Adjusting the suspension

Purpose of the adjustment of the suspension

Your Street Machine GT is fitted with a suspension fork for the front wheel and a rear swing arm for the suspension of the rear wheel.This system compensates small bumps on the road so that riding is comfortable and the strain on your bicycle is reduced.

A well-adjusted suspension improves the traction of your bicycle. Especially in bends this does not only allow a higher speed but it also increases your safety.

In order to achieve maximum riding comfort, the suspension settings have to match your weight as well as the road condition.

The goals of the adjustment are:

●maximum use of the available suspension travel without the suspension frequently bottoming out

●quick reaction of the suspension without obvious oscillation after having passed

a bump

●avoiding self inforcing oscillations, that means increasing oscillations of the suspension system due to pedaling influence, rhythmic body movements or permanent wavy underground

Suspension and damping

The suspension systems of the suspension fork and the rear swing arm are fitted with the actual springs and dampers, which are mounted separately.

Often, the terms suspension and damping are used inappropriately in everyday language.

The spring is the elastic element that compresses and decompresses through the load, which occurs on bumpy roads.While decompressing the spring releases the same energy it has saved during compression.

The Street Machine GT is fitted with coil springs of steel at the suspension fork and the rear fork swing arm. In addition to this the suspension fork contains springs made of mi- crocellular foam elastomers. (MCU).

The damper slows down the process of compression and decompression.That means that the bicycle after having passed a bump does not immediately "spring" back to the initial position or even further than that.The damper converts spring energy into friction and finally into heat, and thus takes away energy from the suspension system.That way the damper prevents that the spring swings uncontrolled after an initial stimulation. In addition the damper helps to avoid self inforcing oscillations of the suspension that may be caused by reoccurring stimulation like pedaling forces within a crank revolution or the rhythmic up and down movement of the legs.

The hydraulic damping of the rear suspension is adjustable, in case you have mounted the optional suspension element DMM ST8ARC.

16HPVelotechnik