spin pedaling without bobbing, but when you hit a bump it will compress and suck it up. This is "platform".
2. Turn the floodgate up high and leave the fork unlocked for general riding. When you get to a long gradual "middle ring" climb that you want to stand up and honk on the pedals...lock it out and you have a super efficient fairly rigid fork for climbing that will only compress an inch or there'bouts in case you screw up and hit something big with it locked out.

It just depends on if you're a sit'n'spin climber, or a stand and honk climber.

(obviously you can set it anywhere in between for your weight and style)


Isn't that what Chandler Bing called his 3rd nipple?