Here's another new thread to distract from the zombie threads...

I rebuilt my forks last winter. RaceTech springs and Gold Emulators, +2 damper tubes and pre-load adjusters. I am getting more dive than I would like under breaking, and the front end feels kind of jittery. I know that there are adjustments that I can make on the Emulators, but I don't really want to pull the caps off right now. If I added some pre-load would that make any difference?

 

Preload adjusts your sag, you want to adjust your dampening and or rebound. Either by adjusting the emulators or by putting a heavier grade fork oil in there or both.

 

But incorrect sag can allow dive. Give your adjusters a few turns and go for a ride. You won't lose anything but time and will start learning about set-up.


Preload adjusters put the fork spring into tension when tightened, or remove tension when loosened. By adding preload you are putting more tension into the spring stiffening it, that will reduce dive. Especially if they're not set up correctly.

 

Thanks, It can't hurt so I'll give it a shot. This winter I'll dig into the emulators and do more fine tuning.

 

Changing the preload adjustment doesn't change the spring tension unless the fork or shock is already topped (or bottomed) out. All it does is raise or lower the "neutral" position of the suspension. The point is so, with your normal load, you have the right amount of up and down travel in the suspension. Too much preload reduces the travel up and increases the travel down, and vice-versa.

If you're bottoming out, increasing the preload may help, by adding compression travel, but it does so at the expense of rebound travel. It will not, however, reduce dive, only make it so the dive doesn't cause you to bottom out.

Increasing compression damping, either by changing the valving or increasing the weight of the oil, will slow the dive as will increasing the stiffness of the springs.