softer fork
#1
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2013
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softer fork
hello i have front suspension dart 2 and i made service maybe 1 month ago. I was making pretty big drops and now he is much more softer. is there any problem inside the fork or just the coil spring is the problem?
#4
Senior Member


Joined: Apr 2009
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From: New Rochelle, NY
Bikes: too many bikes from 1967 10s (5x2)Frejus to a Sumitomo Ti/Chorus aluminum 10s (10x2), plus one non-susp mtn bike I use as my commuter
For what it's worth, softness is a very subjective concept, and there's no mechanical reason that a fork would get softer over time. The best indicator of a change in the fork is the settle height, or the amount of compression in the fork when you simply sit on the bike. If the spring (or elastomer) inside is fatiguing, it'll let the fork settle lower under normal loads, and as it gets worst will allow the fork to compress to the dead stop (loud clunk, and jolt when it bottoms).
I don't know your fork, but as others have noted, many suspension forks aren't up the rigors of serious technical mountain biking and cannot take the abuse of hard jumps the way "real" forks can.
I don't know your fork, but as others have noted, many suspension forks aren't up the rigors of serious technical mountain biking and cannot take the abuse of hard jumps the way "real" forks can.
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FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
Just because I'm tired of arguing, doesn't mean you're right.
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
#9
Mad bike riding scientist




Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
I'd suspect that your oil volume is incorrect. Check the technical manual again. The Dart 2 needs 150ml of oil. If you have too much or too little it can have an effect on the shock performance.
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#10
Cottered Crank
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,401
Likes: 15
From: Chicago
Bikes: 1954 Raleigh Sports 1974 Raleigh Competition 1969 Raleigh Twenty 1964 Raleigh LTD-3
Dampening is no longer dampening...
Nearly all bicycle suspension forks are toys not really made for the kinds of abuse that serious riding puts on them. Look high-end moto-x fork legs and compare them to even the more expensive downhill forks...
Mustard, not cutting it.
Nearly all bicycle suspension forks are toys not really made for the kinds of abuse that serious riding puts on them. Look high-end moto-x fork legs and compare them to even the more expensive downhill forks...
Mustard, not cutting it.
#11
Mad bike riding scientist




Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
You are completely wrong. Some forks are pogo sticks that are useless but there are many bicycle forks that are very capable. The Dart 2 is at the low end of capable but it's still in the range.
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#12
Cottered Crank
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,401
Likes: 15
From: Chicago
Bikes: 1954 Raleigh Sports 1974 Raleigh Competition 1969 Raleigh Twenty 1964 Raleigh LTD-3
To be "completely" wrong I would have had to say "all" not most. Saying "many" is a joke. Take a look at a modern stock, out the dealer-door* 125cc moto-x fork and then look at all but the most capable downhill forks. They are not even close. Sure an MX bike is a little heavier, but really not all that much when you add rider weight to bike weight for gross vehicle weight that the shocks see.
Reading comprehension. Think about that the next time you call someone "completely" wrong....
*Let's not even compare pro MX kit. You barely get close comparing pro downhill kit to stuff you can buy out the door at your local Honda dealership.
#13
Mad bike riding scientist




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From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Some (that are capable)+ Most (that are not) = All bicycle forks.
To be "completely" wrong I would have had to say "all" not most. Saying "many" is a joke. Take a look at a modern stock, out the dealer-door* 125cc moto-x fork and then look at all but the most capable downhill forks. They are not even close. Sure an MX bike is a little heavier, but really not all that much when you add rider weight to bike weight for gross vehicle weight that the shocks see.
Reading comprehension. Think about that the next time you call someone "completely" wrong....
*Let's not even compare pro MX kit. You barely get close comparing pro downhill kit to stuff you can buy out the door at your local Honda dealership.
To be "completely" wrong I would have had to say "all" not most. Saying "many" is a joke. Take a look at a modern stock, out the dealer-door* 125cc moto-x fork and then look at all but the most capable downhill forks. They are not even close. Sure an MX bike is a little heavier, but really not all that much when you add rider weight to bike weight for gross vehicle weight that the shocks see.
Reading comprehension. Think about that the next time you call someone "completely" wrong....
*Let's not even compare pro MX kit. You barely get close comparing pro downhill kit to stuff you can buy out the door at your local Honda dealership.
You are also very, very wrong on gross vehicle/rider weight. Even when compared to a downhill mountain bike, the motorcycle vastly outweighs the mountain bike. Very long travel downhill mountain bikes weigh in at a portly 50 lbs while a small motorcycle is going to be in the 200 lb range. That hardly a "little" heavier. 4 times the weight isn't what I would call a "little". And you certainly don't need a long travel downhill bike to make some "pretty big" drops. A medium travel (100 to 140mm) fork can handle a lot of big hits on a bicycle that is half the weight of downhill mountain bike (or 8 times less than the motorcycle).
Modern downhill mountain bike forks and even modern cross country mountain bike forks certainly seem capable of handling the rigors of off-road riding. People have been using them and racing on them and I haven't heard a whole lot of clamoring for something like what you would find on a moto-x bike. Sure there are bad forks out there but comparing the kind of fork that you'll find on a $150 Big Box Store BSO mountain bike to a multi-thousand dollar downhill mountain bike is a bit like comparing your "out the door" moto-x motorcycle to a Vespa.
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#16
Cottered Crank
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,401
Likes: 15
From: Chicago
Bikes: 1954 Raleigh Sports 1974 Raleigh Competition 1969 Raleigh Twenty 1964 Raleigh LTD-3
Gross vehicle weight = bike + rider.
50bs + 180lbs = 230lbs
200lbs + 180lbs = 380lbs
yeah, that's a lot more, but not EVEN 2x as much. It's only 150lbs more gross weight over 230lbs of the DH bike. That's only 65% more gross weight. If you take into account the gear, MX gear and DH gear is about the same. Say 15lbs of helmet, boots, pads, goggles, jerseys and whatnot and the difference shrinks even more 250lbs versus 400lbs. That's just 60% more for the MX-er over the DH-er.
But then again I'm "totally wrong."
You're right, what was I thinking...
50bs + 180lbs = 230lbs
200lbs + 180lbs = 380lbs
yeah, that's a lot more, but not EVEN 2x as much. It's only 150lbs more gross weight over 230lbs of the DH bike. That's only 65% more gross weight. If you take into account the gear, MX gear and DH gear is about the same. Say 15lbs of helmet, boots, pads, goggles, jerseys and whatnot and the difference shrinks even more 250lbs versus 400lbs. That's just 60% more for the MX-er over the DH-er.
But then again I'm "totally wrong."
You're right, what was I thinking...
#17
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From: NW,Oregon Coast
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Maybe you Broke something , ask the Dealer If there is a Rebuild Kit sold.
if no rebuild kit, the thing needs replacing..
now you know ask about which fork is supported by spare parts . to rebuild them occasionally.
and get that one
( pick up a couple rebuild kits incase they discontinue selling any in the future,which is Common )
if no rebuild kit, the thing needs replacing..
now you know ask about which fork is supported by spare parts . to rebuild them occasionally.
and get that one
( pick up a couple rebuild kits incase they discontinue selling any in the future,which is Common )





