SECTOR RL FORK 26"

Just installed SECTOR RL 26" fork by Rock Shox.

Tip: Always check oil in the lowers and the damper before using a new fork.
This particular fork had only 3 drops of oil in both lowers combined! (15w oil)
Foam rings were dry!
In the damper there were 100cc of suspension oil (5w oil) vs advertized 125.
125 cc did not fit in the damper, very strange! Nowhere for a Sector fork the damper volume is advertized in 100cc.


Moral: always check fluids in your new fork before using it. You may be surprised!

Cleaning the bike, not washing the bike!

When the bike is dirty what do you do? Wash it, right? Bad idea!
The best way to clean your bike is:

• Let it dry
• Use a BRUSH to clean it
• When you clean it with a brush you may also see what repairs/adjustments (if any) have to be done

Washing the bike is bad and is for the lazy!

Priming syringe for fork oil change

If the syringe has a long tube (attachment), hot to make sure you get the right amount of oil?

• Disconnect any extension tube you may need to push the oil into the fork hole (eg. Rock Shox Revelation). Fill the syringe with MORE fork oil than you need. Intentionally more so!
• Attache the tube. Push on the plunger until oil level aligns with the mark indicating the amount that you need. You are done!

DUAL AIR NEGATIVE POSITIVE CHAMBER EXPLAINED

HERE IS THE DIAGRAM THAT EXPLAINS DUAL AIR- NEGATIVE POSITIVE CHAMBER OF THE AIR SPRING

1. The problem with air spring is that unlike coil, it does not return to Zero energy state.
     If you initially pumped 130 psi in the positive chamber of the fork (the valve is at the top facing 
     the rider) you will still have these 130 psi when the fork or shock fully returns. Coild spring will
     have zero pressure as it fully returns. Therefore with air spring the return will be harsh and abrupt

2. Therefore we need a cushion that will make the return softer, something has to slow down this
    return, some counteracting force must be introduced for the gentle full return to happen.

3. Enter the cushion or negative chamber (the valve is at the bottom of the left leg of the fork. As the
    spring returns it "hits" an "obstacle", a cushion, like your face hitting an airbag, making the impact
    (extension)  less violent.
4. More pressure in the negative chamber makes this "cushion" bigger shortening the legs reducing
    fork available travel. Big fat cushion make riding "softer" for some.

5. For big guys it seems that it is better to have a little bit more pressure (10 psi or so) in the positive
    chamber compared to the negative one.
6. Some say that such DUAL AIR fork will work better if in general the difference in pressure in
    positive and negative chambers is small (10 psi or so).
7. My numbers so far: rider weight 240. Positive chamber pressure 130 psi, negative chamber
    pressure 110 psi. I will tweak it from there.
8. To set the rebound, dial the knob so that the ride is a POGO STICK. After that little by little turn it
    so it becomes comfortably soft but not too soft. For rear shock ride off the curb and the suspension
   should bounce only once!

Now the diagram:

   

Basics of body position

Here is the most important idea about body position:

Butt back, chest down! (chin over the stem, same idea whether you stand or sit, no round back, do not hunch, chest pushes towards top tube)

When you are in attack position, check that your chin is over the stem! You should not feel like you have weight on the handlebars. The weight is held by the core and legs, not your hands and arms. Don't round the back but engage lats. Chest pushes towards top tube

Elbows out is the "side effect" of good body position that happens by itself as you assume a good body position, it is not a goal in itself




Here is a link to this (last video on the list)

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Improve-Your-Body-Position-100-in-30-Days-Blueprint-2013.html

Bike sounds (bad ones)

This is my database of creaking and other unpleasant sounds:

1. Seat collar creaks! It seems that the sound comes out of handlebar, pivot, crank, chain, pedals, BB. You freak out and think you bike is falling apart. It may be that it is your seat-post collar that is the culprit for this nerve-wrecking experience of yours! Symptoms:
1. Stand up and pedal- no creaking
2. Stop and push on handlebar- no creaking
3. Compress suspension while moving and not pedaling-no creaking
4. Tighten seat bolts- still creaking
5. Take of seat-post collar, lightly grease it and try now. No more creaking? Then the culprit is the seat collar!
2. You hear a loud single click when starting pedaling up a steep section or putting a lot of torque on your crank trying to go over an uphill obstacle
1. It is possible that your freehub (if it is an XT hub) is loose or your freehub broke down (Hope). In either case, the freehub may jam and you will have to walk.

My lights setup

As it gets dark early, lights are mandatory to ride after work. My setup?
Magic shine 1000 lumen from deal extreme on the handlebar (battery mounted on the toptube)
Serfas 1000 on the helmet (battery is in the backpack)

So far this setup works really well for me.