My suspension is very stiff, I would like to know why and how to make it better for my size. My bike is a 24" Muddy-Fox Impact hard tail. I went to a trail with friends and they were OK but I was not, please help! I have tried putting oil on the outside even trying to breakdown the suspension by letting my big friend ride it but did not work.
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3The bike has a low end suspension fork, there is little if anything that can be done. Low level suspension is designed to give the appearance of suspension rather than act as an actual suspension. You might get better results playing with tire pressure and/or tire size (i.e., larger and lower pressures).– Rider_XCommented Nov 3, 2017 at 22:12
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2New bike might help– Ben PoulterCommented Nov 5, 2017 at 9:37
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2 Answers
I've googled and found this bike on Amazon. Its also listed at a UK site.
Second site lists this at £160 so its firmly in low-spec price range. Most likely the front fork is based on elastomer and/or a coil spring.
Some questions that discuss the internals of a fork:
What options do I have when replacing my fork's elastomers?
and this question states typical sag values which you should measure on your bike.
What maintenance does a front suspension fork need?
If you get on the bike and the suspension doesn't sag by 10-25% then you're simply too small and light for the suspension, and softening it could require removing some elastomer or replacing the springs with softer ones.
A more expensive option is to replace the fork with a better one, but this will cost significantly more than the rest of the bike.
As a pseudo-fix you could try adding weight to the front of your bike, with a handlebar bag, front drink bottle cage, or even just getting off the saddle and leaning forward more.
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1Some forks have springs in each side. Removing spring and/or elastomer from one side might help, but it might cause other problems.– mattnzCommented Nov 4, 2017 at 0:54
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@mattnz yes - you could mess about modifying springs, but that's generally going to make it worse. The best thing is to replace the springs with new ones the same length and attachment but with a "lower" spring rate, means it takes less weight to compress/expand them.– Criggie ♦Commented Nov 4, 2017 at 4:52
I tried quite a few things with my hard-tailed bike. I put on a seat post with suspension. I got a big cushy seat with springs. I got soft cushy handle-bar grips. They all helped but nothing really did as much as getting another bike with full frame suspension. How much do you like this bike? Is it heirloom? Moderate to unpleasant vibration is kind of the nature of the beast. However, if you are not sentimentally attached to this bike and you want a more comfortable ride I would recommend a full suspension bike.
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3Hes got a £160 bike. Full suspension would be an upgrade only if you added a 0.– mattnzCommented Nov 4, 2017 at 5:28