how to adjust spring tension...

I was wondering if there was a special tool to adjust the spring tension. Or do you just find something to pry with and stick it in the hole on the side of the shock? :twisted:

 

I can twist mine tighter by hand. going the other way is a bit harder...

Yes there is a tool for it I don't think you'll need it.

What were you thinking of doing - making it stiffer?

 

Yeah, I want to turn up the rear spring tension a tad. the back end needs to be a little firmer(the spring tension is on its lowest setting). Especially when riding with a passenger.
I can't seem to turn mine by hand. maybe a little wd-40 will make it easier?

 

I find that if you pull up on it a little bit and twist firmly it will turn... the one I'm picturing has a ridges that look like a sylized mountain - the peg is in one of ridges, turning it on way will take it up higher onto the next ridge. Pulling it up and twisting will help move it.

There is a tool for it - I think I might have used a screw driver the first time I did it - in the end I found my massive forearms were up to the task

Right - this is the preload - you make the spring tighter to set the sag at an appropriate ammount for the weight on the bike. If you have a passenger you should put it up a bit. Riding solo put it down a bit. I've found most of them to be quite worn out ( or I'm too heavy!) that I've left it on the hardest setting for a long time. I still bottom it out and occasionally top it out - the roads here aren't perfect.

The thing with this setting - you want to make it stiff enough that the suspension is nearly bottoming out when you sit on it. You don't want it so stiff that it doesn't work properly. What I was told is that you want to get about 2.5" difference in sag when you sit on it and when you're not sitting on it.

This means that the suspension is compressed a little bit when you sit on the bike - but not too much to leave no travel left. It also leaves it soft enough to do it's job properly. If you have it tightened too much you'll get a nice pogo on the back - topping out over bumps and other funny things. Suspension's aren't a contest to see who has the strongest kidney's afterall

After all of my rambling - you're doing the right thing... more preload for a passenger - trial and error. Have fun!

Woot.

 

I think you want a spanner wrench for it.

Thats a tool thats almost a 1/2 circle with a flat lip that catched on the Ø of the object to turn it.

Or you can do like I did. Grab the BIGGEST set of channel locks you got. Then wrap the ring with a shop rag. You shouldnt have to squeeze to hard to turn it. just enough so it doesnt slip off.