stangmx13
not Stan
Sag is the amount bike and therefore a spring compresses when a force is applied. Since it's impossible to apply a force at the wheel
like in actual road going, it is done by pressing down on the bike.
To set the sag, a preload adjuster is used to apply a static force to the spring by compressing it.
Preloading a spring controls how much force is needed before the spring moves and also how much the spring moves. Also adding preload extends the shock or fork adding ride height.
Preload does not effect spring rate. This meaning once the spring starts moving, it will move at its spring rate.
Dampening controls the force being put into and coming out of the spring.
What wasn't asked was......setting sag for what type of riding.......street, touring, dual sport, dirt, racing and a few others.
And static setting on a bike are just ball park. What the bike does under motion is where the real magic happens. In use, the static settings may need to be changed to further improve the handling.
And remember.....in this valley.......there is no one perfect street setup. Impossible to do.
That's one question I ask when someone when I hear complaints. What road. The perfect, fast, setup for 84 will not be the perfect, fast setup for page mill.
not just any force. the common terminology is that sag == static or total sag. so the sag force is the weight of the bike and the rider.
preload only extends the fork/shock in the case of long soft topout springs. components w/ short stiff topout springs or ones without topout springs do not change their total length when adding preload. preload does affect ride-height which is position, not length.
dampening isnt anything :laughing. damping affects how FAST the spring can move. it may or may not affect how far the suspension moves. it really depends on how long the force input takes. with bumps, it might. with weight forces, braking, or throttle inputs, it prob wont.
edited the last paragraph cuz of an error
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