# How to adjust the Recon silver's



## BMW M 2 ISF (Apr 12, 2012)

just getting the Recon Silver on a MTB for my wife. We are curious if there is a manual or location that shows how to adjust the shocks? This is our first MTB with Shocks...

On the website it has the PDF for warranty but not how to adjust them. Is it pretty easy?


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

SRAM is pretty good about manuals for their products. What web site did you look at? Try sram.com, navigate to support or to the product page.

Should be pretty easy. IIRC, there are only two adjustments on the Recon Silver - either air pressure or preload, depending on the type of spring you have, and rebound damping. The manual will have instructions for roughing those in. Don't get too worked up about getting sag exactly right, you'll want to play with it some more on the trails anyway.


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## Vault (Nov 30, 2011)

I have the X7, equipped with Recon Silver TKs. There is no preload adjustment as this is an air shock. 

-If you look at the top of the fork from the riding position, there is a blue dial on the right which is the lockout. Use this to almost eliminate any bounce. This is great for efficient road riding.

-On the top of the left side is a small black cap. If you unscrew this cap, it will reveal a Schrader valve. Fill your shock to the appropriate PSI as per the label found just below it. 

-On the bottom of the right side is the rebound adjustment, indicated by an arrow, a rabbit, and a turtle. This adjusts how quickly you want the fork to spring back after compression. 

That is really it for adjustment. Simple and straightforward. Mine gives a unique "whooshing" sound when it rebounds, indicative of air shocks. I am assuming it is normal. Does yours do that?


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I wouldn't describe the whoosh as unique.

I always thought it was the damper, though, and I was hearing the oil forcing its way back through the orifices or whatever. I have an aging Marzocchi, and it makes a similar sound on hard hits. I think it's really _after_ the hit, and of course the more force you use to compress a spring, the more force it exerts coming back.


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## Mr.Quint (Mar 22, 2012)

Mine does that too. I also just assumed it was normal, but without being sure.


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## Pedro S (Oct 17, 2010)

Mine makes the whooshing sound too. I really don't notice it anymore.

As for the rebound adjustment, a little toward rabbit from the center suits me.


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## BMW M 2 ISF (Apr 12, 2012)

*"To Screw or to Unscrew..." That is the question...lol*

Thank you all for the informative responses.



Vault said:


> -On the top of the left side is a small black cap. If you unscrew this cap, it will reveal a Schrader valve. Fill your shock to the appropriate PSI as per the label found just below it.


Hey Vault,

Thanks for all the detailed information. It seems pretty straight forward. One quik question. When you say fill up the air to the appropriate PSi. Is that done with a air pump or similar? Sorry, I should be getting my x-7 tomorrow...

Here is the page for the Recon silvers from Sram.com 

They have info on the REBA's but not the Recon silver TK

On the x-9 it has, "Mission Control," starting out at an adjustment of 4-4-1

Low speed compression
High speed compression
and flood Gate...

REBA RL









RECON Silver TK


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I don't know what X-7 and X-9 you're talking about. Often, bikes with air forks and aftermarket air forks come with a shock pump. If you don't get one with your bike, your LBS has them too.


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## BMW M 2 ISF (Apr 12, 2012)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I don't know what X-7 and X-9 you're talking about. Often, bikes with air forks and aftermarket air forks come with a shock pump. If you don't get one with your bike, your LBS has them too.


 Thanks for letting me know about the pump... I'll check when the box gets here...:thumbsup:

I'm sorry i should have put up som pix and details...

Save up to 60% off new Mountain Bikes - MTB - Motobecane Fantom 29PRO

Motobecane Fantom 29 X9
29er Mountain Bikes









Frame MOTO29X Aluminum with TrailTuned PowerStay Design, DualProfile Downtube with reinforced Gusset, replaceable rear derailleur hanger, water bottle mount 
Fork 29" SUSPENSION FORK, ROCK SHOX REBA RL 100MM Long Travel, MotionControl

Crankset FSA Comet MegaExo 175mm 22-32-44t 64/104bcd Crankset 
Bottom Bracket FSA MegaEXO external bearing 
Pedals Mountain Platform 
Front Derailleur SRAM X9 10SPEED, 31.8mm clamp 
Rear Derailleur SRAM X9 10SPEED long cage, for 30 Speed 
Shifters SRAM X9, 30 speed trigger shift 
Cassette/Freewheel SRAM 11-36t 10Speed 
Chain SRAM 10 speed 
Hubs Gravity Disc, ball bearing with Quick Release 
Spokes Stainless steel 
Rims WTB FX 29" 32h w/single eyelet, Black anodized Aluminum 
Tires WTB Nano, 29x2.1 
Brakes Avid Elixir 3 Disc Brake 180mm Avid rotors 
Brake Levers Avid Elixir 3 Disc Brake 
Headset VP, threadless 1 1/8 in 
Handlebar Black Finish Aluminum Rizer Alloy DIA:25.4mm 
Stem Black Finish Aluminum 25.4 threadless 
Tape/Grip WTB DualCompound 
Saddle WTB Speed V 
Seat Post Black Finish Aluminum Mountain 27.2mm x 350mm 
Seat Post Clamp Super Light Alloy with Quick Release


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## JonMX5 (Dec 22, 2011)

Vault said:


> -On the bottom of the right side is the rebound adjustment, indicated by an arrow, a rabbit, and a turtle. This adjusts how quickly you want the fork to spring back after compression.


My Scott Spark came with this fork and I had no idea it has a rebound adjustment. Thanks :thumbsup:


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## Vault (Nov 30, 2011)

Cool, Jon! 

I filled mine with an air compressor. But seeing how my compressor only goes to 100psi, I just ask the LBS nicely and they fill it for me. Shock pump is the normal trail option though. The Rebas operate differently because of the two different settings so someone with expertise in that area will need to chime in.


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## shreddin22 (May 5, 2010)

there is an air pressure spec sheet on the back of the forks. And my brand new recon silver solo air i put on early this week makes that swooshing noise as well when you compress it hard. I am thinking it is just the shreader valve inside for the solo air that equalized the pressure between the bottom and leg and top. also on the Reba fork. you want to put air in the bottom of the fork before you put air in the top of the fork. thats how they say you should air up the reba's.


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## shreddin22 (May 5, 2010)

here is all the service info for all the rock shox products.
Service Resources - RockShox | SRAM


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## n9tkf (Jun 7, 2010)

Setting the shock up the Recon silver is simple.

Get a shock pump capable of 225 psi or similar max pressure. The 2012 Recon Silver has a max pressure of 225 psi. ( You will not be filling it to the max.) Shock pumps thread onto the shock schrader valve which is located on the left front fork under the air cap.

Consult the air chart usually found on the shock, instruction manual or on the website. Be sure to pick the correct year of the shock. The amount of air from the chart is based on rider weight as a good starting point.

Once the shock is pumped up to the starting pressure for the desired weight, you need to measure sag. Sag is simply shock travel/max shock travel. 25% is about correct for sag.

How to measure sag. Put a loose fitting wire tie on the left stachion just above the dust seal so that is tight enough to stay put, but not so tight it doesn't move. Sit on the bike in riding position and then dis-mount measure the distance from the dust seal to the wire tie in mm. Divide this measurement by the total travel. Close to 25% is good, but dont't sress out if it isn't.

Tweak your settings until you like the ride.

One last thing, if the shock has a blue knob on the right side, that is the Lockout. Turning this knob all the way will lockout the shock. This will make the shock rigid.

Enjoy!


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## wynnbb (Sep 20, 2012)

RS Recon Silver TK Solo air owners:

do you guys ride with the rebound adjustment knob attached on the fork? or do you guys leave it at home? 

The knob on mine can easily be pulled out, I'm worried that it might get lost the trail, especially it's plugged upside down

thanks


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## Pedro S (Oct 17, 2010)

Good question. I've always left mine in and I still have it, but I've also thought it could easily come out and be lost.


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## huffster (Nov 14, 2011)

wynnbb said:


> RS Recon Silver TK Solo air owners:
> 
> do you guys ride with the rebound adjustment knob attached on the fork? or do you guys leave it at home?


I leave it on and haven't lost it yet in many months of hard riding.


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## huffster (Nov 14, 2011)

*My 2 cents on air pressure setting...*

I initially set the air according to the little chart on the shock itself. I'm not looking at it but basically it asks for rider weight and then suggests a PSI. I view that as a "coarse" setting. I am a fan of using most of the compression that a fork provides, but not so much as to bottom out. So, I put a wire tie on the stanchion to see how much I am compressing. Then I have added or subtracted air from there. Different terrain (more or less rocks, grade, etc) may call for different settings. I carry a shock-pump (and way too many other things) in my pack. If you don't want to be so picky the suggested setting will probably be a happy medium for you.


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## comphynum (Aug 14, 2012)

Is the Recon Silver TK a pretty decent fork? 

I would upgrading be from a XC28 TK on my Guardian. Just getting into the sport but at 210# I am looking for something more and this seemed like the next logical upgrade.


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## chad1376 (Dec 25, 2011)

FWIW: I have the Recon Silver Air. I'm more trail oriented and rarely do any significant jumps or drops. I like my damping very "springy" which I think helps alot when picking my way over softball/bowling ball sized rocks. Even at full rabbit, I felt the rebound was a little too stiff for my tastes. I changed the stock 5wt oil to 2.5wt and now the fork is really plush. Now I have a bit more adjustability on the rebound side. Certainly this is not optimum for big hits, but my wrists are very happy with the setup the boulder fields. 

Dropping the travel down to 80mm also really tightens up my low speed handling and the forks feel much less flexy.

With 2.5wt oil, the forks really WHOOSH now.


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## 77charger (Dec 3, 2011)

I have them on my bike too.I used the air psi chart for a start then rode where i normally ride and went form there i think i found 110 psi to work well for me fork uses all its travel without hard bottom outs.

Rebound i keep in the middle.If i have it set for slower rebound i get the swoosh sound too doesnt bother me just tells me its working.


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## owtdorz (Apr 26, 2012)

I leave mine out and it's attached to my pump.
No need to adjust on the trail.


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## Aresab (Mar 27, 2007)

The Recon Silver is similar to the older Tora 318's (80-130) in soloair and travel adjust. In fact, others have changed the TK Damper for the more adustable motion control with low speed compression settings. I run a few tora 318's on loaner and street bikes, they are decent for the price. The swoosh is normal and varies based on rebound setting (compression as well with motion control if installed). 
Myself and others have lost the rebound knob whil riding, I recomend taking it off in the trails. The good thing is a 2.5 (I believe) hex will adjust it as well.


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## steelnwool (Mar 23, 2010)

Apparently this fork can be changed from 80mm to 100 to 120. I'd like to go from 80 to 100, has anyone in this thread done that?


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## Pedro S (Oct 17, 2010)

steelnwool said:


> Apparently this fork can be changed from 80mm to 100 to 120. I'd like to go from 80 to 100, has anyone in this thread done that?


I bought mine after market and it came stock at 100mm travel. You sure yours isn't? If not the adjustment looks easy enough to do. See page 15 of this page.


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## steelnwool (Mar 23, 2010)

yeah, mine was 80 from the factory on a Specialized Carve. Thanks for the link. Worst case I take it to the shop with my tail between my legs!  - Yeah yeah.


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## fuel98rider (May 26, 2012)

Aresab said:


> The Recon Silver is similar to the older Tora 318's (80-130) in soloair and travel adjust. In fact, others have changed the TK Damper for the more adustable motion control with low speed compression settings. I run a few tora 318's on loaner and street bikes, they are decent for the price. The swoosh is normal and varies based on rebound setting (compression as well with motion control if installed).
> Myself and others have lost the rebound knob whil riding, I recomend taking it off in the trails. The good thing is a 2.5 (I believe) hex will adjust it as well.


Resurrecting an older thread. I have seen people comment that they have changed the TK damper in their Recon Silver out for a motion control damper. I have seen some comments additionally about the Argyle MC damper being the one to use as it also has the steel stanchions. Has anyone else used this damper, and if so, is it just a drop in with no other parts required? I know oil is added/changed, but I am wondering if the rebound damper below the MC damper needs to be changed as well.


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## shreddin22 (May 5, 2010)

I have the motion control damper in my recon from the argyle with adjustable compression knob. Best 50 I spent on my bike really helped the fork use it's travel efficiently. The stock damper looks like it came from a crackerjack box

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## shreddin22 (May 5, 2010)

No rebound doesn't. Don't even need to pull the lowers off. Just a 24 or 27mm I believe will pull the damper out after you take the cot lip off the lockout and take the knob off

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## fuel98rider (May 26, 2012)

shreddin22 said:


> No rebound doesn't. Don't even need to pull the lowers off. Just a 24 or 27mm I believe will pull the damper out after you take the cot lip off the lockout and take the knob off
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Is this the one you used (first one). Universal Cycles -- Rock Shox Motion Control Dampers

Did you change the oil, or remember how much was used? This looks like an easy way to give me more control than I have. I am used to the Sid and Float that have so many adjustments.


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## shreddin22 (May 5, 2010)

I'll check my book and let you know on oil 147 I believe

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## shreddin22 (May 5, 2010)

That's the one for on the handlebar I have the regular knob adjust

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## fuel98rider (May 26, 2012)

shreddin22 said:


> That's the one for on the handlebar I have the regular knob adjust
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Got it. Thanks for the help. I'm ordering it now.


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## fuel98rider (May 26, 2012)

shreddin22 said:


> I'll check my book and let you know on oil 147 I believe
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Another question. Went to SRAMs website to pull the tech manuals for both the Argyle and the Recon, specifically looking at oil volumes. I see where the Recon manual shows the volume of oil in the damper as 147ml. When I pulled the Argyle manual, it says to use 120 or 130 ml of oil in the damper. Which one would you consider as being correct? The manuals warn that too much oil reduces travel, and not enough reduces the damper performance. Want to make sure I do this correct the first time, and not have to go back into it later.


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## Dupree (Feb 16, 2014)

Vault said:


> I have the X7, equipped with Recon Silver TKs. There is no preload adjustment as this is an air shock.
> 
> -If you look at the top of the fork from the riding position, there is a blue dial on the right which is the lockout. Use this to almost eliminate any bounce. This is great for efficient road riding.
> 
> ...


Regarding the rebound adj. I see a decal of the arrow ,rabbit and turtle. But there is no lever or anything to adjust it. What's up with that?


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## fuel98rider (May 26, 2012)

Dupree said:


> Regarding the rebound adj. I see a decal of the arrow ,rabbit and turtle. But there is no lever or anything to adjust it. What's up with that?


There should be a black plastic knob sticking out. If it isn't there, it may have fallen off, it is just a friction fit. The rebound can still be adjusted by sticking an hex key up through the bolt. I think its a 2.5mm, but don't quote me. It only has 180 degrees of movement.


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## Dupree (Feb 16, 2014)

fuel98rider said:


> There should be a black plastic knob sticking out. If it isn't there, it may have fallen off, it is just a friction fit. The rebound can still be adjusted by sticking an hex key up through the bolt. I think its a 2.5mm, but don't quote me. It only has 180 degrees of movement.


I just bought the bike used. So I guess the seller neglected to inform me..

Are you talking about the silver nut that is underneath the fork?


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## fuel98rider (May 26, 2012)

Yes, it is the silver bolt at the bottom of the right side leg (while sitting on it). If you turn it over, you can see the hole in the center. The left side is the solo-air chamber and has a solid bolt.


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## Dupree (Feb 16, 2014)

fuel98rider said:


> Yes, it is the silver bolt at the bottom of the right side leg (while sitting on it). If you turn it over, you can see the hole in the center. The left side is the solo-air chamber and has a solid bolt.


Thanks bro. Much appreciated.


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## fooldall1 (Apr 18, 2013)

comphynum said:


> Is the Recon Silver TK a pretty decent fork?
> 
> I would upgrading be from a XC28 TK on my Guardian. Just getting into the sport but at 210# I am looking for something more and this seemed like the next logical upgrade.


YES! It's totally worth it if you haven't done it yet. I have a Guardian 2.0, and just installed the Recon Silver on mine. It changed the ride so drastically that it feels like a brand new bike, and *should* be the fork this bike comes with stock, in my opinion.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Hoping someone has experimented with this. Bottomless token in the Recon Silver. I know they don't fit, because rockshox's bottomless token's won't work with the silver's steel stanchion tube diameter. Has anybody tried something else instead? I saw a google image search of someone putting a drilled out wine bottle cork in the air cap, but I'd rather use something less ghetto.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

watts888 said:


> Hoping someone has experimented with this. Bottomless token in the Recon Silver. I know they don't fit, because rockshox's bottomless token's won't work with the silver's steel stanchion tube diameter. Has anybody tried something else instead? I saw a google image search of someone putting a drilled out wine bottle cork in the air cap, but I'd rather use something less ghetto.


I think unless you make a new air spring top cap that accepts some air volume tokens that you have 3d printed to fit the fork, your only solutions are going to be pretty ghetto.


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## ghoti (Mar 23, 2011)

watts888 said:


> Hoping someone has experimented with this. Bottomless token in the Recon Silver. I know they don't fit, because rockshox's bottomless token's won't work with the silver's steel stanchion tube diameter. Has anybody tried something else instead? I saw a google image search of someone putting a drilled out wine bottle cork in the air cap, but I'd rather use something less ghetto.


I thought you could use them but you had to shave them down to make them fit. It requires some ugly modifications but it might be better than some cork that disintegrates under pressure.


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