Trek advisory suspension settings.

[Peaky Rider]

Does anyone use the pressures and settings for the Trek Rail as recommended on their website?

I have just applied them to my Rail 7 and it feels like I'm riding a fully rigid bike and no, it can't really be my gauge as I get the same readings from two shock pumps and a digital gauge.

As an example, for my weight of 12 stone it recommends 100 psi in the fork (I had been running at 70 psi). At 100 psi I barely compress the fork. I also find the rebound settings they recommend to be a little fierce.

Maybe I've just got used to a really soft ride rather than an all action ride

 

[steve_sordy]

On any bike of mine I started with the sag at 25-28%, rebound one third from fast, compression off, then rode the bike. I adjusted as I got feedback from the ride.

I have seldom found a single recommended setting that I stuck with.

 

[Peaky Rider]

On any bike of mine I started with the sag at 25-28%, rebound one third from fast, compression off, then rode the bike. I adjusted as I got feedback from the ride.

I have seldom found a single recommended setting that I stuck with.

That is exactly what I have always done, I just can't understand why the settings Trek suggest are so different to what I personally settled on. Was hoping someone with first hand experience of setting up their Rail could enlighten me.

 

[steve_sordy]

That is exactly what I have always done, I just can't understand why the settings Trek suggest are so different to what I personally settled on. Was hoping someone with first hand experience of setting up their Rail could enlighten me.

I suspected as much.
Maybe the difference could be explained by how they expect the rider to be seated or standing and where on the bike?
I also found Fox's recco for psi produced a ride that I found too hard.

 

[BrentD]

On my 2020 9.8 with Lyrik and Deluxe I found the shock settings good but the fork needed to go down in pressure by about 5 psi.

I have a Zeb Ulitmate and Super Deluxe inbound so will be interesting to see how the Trek recommended settings compare. Trek suggest 74 psi in the fork (as does the SRAM) fork calculator where most reviews for this fork on a Rail say they ended up something closer to 56-58 psi for my 75 kg riding weight.

 

[Peaky Rider]

On my 2020 9.8 with Lyrik and Deluxe I found the shock settings good but the fork needed to go down in pressure by about 5 psi.

So you set your Lyrik fork at 83 psi (88 psi recommended). I'm getting something wrong as I prefer my Lyrik at 70ish psi and I'm 82kg (93 psi recommended)

 

[BrentD]

So you set your Lyrik fork at 83 psi (88 psi recommended). I'm getting something wrong as I prefer my Lyrik at 70ish psi and I'm 82kg (93 psi recommended)

Yes, have settled on 81 psi now. I checked with Shockwiz for what that's worth and it concurred this was right. I do wonder if Shockwiz can tell the difference between too much compression damping and the fork simply binding under load though!

 

[DeRailled7]

Truth is the numbers you get from Trek or Rockshox calculators are just starting points for setting up your fork. It will get you in the bulk part and for most people you’ll need to adjust. On the Yari that you have there are 3 settings : sag, rebound and LSC. You should also have 2 tokens pre-installed. The number of tokens will affect the pressure you’ll need.

First thing to set is your sag, 20% is recommended. Fully open Rebound (all the way to fast, i.e. rabbit) and LSC. Pump to recommended pressure. Jump on pedals 5-7 times, that will equalize the two air pressure chambers in your fork. Connect your pump again, you’ll notice the pressure has dropped, that’s because of the pressure equalization. Re-inflate, jump, repeat until pressure has stabilized. If 20% feel too stiff you could go to 25%. It’s not recommended to go higher than 25% or lower than 20%. If you’re a heavier rider for example and find the fork too soft, you can add one token.

Next go for a ride and work at setting Rebound. A good starting number is the one you get from the calculator. Increase and decrease rebound by 2 clicks up and down to get a feel of the change in behaviour. Rebound is really a personal choice. It depends on riding style, the types of trails, etc. In general the fork should extend back at a good speed without kicking (rebound too fast) or packing up, i.e. not fully extending back before hitting next bump (too slow).

Finally start playing with LSC. Most people i know have it always fully open. i don’t. Again it’s a personal preference (almost). The purpose of LSC is to help prevent the fork from packing up when braking hard for example. To me that’s the most annoying problem. LSC also helps keep the fork high on fast berms and rollers.

Finally you should try to setup your fork to use all of its travel on most of your rides. That’s what you paid for isn’t it.

cheers

 

[folmonty]

"Your results may vary." IMHO lots depends on your riding style and terrain. Play around with it and experiment. Suspension has come so far on these bikes it's really amazing!

 

[1oldfart]

Maybe it is to avoid claims. I usually use less PSI whatever brand it is.

 

[teamFM]

Does anyone use the pressures and settings for the Trek Rail as recommended on their website?

I have just applied them to my Rail 7 and it feels like I'm riding a fully rigid bike and no, it can't really be my gauge as I get the same readings from two shock pumps and a digital gauge.

As an example, for my weight of 12 stone it recommends 100 psi in the fork (I had been running at 70 psi). At 100 psi I barely compress the fork. I also find the rebound settings they recommend to be a little fierce.

Maybe I've just got used to a really soft ride rather than an all action ride

I am on a 9.8 with a Zeb. Recommended pressure in the fork is like 91 psi for me. It was way too stiff and killing my arms. I ended up swapping to an ultimate damper and run no hs compression. I also lowered the pressure to 75 and added a token. It is way better now.

 

[Peaky Rider]

I am on a 9.8 with a Zeb. Recommended pressure in the fork is like 91 psi for me. It was way too stiff and killing my arms. I ended up swapping to an ultimate damper and run no hs compression. I also lowered the pressure to 75 and added a token. It is way better now.

It is good to hear that someone has had the same experience as me and also had to reduce air pressure by a considerable amount.
Could it be that the Trek settings are a load of bollocks?

 

[BrentD]

Could it be that the Trek settings are a load of bollocks?

Probably! Interesting that the Rockshox recommended settings are the same. Will see how I fare in a week or so when my Zeb turns up.

 

[Stihldog]

Ordered a ShockWiz yesterday . I figured I couldn’t hide it from the boss…but then she reminded me that Father’s Day was around the corner, lots of riders in our circle of friends and relatives have FS and HT’s…and I ate some leftover spaghetti last week.
Went for a 2-3hour test ride with a neighbour the other day who just upgraded to a Lyric fork. Trek spec settings recommended 88psi. We started at 80psi and fiddled around with the compression/rebound etc. Another rider I met was using a ShockWiz (Interesting).
Finally we ran into another guy who saw us adjusting the fork settings. He happened to have a fork pump with him and went through a few procedures on the side of the trail. He eventually dropped the psi in the fork to 55psi. (Wtf). After a few trails the neighbour loved the new feel. I suggested 60-65 psi but hey…he’s happy.

 

[JP-NZ]

Ordered a ShockWiz yesterday . I figured I couldn’t hide it from the boss…but then she reminded me that Father’s Day was around the corner, lots of riders in our circle of friends and relatives have FS and HT’s….

Myself and two biking mates group purchased a shockwiz about 4 years ago, brilliant investment. Ive tuned 3 of my own bikes and the other two have done between 3-4 each as well. I'll be using it to setup my Rail when it arrives.

We have also managed to hire it to other people for weekend's they are a fantastic little tuning tool

 

[InRustWeTrust]

Fox has this free tool you can use to setup your suspension . It does take some time though

 

[Stihldog]

Fox has this free tool you can use to setup your suspension . It does take some time though

I’m not sure if the ShockWiz retains the final settings for my fork profile but this free tool could come in handy. Trek has something similar but it’s fairly generic. I might print this chart from Fox for a quick “what did I do?”

Anyways, I attached the ShockWiz to the fork and made the recommended adjustments for 3 sessions in “Balanced” tuning mode. I had thought that my original settings were pretty good before the ShockWiz and I was sceptical of this shock tuning device. I made the recommended adjustments after each session and I was surprised at how much added adjustments were needed.
It’s difficult to judge the settings since I ride over different terrain but the feel over rooty and rocky drops has improved. I’ve never bottomed out my forks before and I haven’t since. But I have bottomed out my shock…
I’ll setup the ShockWiz on the shock this week.

 

[InRustWeTrust]

I’m not sure if the ShockWiz retains the final settings for my fork profile but this free tool could come in handy. Trek has something similar but it’s fairly generic. I might print this chart from Fox for a quick “what did I do?”

Anyways, I attached the ShockWiz to the fork and made the recommended adjustments for 3 sessions in “Balanced” tuning mode. I had thought that my original settings were pretty good before the ShockWiz and I was sceptical of this shock tuning device. I made the recommended adjustments after each session and I was surprised at how much added adjustments were needed.
It’s difficult to judge the settings since I ride over different terrain but the feel over rooty and rocky drops has improved. I’ve never bottomed out my forks before and I haven’t since. But I have bottomed out my shock…
I’ll setup the ShockWiz on the shock this week.

no I also do not think that shockwiz sets fine adjustment but it is probably just to set a basic adjustment.
yes fox tools are really good for documenting settings if you screwed everything up and do not remember what settings you had before.

When I set up my fork and shock i start with a Base pressure then i ride my trails i normaly ride and see how much sag i have too see if I need moore ore less air, after that I do some jumps beacuse it its easy to feel how the rebound feel . Like you say it is hard to find settings that work for everything.

 

[Stihldog]

Isn’t there a fork or shock available that changes 100 times a second based on the type of terrain you’re riding on? (Maybe I was dreaming).(…and there’s an expensive upgrade).

The base-line suspension settings suggested by Trek just doesn’t cut it. I hope that the Skockwiz makes suggestions for the average worst-case scenario but I don’t see that that is possible. Regardless, the suggestions for the forks are better (not perfect), but better.
A noticeable improvement was the OneUp carbon bar. It took the micro-vibration out of the grip, and I haven’t broken them yet .

 

[1oldfart]

Isn’t there a fork or shock available that changes 100 times a second based on the type of terrain you’re riding on? (Maybe I was dreaming).(…and there’s an expensive upgrade).

The base-line suspension settings suggested by Trek just doesn’t cut it. I hope that the Skockwiz makes suggestions for the average worst-case scenario but I don’t see that that is possible. Regardless, the suggestions for the forks are better (not perfect), but better.
A noticeable improvement was the OneUp carbon bar. It took the micro-vibration out of the grip, and I haven’t broken them yet .

I am not a pro but i adjust the PSI for my fork and shock like for my tires. I start on the high side and each day i take a little out to find my sweet spot. Like you i use a carbon bar and for where i ride i like + tires. It is obvious that 2.8x29 do absorb more than 2.4 or 2.5. I am sure some fake reviews will say give big $$ for a miracle solution. I read that RockShox will be way better in 2023 but i will not be the first to buy them. I do put my money on proven products. I use a Deore 10S 11/46 and do not care about 11 nor 12S. New is not always better in my experience.