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I just bought my daughter a GT Palomar 26" Mountain Bike - 2015 It has SR SunTour M3020 fork shocks. My mountain bike is so old it doesn't have shocks so this is all new to me :)

To my mind, the shocks seem too "mushy". I'm 160 lbs and she's only 80 so obviously, they should be adjusted differently for her, but still, she finds them mushy. Can they be adjusted and how? I have tried to find a product manual online for these shocks but with no luck. I did find a recall notice for them, but no manual*

If anyone is familiar with these shocks, can they tell me if they are adjustable and how to adjust them? Also, a link to a manual would be great.
The manual that came with the bike is very general and doesn't get into specific shocks.

Thanks,

Dave

*As far as I can tell, my serial number is not part of the recall.

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The entry level SR Suntours don't have a lot to offer as far as adjustability. I think most of the lower level ones such as the one you have are preload adjust only. Some may not even have that. Basically if it has a knob on the top of one of the legs turn it all the way to the right. Squish the fork a couple times, then turn it all the way to the left and do the same. That is your range of adjustment, this will change the "sag", which is the amount the riders weight alone makes the suspension dip, it should be set to about 15 - 30% depending on conditions and preference, find what suits her best.

Unfortunately mushy perfectly describes SR Suntour's entry level product. I'm pretty sure the stanchions are just filled with mashed potatoes and sent out. They work for small bump compliance but that's about it. Although there is a big step from the M series to the XCR & XCT series, they are by no means great forks but they seem to be a lot more fine tuned than the M series. You can find one for about 100 bucks in the states.

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    Generic Suspension Fork User Manual: srsuntour-cycling.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Downloads/Consumer/…
    – Nate W
    Commented Mar 21, 2016 at 19:43
  • Thank you very much for your answer Nate. I ended up returning the bike to Performance as they stated that there is no adjustment whatsoever. So now I'm back to square one looking for an entry level mountain bike for my daughter. This one was $250. I'd like to stay under $400 with closer to $300 being better. Suggestions welcome! Her last bike was a Giant and I swear the shocks on that were fine. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time seeing the brand on them. Duly marked as answer!
    – Dave
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 18:52
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    That is a tricky price range, Unfortunately suspension components are expensive and are usually one of the first cost cutting choices made by the manufacturers. There for it's difficult to find a decent entry level product with a suspension fork that isn't complete crap. Although my first bike had an SR Suntour fork and I rode it for 2 years before biting the bullet on a Pivot Mach 5 once I realized I wouldn't stop riding anytime soon. When looking keep in mind what I said about the XCT and XCR series of forks, they are inexpensive but are a definite step above the M series.
    – Nate W
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 19:26
  • Just looked at my daughter's old bike (now my son's bike). It's a Giant and has Zoom XTC shocks. A tiny bit of internet research indicates that these are not as well thought of as the SunTour M shocks. They definitely have less give than the SunTour which might be why I found the SunTour's so mushy! It's hard for an old timer like me to know what to expect with shocks!
    – Dave
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 3:59
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    Zoom is a widely used OEM brand, they also make disc brakes and some other parts, but yes i would rank them below Suntour, Suntour is one of those companies that is best known for its low level stuff. However they actually do make some nice and expensive forks. Their just not widely used because of the negative impact of their lower level stuff. Zoom just makes junk as far as i'm concerned. The steps from lowest level to mid, to top level brand name are pretty crazy when it comes to how well the suspension functions and feels. And everyone has different preferences with rebound, sag etc.
    – Nate W
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 17:18

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