You should always set the damping as low as possible to give the bicycle the possibility to quickly react even to several bumps in a row.
You can ride the Street Machine GT with a considerably lower damping than for example a MTB: due to the relaxed and steady position of the body the recumbent does not experience extreme variations in the load as it is known from dancing on the pedals while riding uphill on a mountain bike.
In addition to this, varying pedaling forces have very little influence on the suspension of the bicycle due to the No Squat design of the suspension system of the Street Machine GT. So when you adjust the damping, always start with a low damping.
It is necessary to choose the correct spring stiffness to have a well operating suspension system.The spring stiffness is a measure for the compression of a spring at a certain load. It is either given in "N/mm" (Newton per Millimeters) or "lbs./inch" (Pounds per Inch). Sometimes you only find "lbs." printed on the springs.
The suspension is designed in a way that the spring compresses considerably when you mount your bicycle.This is called negative suspension travel and it enables the bicycle to decompress on bumpy roads. (Which is in fact a definitely positive feature.) You should choose a spring stiffness with which this negative suspension travel takes up around 30% of the overall suspension travel.This value usually provides a very comfortable ride on your fully suspended recumbent bike designed by HP
VELOTECHNIK.
Adjusting to load
The luggage carriers of the Street Machine GT are mounted to the suspended part of the fra- me.That way your luggage is also fully suspended and it spares the material. Most notably, even under heavy load the suspension will compensate an uneven road much better and quicker compared to a design where the luggage carrier would be mounted to the unsuspended parts, e.g. the rear swing arm.
Additional luggage changes the load of the wheels and their suspension.The suspensions are more compressed through the load.That way, there is less suspension travel for bumps while riding.Your suspension could seize up more often.
The suspension of the front wheel is less affected since luggage at the rear rack almost only puts weight on the rear wheel. Only in case of heavy luggage on the lowrider under the seat is there an influence on the front wheel.
In order to compensate the variations in the load you can change the
Theoretically this can compensate for a load change of approx. 10 kg (23 lbs) at the rear wheel. In case of higher variations in the load you would have to exchange the spring for another spring with another spring stiffness. In practice you can often do without it: the Street Machine GT offers with 90 mm (31/2") a lot of suspension travel for a touring bike. When you choose the spring stiffness so that the full 90 mm are at your disposal when your recumbent is under maximum load, you will have a somewhat smaller but still very comfortable suspension travel when you ride without luggage.
Adjusting your new bike
HPVelotechnik 17