# Do people actually change their front fork to descend mode while riding descents?



## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

Probably sounds like a dumb question, and maybe it is, but I actually flicked my Fox float 34 to descend mode for a very rocky and bumpy descent and the forks compressed so much it made it feel unstable (the shock pressure/sag is set correctly). Like I would go over the bars in big bumps. It made me just want to leave it in trail mode. Maybe I just wasn't used to it. Wondering if people change back and forth during their rides. I ride in a very hilly and rocky area and some descents are pretty rough, especially at higher speeds.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

sounds to me like your fork probably _isn't_ set up correctly


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Harold said:


> sounds to me like your fork probably _isn't_ set up correctly


This.


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## TylerVernon (Nov 10, 2019)

My Mezzer or R7 don't move during climbing so I don't mess with them at all during a ride. Maybe if it was wet I'd turn the compression to be softer but I avoid wet riding.


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

I don't use trail modes for my fork/shock. If my suspension can't support pedaling in full open mode, then it's time to look for one that can.

Where I live, trails undulate too frequently to worry about on-ride adjustments.


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## Josh Patterson (Nov 23, 2005)

In my experience, most mountain bikers leave their forks in the open/descend position most of the time, regardless of whether or not they are descending. As previously mentioned, you probably need to readjust your air spring/add pressure.


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## weeksy950 (Jan 11, 2012)

I don't take it out of full DH mode, ever. 

You'd lose the smallest amount in both front and rear, loads of YouTube tests on it show there's very little to be gained in locking it out


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

and fwiw, my suspension fork doesn't have different "modes". it has adjustments with many more options.

I usually ride it with a very tiny amount of compression damping. like, 1-2 clicks or so above the lowest setting. It's rare that I make any changes mid-ride.


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## OldMike (Apr 30, 2020)

Most modern forks (and riders) do the opposite (If at all). Setting the Fork at It's plushest and using Firm/lockout on climbs.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

I haven't attempted to lock out a fork in years. The last one I did still had a motion control damper. 

It sounds like you need to adjust your settings so that it's supportive in it's most open mode, allowing the more closed modes to be firmer.


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

Wow glad I asked. I'll add some pressure and try to ride in descend mode all the time. It's pretty much one hill after another and very rocky/rutty where I ride so no need to lock it out.


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## FrankS29 (Oct 23, 2019)

I usually leave my forks in the 2 or 3 setting (out of 6) on my compression dial and my shock in the middle compression setting. 

If I'm doing a stretch on road or climbing a fire road, I might add compression if it's going to be awhile before I'm back on a trail. 

If I really want max traction or I know it's particularly chunky, I open the fork and shock all the way up. But I would say that 80% of my riding is done with the fork in the 2 or 3 setting and middle compression (trail) for the shock.


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## weeksy950 (Jan 11, 2012)

JoeMountain said:


> Wow glad I asked. I'll add some pressure and try to ride in descend mode all the time. It's pretty much one hill after another and very rocky/rutty where I ride so no need to lock it out.


So, what forks, what pressure and how heavy are you?


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

weeksy950 said:


> So, what forks, what pressure and how heavy are you?


Here is the spec from the Specialized website:
(2014) Fox Float 34 CTD Evolution 29, air spring, tapered steerer, Climb, Trail, Descend settings and reb adj., 15mm thru-axle, 130mm travel.

It only has the Climb, Trail, and Descend adjustment on top. It has rebound on the bottom of the fork. The rebound was set to just under 1 full turn from fully closed. It has 4 full turns of adjustment from fully closed.

I'm about 220 lbs with riding gear and camel back full of water. The fork pressure was 105 psi (28mm sag). I just pumped it up to 115 psi which is what the bike shop set it to when they had me in their shop to fit me. I have not checked sag. Will do next time I have all my gear on. Probably 26mm.


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

OldMike said:


> Most modern forks (and riders) do the opposite (If at all). Setting the Fork at It's plushest and using Firm/lockout on climbs.


This. I leave mine open and will put into firm mode for really long smooth'ish sustained climbs (which there are plenty of here in Colorado). Often, I just flick it into firm mode so I can stand and pedal to give my back a rest on a multi-mile ascent. Then, I pop it back open as soon as I sit down. I've found if I don't return it to open right away, I forget til i hit the first chunky descent (whereupon it is too late to change on the fly).


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

I turn everything to full plush and that's where I leave it on the up and down. 

I'm old and forget the stupid climb switches are on. So I leave them off


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

That era of fork did not have enough support in the "descent" setting. Typically people would use the descent for flat or low grade downhills and the trail setting for steeper more aggressive downhills.

Personally, before dropping into a steep descent or one that I know has some really big impacts I might add a click or two of compression.


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

maybe it's your rear fork that you need to adjust...


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

No need, good damping does that for you.


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## Bikeventures (Jul 21, 2014)

There's an old Chris Porter video where he questions why anyone would want to lock out their fork during climbing? Having the fork sink into its travel puts you in a more advantageous position when climbing.


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

Bikeventures said:


> There's an old Chris Porter video where he questions why anyone would want to lock out their fork during climbing? Having the fork sink into its travel puts you in a more advantageous position when climbing.


Well, it doesn't really sink and stay, so I don't really understand that point.

For me, I lock out to reduce the bobbing, especially when standing for long periods to relieve lower back discomfort.


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## Monty219 (Oct 26, 2020)

I have a MRP Ribbon and two Z1s with Grip1 damper on my main bikes. For all of them I go full closed LSC only if there is a long smooth section to access the gnar. Once I get into it I go to full open for all of the ups and downs. If I am in a tinkering mood I will try a setting in between here and there.


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## VThuckster (Jul 10, 2010)

A few years ago I rode a local trail with a very long climb and equally very long fun downhill. I kept having to wait for him on the DH, which wasn’t the norm. We got the bottom and he said he was sorry, but for some reason he was riding like crap. I looked at his fork and said “that makes sense, your fork is in locked out climb mode.” If your fork is so equipped, id say get it all set and dialed in and leave the stupid lever alone - if for no other reason than at some point you will descend with it locked.


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

VThuckster said:


> A few years ago I rode a local trail with a very long climb and equally very long fun downhill. I kept having to wait for him on the DH, which wasn’t the norm. We got the bottom and he said he was sorry, but for some reason he was riding like crap. I looked at his fork and said “that makes sense, your fork is in locked out climb mode.” If your fork is so equipped, id say get it all set and dialed in and leave the stupid lever alone - if for no other reason than at some point you will descend with it locked.


Ha! Been there, done that. I did, however, recently forget to unlock and set a PR on the most tech trail we have around here. Go figure...


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## maynard4130 (May 12, 2019)

I just leave it wide open. Everyone I ride with does the same.


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

I just leave it wide open on my preferred setting and never change it, even if I have a multi-mile descent.


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

Good to know. All this time I had it in trail mode. Time to open her up!


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## Dogbrain (Mar 4, 2008)

JoeMountain said:


> Good to know. All this time I had it in trail mode. Time to open her up!


I have the Fox Fit 4 damper, which has three modes. I guess the middle one is "trail mode"? I just leave it fully open when I'm on a trail and adjust the air pressure, low speed compression, and rebound to ride well in my terrain. Then I go to closed ("firm mode") for long gravel climbs. It probably doesn't make that much difference but if I do the fork and shock I can feel the bike stiffen up a bit and that helps psychologically on long gravel grinds. I have never used the middle setting.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

Bikeventures said:


> There's an old Chris Porter video where he questions why anyone would want to lock out their fork during climbing? Having the fork sink into its travel puts you in a more advantageous position when climbing.


I'm sorry, did he win the world cup XC or Olympics? Of course you want to lock out the fork during climbing, to maximize power transfer. Now, rough climbing, you need to keep moving forward and not stall, so that may be different. Unless you are XC racing, you really shouldn't be concerned about lockouts IME.


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## firebanex (Jan 29, 2021)

Much like everyone else my Fox 36 has the 3 position Grip damper and I never use the mid "trail" setting and only use the locked out setting for put pavement riding. Even then I rarely do that. Now the rear shock.. that gets flipped between settings for every climb and I still almost never use the trail setting.


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## weeksy950 (Jan 11, 2012)

Jayem said:


> Of course you want to lock out the fork during climbing, to maximize power transfer.


However, that's not actually true  (not really... not massively)


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## nayr497 (Nov 9, 2011)

I admit that I'm approaching two years of owning a fancy mtb bike and I only just looked at my rear suspension settings. (I come from a road, gravel, CX background, so forgive me. A FS bike is basically a god send after trying to ride some of the mtb trails with mtb pals on my non-suspension CX bike, so I feel glorious anyways.)

Had just spent two hours riding straight up in Pisgah and my vastly more experienced riding buddy said, "You should switch your settings for this descent."


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## goldsbar (Dec 2, 2004)

Dogbrain said:


> I have the Fox Fit 4 damper, which has three modes...I have never used the middle setting.


IME, the middle setting doesn't feel much different than the open setting. I'm still experimenting, but it's not like I notice an immediate difference when switching between the two.


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## kpdemello (May 3, 2010)

I always run some level of compression damping in my forks. If you're running the compression on your fork fully open, I suspect you might not be setting up the fork properly in other areas. Some compression damping is desirable, but different forks come with different compression tunes. Even fully open, a fork will have some level of compression damping. So it's really going to vary pretty widely among fork models, and depending on your weight, maybe it's right for you. But the notion that "fully open" is usually right is probably not right at all.

Honestly I think most people don't get their spring rate and rebound right. Those are the two most important. If those are set up properly, compression damping setting ends up being pretty minor in terms of ride feel. In the OP's example, it sounds like either his air pressure is too low or his rebound damping is too high resulting in a packing-down situation. But the only way to know is to experiment with the settings.

I would not try to measure sag, as I don't think it's a very reliable indicator (too easy to shift your weight one way or the other and get a false reading). I would look up the manufacturer chart that gives you a recommended pressure for your weight and start there. If there's a recommended rebound setting, use that, too. If not, just put it right in the middle. Then adjust from there using a bracketing method.


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## dllawson819 (Feb 22, 2019)

JoeMountain said:


> Wow glad I asked. I'll add some pressure and try to ride in descend mode all the time. It's pretty much one hill after another and very rocky/rutty where I ride so no need to lock it out.





JoeMountain said:


> Here is the spec from the Specialized website:
> (2014) Fox Float 34 CTD Evolution 29, air spring, tapered steerer, Climb, Trail, Descend settings and reb adj., 15mm thru-axle, 130mm travel.
> It only has the Climb, Trail, and Descend adjustment on top. It has rebound on the bottom of the fork. The rebound was set to just under 1 full turn from fully closed. It has 4 full turns of adjustment from fully closed.
> I'm about 220 lbs with riding gear and camel back full of water. The fork pressure was 105 psi (28mm sag). I just pumped it up to 115 psi which is what the bike shop set it to when they had me in their shop to fit me. I have not checked sag. Will do next time I have all my gear on. Probably 26mm.





JoeMountain said:


> Good to know. All this time I had it in trail mode. Time to open her up!


Many of these replies are irrelevant since you are riding a Fox CTD. You don’t have the same adjustments that people with other forks are referencing. Adding pressure to run a fork in Descend/Open mode is not necessarily going to give you better performance. 

First, you’re riding an 8-year-old fork. Do you regularly have it serviced? If not, the issue may have more to do with the fork’s performance than the way it is set up.

Assuming your fork is working properly, check out Fox’s recommended settings. FORK- 2014 34 FLOAT 27.5 | Bike Help Center | FOX – they recommend starting with 100 psi when kitted out at 220 lbs.

I’ve used various Fox CTD forks over the past several years and always ended up running less pressure than Fox recommended. Most recently, on a 2015 34 Factory CTD, fox recommended 80 psi for my riding weight and I used 70 to 75 psi. (I didn’t always start with less pressure, but I always ended up there as I gained trust the fork.) 
Also look at Fox’s description of Trail mode, “Trail mode offers less compression damping than Climb mode. Use this setting when pedaling on undulating terrain, and for preventing excessive travel in technical riding situations (such as low-speed drops). Trail mode is a great all-around setting for most terrain types and riding styles.”

On the 2015 fork, I used Trail mode for climbing and most undulating terrain. I used Descend mode for fast, chunky undulating terrain and extended downhills. (Again, I used Descend mode more as I gained trust in the fork.) 
Fork set up is a compromise and, in the end, how it feels to you is all that matters.


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

Does anyone ride to and from the trails? I lock my fork for the ride to and from the trails and for some 3-5 mile fire road climbs, but I do still occasionally forget to unlock it for descents.


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

dllawson819 said:


> Many of these replies are irrelevant since you are riding a Fox CTD. You don’t have the same adjustments that people with other forks are referencing. Adding pressure to run a fork in Descend/Open mode is not necessarily going to give you better performance.
> 
> First, you’re riding an 8-year-old fork. Do you regularly have it serviced? If not, the issue may have more to do with the fork’s performance than the way it is set up.
> 
> ...


Really good info thanks. That link you posted is actually not the same fork as mine (see below for description of mine). Mine is a 29 not the 27.5. I have the shock set at 100 psi right now. I'll experiment with the compression damping and rebound settings to see what works best. I read in one of the 34 Float manuals to use 4 clicks from fully closed as a starting point for rebound. It has 16 clicks or 4 full turns of the knob for total adjustment.

Here is the manual I get when I put in the CL2M code written on my shock:








FORK- 2014 34 FLOAT 29 | Bike Help Center | FOX







www.ridefox.com





*This is mine from the Specialized website:
(2014) Fox Float 34 CTD Evolution 29, air spring, tapered steerer, Climb, Trail, Descend settings and reb adj., 15mm thru-axle, 130mm travel.*


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

VThuckster said:


> A few years ago I rode a local trail with a very long climb and equally very long fun downhill. I kept having to wait for him on the DH, which wasn’t the norm. We got the bottom and he said he was sorry, but for some reason he was riding like crap. I looked at his fork and said “that makes sense, your fork is in locked out climb mode.” If your fork is so equipped, id say get it all set and dialed in and leave the stupid lever alone - if for no other reason than at some point you will descend with it locked.


Yep, that's me every time I use a stupid lockout.

Thus I dont use them. Even better I try to buy equipment without them on.

I've got a new fork recently and am considering moving the knob so it doesnt get accidentally bumped into non plush mode


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## RS VR6 (Mar 29, 2007)

I just leave them open. I'm not mashing and hammering up the climbs.


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

Well if anything this thread really got me looking closely at my front shock setup. It'll be interesting to see how things change using the descend most of the time the next time out. I also changed my rebound. It was only like 2-3 clicks out from closed (out of 16 clicks total). The manual says to push down on the front and watch how fast it returns. Oh hell I'll just post it:

*The red rebound adjuster is located at the bottom of the right fork leg. Rebound controls the rate of speed at which the fork extends after compressing. Turning the knob clockwise (in) slows down rebound; turning the knob counter-clockwise (out) speeds up rebound. Rebound damping should only be set after first setting your air pressure by measuring sag.*

*Make sure your CTD fork is in Descend mode (fully counter-clockwise).*
*Starting with the rebound adjuster fully open (counter-clockwise) push on the fork to compress it and feel its return speed.*
*Increase rebound damping by turning the red rebound knob in clockwise until when tested, the fork returns quickly but does not top out.*
*Top out is felt when a fork fully extends too quickly and comes to an abrupt stop when it reaches full extension (you will hear/feel a small noise). Top out should be avoided through proper rebound setting.*

I would consider this just a starting point of course. You gotta ride and test it out. There are lots of places where I live to test it. Lots of hills and rocks/ruts.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

sgltrak said:


> Does anyone ride to and from the trails? I lock my fork for the ride to and from the trails and for some 3-5 mile fire road climbs, but I do still occasionally forget to unlock it for descents.


Humble brag! A lot of people live a long way from the nearest trails.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

Some of the trail networks in the PNW start with a long road climb before entering one-way downhill single track. For a long paved climb like that I'll increase my LSC (not a lockout per se, but same idea).


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

My local trails, which are awesome (glaciers carve some wicked mountain bike trails), are only a 1 mile pedal to the trail head from my garage. It's all street though so no need to lock out. In fact there's no need to lock out my fork any place near me. I'm not in Colorado pedaling miles up a fire road to the trail head (I've done Breck a few times so been there done that, switch back at Carter park is a beeotch!). The only thing is I should really visit other trail systems. Just hate loading up and driving an hour +/-.


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

Ok I just did my 8 mile local gnarly loop. With the pressure set to 100psi, set to descent, and the rebound adjusted, it's way more plush and smooth. I noticed that my speed was clearly up. The reason is the bike felt more in control so I would just let 'er rip. Night and day. Too bad I didn't figure this out before but I'm glad I finally did. Thanks to all the input in this thread. So glad I started the thread. I learned a lot about my fork.


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

JoeMountain said:


> My local trails, which are awesome (glaciers carve some wicked mountain bike trails), are only a 1 mile pedal to the trail head from my garage. It's all street though so no need to lock out. In fact there's no need to lock out my fork any place near me. I'm not in Colorado pedaling miles up a fire road to the trail head (I've done Breck a few times so been there done that, switch back at Carter park is a beeotch!). The only thing is I should really visit other trail systems. Just hate loading up and driving an hour +/-.
> 
> View attachment 1989823


That switchback section is a whole lot more fun to come down, especially after coming down Barney Flow above.


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## evasive (Feb 18, 2005)

Nat said:


> Humble brag! A lot of people live a long way from the nearest trails.


We moved from a location with 2 trailheads within 100 yards to a house about a mile from most trailheads. It’s my secret shame.

ETA: I never add compression damping to ride on a road or climb.


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

My neighbor Karen (really her name) is a super cool hiker and we stop and chat on the trails all the time. She walks right out her back yard onto the trail. She said I could use her yard for access anytime. Then it would be like a 3 block pedal to the trail. I was like, yeah I appreciate it but I'd feel a little weird pedaling through your back yard (she's married, husband may not be too keen either). She said ok then just use it for emergencies. You betcha! I told her if she ever sells her house I get dibs. Talk about a dream lot. 

I know we're off topic but really the issue is resolved. My full squish rides like a dream. A little fast......


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## JohnMcL7 (Jul 26, 2013)

sgltrak said:


> Does anyone ride to and from the trails? I lock my fork for the ride to and from the trails and for some 3-5 mile fire road climbs, but I do still occasionally forget to unlock it for descents.


I cycle out and back to the trails here and have the fork locked out unless I'm descending.


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## Nat (Dec 30, 2003)

evasive said:


> We moved from a location with 2 trailheads within 100 yards to a house about a mile from most trailheads. It’s my secret shame.
> 
> ETA: I never add compression damping to ride on a road or climb.


When we moved into our current home the access to the trails was _literally _right behind our backyard. While the realtor was showing us the house a couple of people rode by on their mountain bikes, which actually did help seal the deal. We joke that that real estate agents paid a couple of actors to ride by while I was there. [mic] "Cue the mountain bikers. Action!"[/mic]

Since then another development has made our trail access about a mile away so I can no longer say I'm immediately on our trails from our backyard.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

I ride to the trails, it's uphill on the way to and DH on the way back. About 3.5 miles one way depending on route. I have several coil sprung bikes. Never lock them out for that (or climbs). As mentioned before...it doesn't really save any real time for a short ride. Say you climb 2000 feet, 30 seconds saved is nothing for several hours of riding...but, and this is a big but, if you are an XC racer, even 3 seconds on a 500' climb is significant. Not everyone is competing at that level, but a lockout is absolutely necessary for me for XC racing...but there seconds count. It is often seconds between the top 10 placements.


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

One time I visited Breckenridge and started a climb on the Co trail from Tiger road (Blair Witch trail head, Horse shoe gulch, Dredge boat). I think it was like 2.5 miles and just kicked my ass. Don't think a lock out would have saved me. Brutal. Got passed by a group of locals like it was nothing. That felt good. Ducking thin air.


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

JoeMountain said:


> One time I visited Breckenridge and started a climb on the Co trail from Tiger road (Blair Witch trail head, Horse shoe gulch, Dredge boat). I think it was like 2.5 miles and just kicked my ass. Don't think a lock out would have saved me. Brutal. Got passed by a group of locals like it was nothing. That felt good. Ducking thin air.


Great area! I lived a couple of miles from there for close to seven years.


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## JoeMountain (Apr 17, 2010)

sgltrak said:


> Great area! I lived a couple of miles from there for close to seven years.


Most fond mountain biking memories ever are Colorado. Epic.


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## dllawson819 (Feb 22, 2019)

JoeMountain said:


> Ok I just did my 8 mile local gnarly loop. With the pressure set to 100psi, set to descent, and the rebound adjusted, it's way more plush and smooth. I noticed that my speed was clearly up. The reason is the bike felt more in control so I would just let 'er rip. Night and day. Too bad I didn't figure this out before but I'm glad I finally did. Thanks to all the input in this thread. So glad I started the thread. I learned a lot about my fork.





JoeMountain said:


> Most fond mountain biking memories ever are Colorado. Epic.


Glad to hear your happy with your fork!

We are definitely spoiled. Eight miles back down through aspen groves, waist high flowers, and a bee sting to the face.


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