Mikeybikey57
Member
After much brain picking, (thanks Rasher) deliberation and endless analysis of the cost/benefit equation, I finally decided to upgrade my suspension. After deciding to have the shock replaced with a Wilbers unit and have the front forks re-sprung and re-valved, I booked an afternoon with the good folk at MCT suspension in Stowmarket.
The big day arrived last week and I rode off into the sunrise on the Monday morning. I was warmly welcomed by Darren and Tom, who after settling me in with a decent brew and some chocolate hobnobs, got straight to work on my bike. I was surprised when Matt stated that he felt that I didn't actually need to have the forks re-valved, as their updated re-spring and heavier fork oil would give a very good result. He also added that if I didn't think that to be the case after test riding, then I was probably riding the wrong bike.
Once the work was completed, Darren took my bike out for a quick test ride, made a few tweaks and then sent me off down a local road, to "test it out for ten miles or so." For the first five miles, I just couldn't stop myself giggling like an complete idiot. For the next five miles, I decided to turn the wick up a little and the giggles turned into cries of "holy shit." The transformation was that profound.
The initial set up had been brilliant on smooth and fast ‘A’ roads but proved to be a little firmer than I’d like, when riding everywhere else. So since coming home, I've been ‘fine tuning’ the suspension to get it just right. After getting to the “sweet spot”, the way the bike now rides is hugely different to when it was on the stock suspension.
Where the bike used to bounce and move around over bumps and ridges, it now stays firmly planted, with the suspension doing all the moving. Where the front end used to squirm under heavy braking and feel rather vague in bends, it now tracks straight and true.
To give it a proper test, I also rode it over one of the most twisty and badly surfaced road I know (over the top of Strines Moor, if you're local). Riding this sorry excuse for a paved road previously had the rear shock bogging down and kicking me out of the saddle at the slightest excuse, with the traction control light flashing like a strobe. The front end would also bounce around like a gibbon on a pogo stick too. I took the same road the other morning and it was still a lairy enough ride but it was good fun, rather than a bloody chore. My arse stayed in the saddle, the front wheel stayed connected to the road and I saw nary a twinkle from the traction control light.
In essence, the changes have been very positive indeed. The bike now feels much tauter, yet more compliant. It also feels composed, stable and planted on the road, yet it feels lithe and turns more quickly.
With regard to whether this sort of thing is actually worth doing, I suppose it’s all down to personal preferences. It certainly wasn’t a low cost modification but what’s the point of having money, if it’s main purpose is to leave you a very wealthy corpse. I could have put up with the stock set up, were I minded to but the inadequacies of stock set up were becoming intrusive and uncomfortable. So for me at least (and several others on this forum), it has been a very worthwhile upgrade and has made a great bike so much better. ::001::
The big day arrived last week and I rode off into the sunrise on the Monday morning. I was warmly welcomed by Darren and Tom, who after settling me in with a decent brew and some chocolate hobnobs, got straight to work on my bike. I was surprised when Matt stated that he felt that I didn't actually need to have the forks re-valved, as their updated re-spring and heavier fork oil would give a very good result. He also added that if I didn't think that to be the case after test riding, then I was probably riding the wrong bike.
Once the work was completed, Darren took my bike out for a quick test ride, made a few tweaks and then sent me off down a local road, to "test it out for ten miles or so." For the first five miles, I just couldn't stop myself giggling like an complete idiot. For the next five miles, I decided to turn the wick up a little and the giggles turned into cries of "holy shit." The transformation was that profound.
The initial set up had been brilliant on smooth and fast ‘A’ roads but proved to be a little firmer than I’d like, when riding everywhere else. So since coming home, I've been ‘fine tuning’ the suspension to get it just right. After getting to the “sweet spot”, the way the bike now rides is hugely different to when it was on the stock suspension.
Where the bike used to bounce and move around over bumps and ridges, it now stays firmly planted, with the suspension doing all the moving. Where the front end used to squirm under heavy braking and feel rather vague in bends, it now tracks straight and true.
To give it a proper test, I also rode it over one of the most twisty and badly surfaced road I know (over the top of Strines Moor, if you're local). Riding this sorry excuse for a paved road previously had the rear shock bogging down and kicking me out of the saddle at the slightest excuse, with the traction control light flashing like a strobe. The front end would also bounce around like a gibbon on a pogo stick too. I took the same road the other morning and it was still a lairy enough ride but it was good fun, rather than a bloody chore. My arse stayed in the saddle, the front wheel stayed connected to the road and I saw nary a twinkle from the traction control light.
In essence, the changes have been very positive indeed. The bike now feels much tauter, yet more compliant. It also feels composed, stable and planted on the road, yet it feels lithe and turns more quickly.
With regard to whether this sort of thing is actually worth doing, I suppose it’s all down to personal preferences. It certainly wasn’t a low cost modification but what’s the point of having money, if it’s main purpose is to leave you a very wealthy corpse. I could have put up with the stock set up, were I minded to but the inadequacies of stock set up were becoming intrusive and uncomfortable. So for me at least (and several others on this forum), it has been a very worthwhile upgrade and has made a great bike so much better. ::001::
