# What is lockout



## warrior47 (Sep 4, 2010)

What is lockout on the fork and what is the difference between mechanical, hydraulic, and remote lockouts


----------



## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

Lockout is the ability to make the fork behave as if it were a rigid fork. When the lockout is turned on, the fork no longer will bounce up and down.

There are many different types of lockout systems but they all do the same thing. I don't know how mechanical lockout works, but hydraulic lockout shuts down valves in the damping circuit to keep the fork oil from being able to cycle and let the fork operate. Remote lockout just means the lever you need to turn to lock out the fork is mounted away from the fork crown, usually on the handlebars. 

Personal feeling: lockout isn't all that useful. I would rather have a more sophisticated damping system than a lockout option. Also, be careful in riding most forks locked out while hitting lots of bumps. They're not meant to be a rigid fork replacement, just an aid to climbing. You can potentially damage some forks if they're ridden hard locked out.


----------



## warrior47 (Sep 4, 2010)

so if you had to have lockout though which would you pick


----------



## manabiker (Jul 18, 2010)

and when you figure that out find out what a gate does??? thats the newest thing on bikes is gates instead of lockouts..???????????????


----------



## warrior47 (Sep 4, 2010)

Well none of the bikes im looking into say anything about gates so your on your own on that one


----------



## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

warrior47 said:


> so if you had to have lockout though which would you pick


Picking a particular fork is far more important than picking a feature. What is prompting this debate? What forks do you need to choose between?

I have a hydraulic lockout, which I infrequently use.


----------



## warrior47 (Sep 4, 2010)

zebrahum said:


> Picking a particular fork is far more important than picking a feature. What is prompting this debate? What forks do you need to choose between?
> 
> I have a hydraulic lockout, which I infrequently use.


I am looking at trek 4300 disc and the specialized hardrock sport disc and the trek has hydraulic and the specialized has mechanical. Plus I didn't know the difference and or what they did


----------



## warrior47 (Sep 4, 2010)

I don't know if you can answer this but what kind of brakes are better disc or regular brakes?


----------



## Hopping_Rocks (Aug 23, 2008)

Neither type of brakes are definitively "better" than the other. "Better" is a subjective term. The advantage of disc brakes (and why most people use them) is that they are usually more powerful than V-brakes or Cantilever brakes, and that since disc brakes can work better in wet/muddy conditions.


----------



## manabiker (Jul 18, 2010)

Disc brakes are now regular brakes, the other types of brakes are found more on lower end MBs, Hydraulic disc brakes work better then mechanical disc brakes. By better I mean they have better feel and don't lock up as easily, the front brake is by far the best brake no matter what type of brakes you use.


----------



## warrior47 (Sep 4, 2010)

o thanks


----------



## frdfandc (Sep 5, 2007)

Remote lock out is a lockout that is either mechanical or hydraulic that uses some sort of lever system mounted to the handlebars to lock and unlock the lockout on a fork without having to reach down to the fork leg.

Here is a description of the mechanical lockout.

A suspension system for bicycles includes a cylinder received in the inner tube which is movably inserted in an outer tube. The outer tube is connected to the shaft of front wheel and the inner tube is connected to the crown of the front fork. A piston is connected to a switch by a rod and the switch can be rotated an angle by the user. The piston includes two protrusions which are rested on the top edges of the cylinder to lock the suspension or are rotated an angle to be movable in the cylinder.


And this is the description of a hydraulic. 

A hydraulic front fork includes a fixed locking mechanism mounted in the upper fork tube, and a first adjustment mechanism mounted in the top end of the upper fork tube adjustable to control the flowing path of the hydraulic fluid through the locking mechanism such that the bicycle is suitable for running on slopes and smooth road surfaces efficiently when the hydraulic fluid is locked out and prohibited from passing through the locking mechanism, and the hydraulic front fork can absorb shocks when the hydraulic fluid is allowed to pass through the locking mechanism.


----------



## captainjoon (Aug 11, 2009)

manabiker said:


> and when you figure that out find out what a gate does??? thats the newest thing on bikes is gates instead of lockouts..???????????????


"Gate" which are typically on some of the higher-end RockShox forks is an adjustable system that "blows-off" when a fork is in the locked out state to take a hit. It is supposedly similar to the "Bump-Threshold" or "Terra-logic" system on the RLC/RLT Fox fork systems.

The main difference is the amount of Gate +/- setting you have also dictates the lockout stiffness as well unlike the Fox system which stays at the same stiffness on any sensitivity setting which only controls how hard of an impact would "blow-off" the lock out.

Most will argue that the Terra-logic/Bump-threshold system on Fox Forx are a better system than the RS Gate system but that mostly depends on the rider and the types of rides they do.

If you have a RS fork with a Gate +/- control, the only way to adjust is to lock out the fork, turn the knob clockwise until it doesn't turn anymore and then according to your weight turn it counter-clockwise. At about 170 lbs. I have my Gate setting at exactly 2 counter revolutions on the Gate knob which is recommended (for my weight, 2-3 revs were recommended).


----------



## manabiker (Jul 18, 2010)

Thanks Captain John, I haven't been able to figure out how to use the gates, I have a gate with a remote on the Rock Shox Reba Race and another gate on the RS Monarch 4.2, I'll try to figure it out with your info, thanks..


----------



## captainjoon (Aug 11, 2009)

manabiker said:


> Thanks Captain John, I haven't been able to figure out how to use the gates, I have a gate with a remote on the Rock Shox Reba Race and another gate on the RS Monarch 4.2, I'll try to figure it out with your info, thanks..


Hey, no problem. I have a manual at home with recommended settings so let me know if you need more specific numbers.


----------

