XC suspension in particular doesn’t allow for tons of external adjustments so my recommendation to folks curious about their set up is just to follow the basics.
- Get your sag set up dialed, people often skip this or “get it close enough” - modern bikes and air shocks operate with very narrow “sweet spot” windows. So make sure your air pressure is at least in the ball park of the common sag suggestions on XC, 15 -20% is common. Ideally you’ll have a bike with recommended PSI settings for a given weight. That’s not always the case and it’s still best to measure sag. Plenty of videos out there to show good techniques, bring a friend for best results.
- Adjust your rebound. This is personal preference, but a lot of riders run theirs too slow - remember you’ll want all of your travel available for each successive bump and hole, if your rebound is too slow your fork and shock can “pack up” - conversely, too fast and you’ll feel a bit too much like an un-damped pogo. Still, this is preference.
- Finally adjust your external compression settings to preference. I’m not referencing lock out, or any “pro-pedal” switches, use those as the terrain dictates, but some do offer some low speed compression adjustments. Firmer for race day, softer for long days in the saddle (my take any way).
Trouble shooting almost always comes back to air spring. If you’re confident on your sag setting, you’ll then just need to add or remove volume spacers to help fine-tune the air curve.