New bikes - can't see suspension moving

Buck Rogers said:

Hi guys! Bike newbie here.

I bought a new bike for $250, original price $350. It has front suspension,
but when I lean on the front and try to bounce the front wheel, I can't see
the suspension moving. Why does it not move? Is that normal normal? Does
it need
some kind of adjustment? The suspension is entirely enclosed like that of
a car -
it doesn't have the rubber accordion thingy which contract and expand.

I will be bringing the bike back to the dealer to get them to tune it, as
per
their instructions. So I will get them to check it out.

Cheers!

Various possibilities:

- Oversprung... how heavy are you?
- Damping/preload adjusted wrong... but unless there are dials to adjust this you're best taking it back.
- Break in time... many forks take a while to break in the seals and start working properly. Given that however, there should be 'some' movement and compression... No suspension movement at all is not a good starting point.
- Not lubricated... not unusual with cheaper bikes. Many get imported and stuck on the shelves without so much as a look-see and as such have minimal to no lubrication.
- Cheapo forks... which have bad action.

Methinks it's probably a combination of all of the above... Definitely take it back. There should be some form of compression and rebound at the very least for that price. If possible, get the shop to strip them, check them, regrease and reassemble - Well worth it.

Eddie (who wasted a perfectly good set of Manitou Pro C's many years ago by importing, installing, and not lubricating....)

eddiec said:

Various possibilities:

- Oversprung... how heavy are you?
- Damping/preload adjusted wrong... but unless there are dials to
adjust this you're best taking it back.
- Break in time... many forks take a while to break in the seals and
start working properly. Given that however, there should be 'some'
movement and compression... No suspension movement at all is not a good
starting point.
- Not lubricated... not unusual with cheaper bikes. Many get imported
and stuck on the shelves without so much as a look-see and as such have
minimal to no lubrication.
- Cheapo forks... which have bad action.

Methinks it's probably a combination of all of the above... Definitely
take it back. There should be some form of compression and rebound at
the very least for that price. If possible, get the shop to strip them,
check them, regrease and reassemble - Well worth it.

Eddie, thanks for your reply. I had another go at bouncing the front wheel,
this time applying force through one hand at the point right in between
the handlebars, where the front column meets the forks, and the suspension
moved by about an inch. So it looks like the suspension work.

Before I was grabbing the handlebars with both hands and trying to push
down, which wasn't effectively applying enough downward force.

Cheers!

Buck Rogers said:

Eddie, thanks for your reply. I had another go at bouncing the front wheel,
this time applying force through one hand at the point right in between
the handlebars, where the front column meets the forks, and the suspension
moved by about an inch. So it looks like the suspension work.

Before I was grabbing the handlebars with both hands and trying to push
down, which wasn't effectively applying enough downward force.

Cheers!

I'm still a tad concerned about that. Grabbing the handlebars should provide ample force to compress the suspension. And an inch isn't much. What kind of forks are they, if I may ask? If all you're getting is an inch of travel from extreme pressure on the bars, then I'd be concerned that they might be highly oversprung and/or in need of a good lubricate. Of course, if they're relatively cheap shocks, an inch of travel may be all you have, but that would still surprise me given how the price of reasonable forks has dropped significantly...

Buck Rogers said:

I bought a new bike for $250, original price $350. It has front
suspension, but when I lean on the front and try to bounce
the front wheel, I can't see the suspension moving. Why does
it not move? Is that normal normal? Does it need some kind of
adjustment?

Don't worry. This is completely normal. The suspension on cheap bikes is actually only for decoration, much like the "petrol tanks" and "exhaust pipes" that used to adorn similar bikes in the past. If it actually moved, I'd be much more worried, as the likelihood of it breaking would be much greater.

Regards,

Suzy

"Buck Rogers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:opsny4volzkru5fy@mycomput-fdagxy...

Quoted message said:

eddiec said:

Various possibilities:

- Oversprung... how heavy are you?
- Damping/preload adjusted wrong... but unless there are dials to
adjust this you're best taking it back.
- Break in time... many forks take a while to break in the seals and
start working properly. Given that however, there should be 'some'
movement and compression... No suspension movement at all is not a good
starting point.
- Not lubricated... not unusual with cheaper bikes. Many get imported
and stuck on the shelves without so much as a look-see and as such have
minimal to no lubrication.
- Cheapo forks... which have bad action.

Methinks it's probably a combination of all of the above... Definitely
take it back. There should be some form of compression and rebound at
the very least for that price. If possible, get the shop to strip them,
check them, regrease and reassemble - Well worth it.

Eddie, thanks for your reply. I had another go at bouncing the front
wheel,
this time applying force through one hand at the point right in between
the handlebars, where the front column meets the forks, and the suspension
moved by about an inch. So it looks like the suspension work.

Before I was grabbing the handlebars with both hands and trying to push
down, which wasn't effectively applying enough downward force.

Cheers!

Above each side of the suspension does it have anything you can turn for
adjustment? It may be on just one side.. If so, turn them
counter-clockwise (just a bit at first, test it) and see if that helps.
Standing next to your bike and placing your hands on the handles should
easily provide enough strength to move it quite a significant amount.

Rod

"Buck Rogers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:opsny4volzkru5fy@mycomput-fdagxy...

Quoted message said:

eddiec said:

Various possibilities:

- Oversprung... how heavy are you?
- Damping/preload adjusted wrong... but unless there are dials to
adjust this you're best taking it back.
- Break in time... many forks take a while to break in the seals and
start working properly. Given that however, there should be 'some'
movement and compression... No suspension movement at all is not a good
starting point.
- Not lubricated... not unusual with cheaper bikes. Many get imported
and stuck on the shelves without so much as a look-see and as such have
minimal to no lubrication.
- Cheapo forks... which have bad action.

Methinks it's probably a combination of all of the above... Definitely
take it back. There should be some form of compression and rebound at
the very least for that price. If possible, get the shop to strip them,
check them, regrease and reassemble - Well worth it.

Eddie, thanks for your reply. I had another go at bouncing the front
wheel,
this time applying force through one hand at the point right in between
the handlebars, where the front column meets the forks, and the suspension
moved by about an inch. So it looks like the suspension work.

Before I was grabbing the handlebars with both hands and trying to push
down, which wasn't effectively applying enough downward force.

Cheers!

Above each side of the suspension does it have anything you can turn for
adjustment? It may be on just one side.. If so, turn them
counter-clockwise (just a bit at first, test it) and see if that helps.
Standing next to your bike and placing your hands on the handles should
easily provide enough strength to move it quite a significant amount.

Rod

Thanks to everybody who replied!

Actually, I was being a bit optimistic.
The suspension actually moves about 8-9 mm. But I've only had the bike
for 4 days, so maybe the suspension need time to settle.

I've been riding it around quite alot, and I love it! It's a MTB.

The dealer said to bring it in in 4-6 weeks time for a tuning, so if they
suspension doesn't improve, I'll get him to check it out.

Cheers!