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Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner

Bike Fit With AthletiCamps’ Bruce Hendler

A Good Bike Fit is MORE Important Than a Good Bike!

Bruce Hendler Athleticamps Retul Professional Bike Fitter.
Bruce Hendler is the owner of Athleticamps, a Bike Fitting and Cycling Coaching Service located in Folsom, California.

Most of you know how much I believe in a good bike fit. When I ran my studios in North Texas, I actively recruited Craig Fulk of Dynamic Bike Fit, to place a small studio in my East Dallas location. Later, when he opened his own retail space, I referred people to him, and still do.

 
 

We can add Bruce Hendler’s AthletiCamp location in Folsom, California, to this list. He’s that good.

A “Bike Fit First Philosophy”

A good Bike Fit starts with Baseline readings.
When making changes to a bike, it’s important to know what the baseline readings are, for both the bike and the cyclist. Here, Bruce is using the Retul ‘Zinn Wand’ to accurately measure every position on the bike, so that finite adjustments can be made to ensure the best possible fit.

Walking into Bruce’s location, it immediately felt like a Home away from Home. Bike Fitters of this level of professionalism are a truly rare breed. The Clinic had a small lounge area, a Therapy table, a Garmin Display (OH I LIKE THAT!!) and a space for measuring feet for custom footbeds. Just past that is a Retül Müve Fit Bike with a highly precise and technical SRM Scientific Crank mounted on it. The main stage includes what I’ll call a Müve ‘Lazy Susan’, where you place your bike, on a trainer, and it can then be rotated on an axis so that cameras and Infra-Red Lasers can measure more than just one side of a cyclist’s position on the bike. In the corner is Bruce’s desk and Command Center, with over 4 dozen different saddles, each with its’ own width, pitch, and padding depth/hardness.

Finally, on the far wall, there’s a Gas-Exchange Analyzer, which is used to perform Graded Exercise Tests.

Basically, for me, it’s a Nerd’s Paradise. Bruce and I speak the same language.

“Fit First Philosophy” means what it says; you want a cyclist to be the Commander of their Craft. It doesn’t matter what color it is or what parts are on it. If the bike performs under the cyclist’s control as an extension of their senses, then this is Zen in Motion. We all love expensive bikes. But it’s the rider that makes them move. Hence, LOCOMOTION.

Bruce – The Fitter

A good bike fit requires a gentle and comprehensive approach to sensitive areas of the body
A good bike fit requires a gentle and comprehensive approach to sensitive areas of the body. Note the leveled laser and reader next to the workbench. This is a critical element of the Retul assessment technology.

Conversation with Bruce is easy. He’s incredibly knowledgeable about fit, about how Humans need to be a part of the machine that is a bicycle. A good fit is about comfort, control, cornering, and confidence. I believe it is more challenging to achieve a good bike fit on a Mountain Bike, but Bruce absolutely delivered. We spoke about hand pressure, foot numbness, the ‘Simian’ Grip that good shoes and inserts can mitigate and absolve. Bruce had me perform some fundamental, basic, balance and plyometrics (I SUCK at this stuff), and then assess my torso and legs for any imbalances or length discrepancies. We spoke about my on-and-off sciatica, stretches that can help relieve this, and good old basic postural observations. All this time, we were discussing common friends, equipment, the state of cycling, and more.

Bruce is a coach, as well as a fitter, with decades of experience. Good Fits lead to better physiology. They compel people to ride more. I honestly believe that we would have more cyclists, riding bikes for more reasons, more often, if they were given the quality bike fit of the type that Bruce provides.

A Bike Fit for a Mountain Bike

Custom Shoe Inserts that come from a solid Foot Pressure Analysis make a Bike Fit even more comfortable.
This was a new approach to footbed technology and application that I found fascinating. I have had insole assessments done in past fits, and I’m very satisfied with them, but this was the first time that I watched the process in realtime, and the footbeds were both molded and inserted within minutes instead of over the course of an hour. The results were immediate; more power in the ball of the foot, and a less ‘hinky’ movement along the left side of my body, as I’d been compensating for my collarbone imbalance for decades.

 

My abbreviated history with mountain bikes is as such: I had an epiphany on a mountain in Scotland in May of 1992. It was literally a ‘Bolt from God’ moment, and in that moment, I decided to pursue life as a cyclist and cycling coach. Six months later, I moved to Bozeman, Montana, hired a coach, became a coach, and ran a Mountain Bike Development team. I left mountain biking in 2000 when I ran a Velodrome development program, and did not really return until about 2012, when I married my wife, Tracy. We rode for recreational purposes, and in 2019, when given the opportunity, we moved to Reno, Nevada, to a house on the side of a mountain that is teeming with mountain bike trails.

For three years, I rode a 2012 Trek Superfly 100 that was a size too small, and had ‘East Coast’ Geometry. I literally rode it into the ground, with over 400 hours a year on the frame. In 2022, I purchased an Intense Sniper T Pro, size LARGE, and placed 165mm cranks on the bike.

But something was ‘off’. The bike was slower. My hands were continually going numb. This affected me on climbs, singletrack, and descents. It was awful. I tried different bar widths, different grips, even old-school bar ends, to no avail.

Then, as you know well, we moved…. twice. Then it rained for 3 months straight. I literally have not been on my mountain bike more than once since October. It was time for a fit, so I can actually ENJOY THE RIDE.

The Bike Fit Process

Getting a proper bike fit is truly an hours-long affair. My fits are intentionally thorough; they usually take 3-6 hours. I bring water and snacks, just in case. Unless I’m taking photos, I almost always put away my phone.

Bruce takes a Holistic approach. He uses the Retül sensors, which are placed on both sides of my body, and then runs the software for the initial assessment. He had me remove my shoes and socks, and then step on an instrument that measures my pronation and supination on my feet. After a brief discussion, we both agreed, based on the information provided, to measure and install footbeds in my shoes. Once back on the bike, the effect WAS IMMEDIATE. The pedal stroke felt different, and my lower half was already in better alignment for propulsion and control. Bruce then moved my cleats around, based on the Retül information provided, and we ran another test. BOOM. More power, more control. He then slid the seat forward, shrinking my wrist-elbow-hip angle. YES! Again, even more power, more control, more comfort.

But the biggest issue for bike fit on this bike was the numbness in my hands; a palsy that was affecting everything. It’s mostly in the left palm, and I believe it is left over from a collarbone that broke and was allowed to set without surgery in 2005. It’s about 2cm shorter than normal.

We ran tests. Then We talked and reviewed each change. We altered grip angle, used the seatpost adjuster, played with the cleats on my venerable SPD’s. We tested each change for 2-5 minutes at a time. Sometimes a change requires a backup or reversal. Not in this case. That’s testament to Bruce’s insight and experience.

Bike Fit Athleticamps Before and After
Here’s a GIF that I made of my ‘Before’ Fit, and ‘After’ Fit with Bruce at Athleticamps. The initial position was my own self-fit. Honestly, until VERY recently, I was unimpressed with the bike fit services that were available in Reno. Now that I’m in Sacramento, Bruce provides the Professional Touch, with years of experience and a meld of technology and an eye for sense. The first image shows how ‘upright’ I was. The second shows my ‘forward’ and ‘down’ position, which eliminated my one major issue; palsy in my left hand.

The One big Move that made the most difference was when Bruce removed the stem cap and LOWERED my stem height by 10 millimeters. He then added resistance…. and EVERYTHING BEGAN TO FLOW. The Bike Fit was working! My angles began to resemble the position on my road bike, ever so slightly. Pedal stroke evened out, my back became flatter, and power delivery rose. But most of all, MY HANDS DID NOT GO NUMB.

We rode like this, at about 225 watts, for almost 30 minutes. Bruce queried me about every two or three minutes, all the while, checking my posture on the Retül Motion Capture System. Finally, he asked if I’d had enough, and I agreed.

He’d solved one of the most crippling, vexxing, handicapping problems for me on my new mountain bike. After almost a year…. I was now, COMFORTABLE.

Real World Testing

Here, I need to be honest. It took several weeks for me to get out to a trail that was worthy of the bike and the fit. I’m new to Sacramento and Auburn, and the lower altitude has me feeling different types of dirt and traction always require about 20 hours of tuning for air pressure, shockwiz, and what I call “Whipadilling”, which is a sort-of ‘6th Sense’ that comes from understanding how to read a trail, pick a line, shift, brake, raise or lower your seat, etc. I had not ridden the mountain bike since October, and finding time, as well as agreeable weather, after the fit, took some work.

I got one good ride in about two weeks after the fit, maybe 90 minutes, and all I can say is, “WOW!” No hand pain. Because of the position being slightly lower and more forward, my visibility was a bit more limited, but that was not why I was tenuous on the trail. The bike felt like an extension of my body. It felt more grounded. I could steer from my hips and obliques. THIS gave me time to look up further, decide on a line, and then take it. It was not adequate time to commit to all the nuances of modern XC mountain bike suspension tuning, but that’s another discussion for another blog post. Mainly, NO HAND PAIN. ELBOWS were relaxed and ‘Piano’. There was no numbness.

I’m going to try to get out to Tahoe soon and tackle climbing the Flume Trail later in the Summer, and I’ll learn more about the fit at that point. But for now, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

I cannot WAIT to ride the mountain bike again.

CONCLUSION

Athleticamps Bike Fit Report pdf
Some bike fitters are loathe to provide the information that is collected; they’d rather have the cyclist return regularly, and they want to control the process like a Director of a film. Bruce provided me with all of the information regarding my fit in a nice, tidy email and two PDF’s; one for the footbeds, and one for the bike fit itself. Very Impressive.

Someone once said that the bicycle really was not ‘invented’, instead it ‘evolved’ with the onset of Humans and the Industrial Age. We’ve watched bicycles change from Velopeds to Big Wheels to Safety Bikes. Specialization has occurred, with the onset of Uprights, Road Bikes, Hybrids, Mountain Bikes, Cyclo-Cross, Gravel, Track and Time Trials. ALL of them need a bike fit. I’d even argue that cycling would be MORE prevalent if we had started with bike fits from the beginning!

I’ll be revisiting Bruce in the future, as I continue to ride the mountain bike and my road bikes. My body will change. My needs will change. The equipment may change. Take a ‘Fit First’ Philosophy and get a Bike Fit. THEN, honestly, pay someone like Bruce to help you find the best bike for your needs, dependent upon the BIKE FIT. Hence, ‘Fit First’. You’re not going to look down at your bike when you’re riding it. Color doesn’t matter. FIT, COMFORT and PERFORMANCE stemming from this comfort will yield MILES of SMILES for HOURS and YEARS to come.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

Rotor Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) – Flatter Terrain

The Rotor Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) – Use the Mechanical Advantage

Lake Pueblo State Park Singletrack
Lake Pueblo State Park has miles of open, flowy singletrack that is accessible almost year round. It is not heavily trafficked, and often, I was the only cyclist out there.

I’ve been a big fan of the Rotor Optimal Chainring Position App ever since it came out in, what, 2012? One of the FIRST people affiliated with the original ROTOR bike and crank system was named Andre, and he lived in Dallas. We rode past his house literally hundreds of times.

Later, one of the last great brand representatives, a guy named Howie, introduced me to the founder of Rotor Components, and we were able to discuss their product and goals in broken Spanish via WhatsApp. Later, Howie sold his practice to Kervin Quinones, and Rotor has a separate office in Salt Lake City, Utah.

But it’s the Concept of Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) that I’ve studied, and then applied, to all of my bikes since 2003. I even wrote a chapter about Moment and Crank Torque in my now completely outdated book (which is still available on Amazon).

The TL:DR? It works. It’s not a gimmick. The gains are small, but they do add up. The more pronounced the slope, the more the Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) works. But you have to know what you’re doing, and it’s definitely terrain-specific.

Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) in the Sierras vs. Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) in the High Prairie

When I was riding my mountain bike in the Sierras in Reno, I used the Rotor App to determine OCP, and it DEFINITELY made a difference. I liken riding with an ovalized chainring to ‘hacksawing’ up the hill. You can ‘feel’ the power jump with each pedal stroke, and then feel it sort of ‘hang’ in the area where the ring radius is lowest. This is intentional. The gains are measured in millimeters per revolution, and it adds up to MAYBE 3 links of a chain over the course of a complete chain revolution. But those millimeters, those centimeters, add up. And again, the steeper the terrain, the more you feel that lever-action working. After several rides over the years in Reno and on Peavine Mountain, I ended up riding in Position 1, to tackle the steep terrain.

It’s COMPLETELY DIFFERENT on flat terrain!

Riding in Pueblo was a different experience. the ‘climbs’ were maybe 1-2 minutes. They were POWER climbs. Trails were flowy and there were times there when I was working on smooth power output while letting the suspension soak up the smaller bumps and terrain. There were areas where power was necessary, however, in 2-5 second spurts. This became the norm, and I used Garmin’s Strava Segment Chaser to gauge myself against previous, faster cyclists. While I never caught the leaders, I definitely was able to use the ShockWiz technology to optimize my suspension setup, and use the Rotor Optimal Chainring Position in a different setting, to get just a wee bit more power out of every turn. It was a VERY anaerobic demand. Getting a few extra watts and a few extra centimeters out of every 30 meter section of twisty singletrack, made a difference.

Rotor Torque 360 App OCP Position 4 torque curve
This is a screen capture of the Rotor Torque 360 Visual Overview. Depending on what model of Rotor Power Meter you purchase, you can see Left/Right balance, Instant Power, Instant Cadence, Heart Rate if you choose (this could be useful when looking at Optimal Chainring Position on longer climbs), ‘OCA’ – Optimal Chainring ANGLE in instant values, and the all-important ‘OCP’, which shows you which chainring position might be optimal both instantly and over time. Finally, you get a BEAUTIFUL torque curve. The larger loop is the power curve part of the crank revolution. The smaller loop is the ‘drag’ from the trailing leg. Finally, the Green Arrow is a visual image of the ‘OCA’. In this case, it’s JUST BELOW 90 degrees.

 

Now, you can refer to my book or maybe you can still find a long-lost blog post about it in the internet archives, but the gist of the discussion goes like this:

Archimedes And His Simple Machines Work Better With Optimal Chainring Position (OCP)!

A crank is nothing more than a simple lever.

A crowbar is a crank and a crank is nothing more than a lever.
Repeat this 180 times per minute, and you might actually get somewhere….

It uses MOMENT at the 3 o’clock position to ‘pull’ on the chain, which touches the chainring at the 12 o’clock position. Think of it like a crowbar. You can make the lever action easier if you lengthen the crank (not recommended), or you can increase the radius from the center of the bottom bracket, to the area where the chain touches the chainring. It gets a little more complicated when you add inertia. Legs show the most power between 2 and 5 o’clock. When you’re not thinking about it, peak power usually occurs at the 4 o’clock position.

Hence, look at the arrow three images above. The arrow is at 98 degrees, or just past 3 o’clock. If a crank were, say 170 mm, at that exact position, it’s only 155mm. The MOMENT has shrunk, but the POWER and INERTIA have both grown. Place the Rotor Oval Chainring Optimal Chainring Position at ‘4’, and VOILA! A 6-9% boost in power AT THAT ‘MOMENT’ in each revolution!

Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) – SLOPE vs FLAT

On Peavine Mountain, with regular climbs in the 8-15% range for minutes on end, The Rotor Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) continuously recommended OCP 1. However, at Pueblo State Park, with all the punchy terrain and twisty singletrack, it frequently recommended OCP 4. Here’s a summary view of a short segment.

Rotor Torque 360 App OCP Position 4
I took this screenshot about 25seconds into a 20 minute effort on singletrack.

Notice that The Rotor Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) shows “Position 4”, while the Optimal Crank Angle shows ’95 Degrees’.

CONCLUSION

I performed this test about 3 times, before I made the change. The values for The Rotor Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) were consistent between Positions 3 and 4. Now, on my road bike, which is now 10 years old, the sprints and power climbs in the big ring kept me in Position 4. It feels comfortable on the road bike, so I pulled the ring, and placed it in Position 4 for the mountain bike.

I can’t say that this one change made all the difference, but I can say that it didn’t hurt. Look at the October 8, 2022 result, and look at the next several dates after that.

Strava Segment Pueblo State Park Northbound
Increased Power, Decreased Time. I’ve used Rotor products since about 2000, and I still think that they offer concrete marginal gains. You just have to know how to apply the information it provides!

Familiarity, plus power and fitness, plus perpetual tweaking of the Suspension system via the ShockWiz, made me faster. And Fast, is FUN!

Now that I live in Sacramento (long story for another time), I’ll probably go through the exact same thing, over 20 rides or so, and see where the Rotor Optimal Chainring Position (OCP) recommends I place my chainring. I don’t know if I’ll ever race again, but I’m having a blast learning and sharing the benefits I can witness myself in these technologies.

Thanks for reading, don’t forget to comment, and as always…

ENJOY THE RIDE!

 

 

ShockWiz And Segments At Lake Pueblo State Park

ShockWiz Suspension Tuning at a New Venue!

(*****NOTE: This post was originally created in October of 2022, but was never published. I still believe, however, that there’s a lot of relevant information we can glean from the ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System, and I’m going to continue this thread while I wait for the trails to dry out in Northern California.). 

Richard and Tracy Wharton at Lake Pueblo State Park
This image was taken at the end of the “Outer Loop NB” segment at Lake Pueblo State Park. I’m using the ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System to optimize my suspension for this series of flat, shale, twisty trails.

Since moving to Pueblo, CO at the end of September, I have been studying the ShockWiz Suspension results on rides at Lake Pueblo State Park. The Park is located about 4 miles from the home where we are staying, and the trip is no more than ten minutes. Pueblo State Park has over 80 miles of accessible singletrack and paved trails. The trails are maintained by the Southern Colorado Trail Builders, and they’re a good mix of flow, climbing in and out of drainages, and some great, twisty singletrack. While the area is vertically challenged, it makes up for this with banked berms, narrow trail, and beautiful views. The trail is almost exclusively broken shale over dirt, so it’s fast in some places, and loose scree in others, especially in the hairpins. The area is exposed, so bring sunscreen and plenty of water!

 

Different Geography, Different Results

Lake Pueblo State Park Trails
Lake Pueblo State Park is just 5 miles from the house where we are temporarily staying. There’s a great network of trails there, with plenty of challenges.

In a previous post, I wrote about tuning the suspension on my Intense Sniper T Pro while riding the same trails from my home on Peavine Mountain, in Northern Nevada. I’m doing the same thing here; I am completely focused on my suspension results of one particular segment of Lake Pueblo State Park – the “Outer Loop NB (Northbound)”.  I have ridden this segment six times so far, and I’ve used the data from the ShockWiz App on this timed segment to make adjustments to both the front and rear suspension.

With the Peavine trails, it took about 20-23 rides to get the ShockWiz suspension values to consistently read in the 90’s. I also paid to get the rear suspension tuned by Mike Davis at MAD Suspension. I’m now on Ride #8 down here, and I just earned two 96 Point Results on the Suspension! Furthermore, I earned FOUR Segment PR’s, including Outer Loop NB!

First Ride – Establishing a Baseline With Shockwiz

Given the terrain, it’s not easy to get a 99-100% Confidence Interval. 
ShockWiz Ride 1 Rear Results
You can never expect ride results from two completely different geographic areas to be the same. ShockWiz is telling me that Tuning and Optimization are trail-specific, geology-specific, maybe even ride intensity and goal specific.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First off, a couple of notes.

  • I’m not fit. I was getting fit earlier in the Fall, and I’ll write another blog post updating my study of Garmin’s EPOC and Aerobic Training Effect system, as well as the DFAA-1 heart rate system. Then we packed to move to Pueblo, and I lost a good chunk of that fitness. I HAVE been getting fit again since I arrived in Pueblo, however, and all of it has been based on Mountain Biking.
  • Mountain Biking here is… different. It’s non vertical. It’s not as twisty as the singletrack I rode in Texas, but it’s more twisty than the riding out in Northern Nevada. It’s much more a full-body workout.
  • I’m STILL getting numb hands. I recently but my bars down to 740mm and it helped, but it’s now an inconsistent numbness. I’m experimenting with my shifters and brakes at different positions and angles, and I hope that will help.
  • There’s less need for rear suspension on these trails, so I MAY alter the compression dial from ‘Open’ to ‘Semi-Open’.
  • I cannot alter the shock and suspension with revalving or different oils. I’m just not going to do that.

But let’s stick to the theme of learning. Here are the suggestions from the ShockWiz App, post-ride.

ShockWiz Post-Ride Analysis

Let’s start with the Rear Suspension first, since I’m basing that on my work with Mike from MAD over the years. He always argued that the Rear should be tuned first. So, let’s go.

Shockwiz Rear Recommendations Pueblo State Park
The results of this ride resulted in a Shockwiz Score of 84 points, with 100% confidence.
Shockwiz Rear Suspension Recommendations Pueblo State Park Ride 1.
Rear Rebound and Compression were in need of tuning the most. I think I can alter the Compression for better comfort and control on this chippy rock.
Shockwiz Post Ride Rear Suspension Recommendations Pueblo Colorado State Park.
Everything looks good here…..
Shockwiz Rear Suspension Dynamic Sag Detection Pueblo State Park.
I’m ALWAYS trying to get Dynamic Sag to about 25%, and the ONLY way to do that is with more air. More air, however, mucks with compression and rebound ratios. I’m not sure what I’ll do here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And let’s see what the Fox Front Looks like.

Shockwiz Pueblo Front Post Ride Analysis Overview Pueblo State Park.
The ShockWiz wanted me to head out and get some more data, but I was running out of time. I got an 82 out of 100. Let’s see what the recommendations are…
Shockwiz Front Fork Suggestions Page 1 Pueblo State Park.
OUCH. Less air, more spacers, softer compression. Honestly, I think I’m going to get a few more rides in before changing this too much.
Shockwiz Front Fork recommendations Ride 1 Pueblo State Park.
I think this shows that despite the previous screen, where the recommendations were all over the place, by and large, the settings I have on the fork DO work. Same with the rear information above.
Shockwiz Front Fork Statistics page highlighting dynamic sag.
OKay, just a reminder. I am NOT a hotdog. I don’t get ‘Big Air’, and I’m not ‘Sending it’ off a cliff or anything. If it happens, it happens, but I’m more interested in dynamic sag. In this case, I’m actually okay with 10% sag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION – Shockwiz Probably Needs More Data

Okay – I think the first thing I need is MORE DATA. I want to figure out the TREND. The suspension is working, but there are definitely ways I could be tweaking the dials and valves to get more.

I’ll write up another post later, once I have more data from the dirt.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

 

 

ShockWiz Consistent Suggestions – Rear Suspension – 21 Rides

ShockWiz is Consistently Telling Me to “Soften Up!”

ShockWiz Rear Suspension - 21 Rides
The ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System can provide solid knowledge on ways to improve the comfort, control, and performance of the suspension on your mountain bike. Click on the image to get to a short video summary. 

The ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System continues to reveal ways to help me optimize my suspension. Peavine Mountain in Reno, Nevada, is exposed and rocky. The trails are a mix of sand and exposed, boiled Andesite rock. The trails are about 2 feet wide, with LOTS of rounded rock heads, sharp rock heads, and sagebrush. It’s classic mountain bike terrain, with winding climbs and twisty descents. Good suspension is a must, and the ShockWiz will help you optimize damping, compression, and preload.

Let’s Start With the Rear Suspension

ShockWiz Rear Score 21 Rides
Over the course of 21 rides on my home terrain, the ShockWiz Suspension Scoring system Varied from 70-92 points, but settled in at 92 points on 6 of the last 7 rides.

I’ve been using two ShockWiz units, one up front and one in the rear. This blog post is about the rear suspension, because the values have been consistent since about the fourth or fifth ride.

I began using the ShockWiz to set my suspension sag. Once that was dialed in, I followed the suggestions provided by the ShockWiz app, and tweaked compression, rebound, and air pressure. Small adjustments were made. However, no matter what changes I made, ShockWiz continued to suggest that I soften up Compression. I ended up with about 30% sag on the Fox Float DPS. Rebound was pretty dialed in. But Compression suggestions were consistent. The video with the GIF shows this.

Let’s Go Visit Mike Davis at MAD RACING!

Mike Davis MAD Racing
Mike Davis at MAD Racing in Reno, Nevada is my go-to for suspension tuning and service.

Mike Davis at MAD RACING in Reno, is my Suspension Specialist. I trust him to make internal changes to the rear shock. My bike is now at the shop, and when it returns, I’ll immediately perform a ShockWiz recalibration. THEN, I’ll head out to Peavine for more rides, and data collection. I’ve asked him to help me get sag back up to about 25%, and to make Compression softer by about 15%. He’ll use a combination of oil weight, air pressure, and valving. I can’t wait to try it out!

On Another Note….

Peavine Peak Recovery Benches
Peavine Peak is covered in trails for hikers, runners, bikers, and equestrians. Having this mountain in my back yard has been a true blessing. Here I am with my wife and my Brother From Another Mother, Jeremy, our first week in Reno in 2019.

It looks like my time in Reno is temporarily coming to an end. Our family will be relocating to Pueblo, Colorado, by the end of the month. We do intend to return to Northern Nevada at some point. However, Southern Colorado has plenty of mountain, road, and gravel opportunities and I’m excited about learning to read the terrain some place new.

Thanks for reading, and ENJOY THE RIDE!

Did you enjoy this article? Please feel free to buy me a Cup of Coffee!

12 Rides With ShockWiz Front and Rear – An Update

The ShockWiz Continues to Provide Great Insight For Proper Suspension Setup

ShockWiz Front Rear 12 Rides
Rides on the new bike have yielded improvements in time and performance, especially when descending. The ShockWiz is helping me set up air pressure, compression and rebound damping, as well as sag. It really is making a difference in my Competence, Confidence, and Cornering Capabilities.

The ShockWiz Front and Rear Suspension Tuning devices continue to provide me with great information as I learn more about my bike and its’ performance capabilities. I set the phone up on my handlebars, and change the settings on the phone so I can see the ShockWiz app the entire time. I always review the previous day’s ride score and suggestions. So far, I haven’t made too many changes to the air pressure. However, I continue to adjust the compression and rebound settings, based on those suggestions.

The Limits of a Cross-Country Rear Shock

On my old bike, a 2012 Trek Superfly 100, I eventually replaced the rear shock with a Fox DXP2. The DXP2 had a Nitrogen chamber and was infinitely adjustable. Going with the Fox Float DPS has left me with fewer options. For example; While the ShockWiz app continually recommends softening the dampening, on the Fox Float, there are just 3 settings for this. On rebound, there are a larger number of clicks, but they don’t seem to be showing much of a difference.

After 12 rides, the ShockWiz app suggests that I make the rear suspension SOFTER on Compression, and SLOWER on Rebound. The Compression is as soft as I can get with this setup. I’ll tweak Rebound a bit more, Suggested rebound is 8 Clicks, but I’m already at 5 clicks, and I’ll now go to 4. This will increase Damping on Rebound even more, so we’ll see what that does.

Shockwiz niper T Rear Suggestions 6 Rides
This is a GIF of the most recent 6 Rides on the rear suspension. The ShockWiz consistently suggests Softening up Compression, and I’ve done what I can with the dials as they exist right now.

I’m certain that I’ll need to do some revalving under the experienced eye of Mike Davis at MAD Racing in Reno, NV.

Front Fork Improvements via ShockWiz

The Front Fork has really impressed me. It’s a 34mm Fox Fit4, with 120mm of travel. The first 3 rides revealed a low score of 74 points. The suggestions were all over the place. But after about ride 5, the Fork began to break in and show improved scores.

The most consistent suggestion that the ShockWiz reveals is to slow down Rebound. About every third ride, if the suggestions are consistent, I will rotate the Rebound knob 1-Click Clockwise to increase and slow down Rebound. The scores continue to improve, and honestly, my descending times on this one segment continue to decline as a result.

The ShockWiz App DOES suggest that I soften up Compression as well, but that feature is as light and open as it can be right now. I have ordered 10cc volume spacers for the front fork, and I will blog about those over the next few weeks. On my previous bike, I purchased a 32mm, 120mm travel Fox Fork, and the addition of Spacers yielded multiple 96-100 point rides! I definitely felt the difference!

Shockwiz Sniper T Front Suggestions 6 Rides
On the front fork, ShockWiz consistently suggests that I SLOW DOWN (“+”) my Rebound settings. I’m doing this one click every 2-3 rides.

Optimizing Suspension Makes for More Confidence, Competence, and Cornering!

It does NOT turn me into an aerial specialist – I’m too old and too scared. That said – the ShockWiz devices and app with data collection is helping me make tuning decisions that I would otherwise be unable to make, given my status as a novice in the world of MODERN mountain biking. I started racing in 1993 with a RockShox Mag21, and I can only dream of what type of performance we would have enjoyed had we had these devices way back then.

Thanks for reading and use this hardware and app to ENJOY THE RIDE!