Let's put the X in "suspension"

As it has been and will be all week I gotta pump the 2010 Bad Idea Racing jersey from the get go. Only one more day (plus a last ditch effort on Monday) and then we will go back the regular order of things. Since the pre-sale of the jerseys will not only help the Dindin family rebuild their home, it will also raise funds for me to make great bike race in 2010, so I shall do my best to make the world aware of its awesome presence. Read all about it here, and then go here to order yours.

Front details:

And what riders will see if they ride way too close behind you.

Recently I got the email I'd been waiting for from the guys at Suspension Experts:

Dear Dicky,

I wish I could tell you a colorful story about how your fork had begun it's long arduous journey from Asheville to Charlotte shuddering in the cold dark corner of a squeaky boxcar with a hobo named dusty...but we just gave it to the UPS guy and he's gonna just bring it right to your house.

On a relatively serious level, you will find your new old White Brothers fork to be much more plush than it was when it got here. In addition to some mods to make it function more smoothly, I have also decreased the overall spring rate a bit. This was a risky move since you're a guy that prefers rigid forks, but I think you will enjoy the increased sensitivity that the fork now exhibits. The cool thing is that this fork has an air valve on the top of the damper leg that allows you to add a little extra spring rate if you need it. Approach your shock pump (you have one right?) with caution, however. It only takes a slight bit of air pressure to make a difference, so if you really feel the need to firm the fork up, 2.5 ~ 3.75 psi should be enough. Adding just that little bit of pressure will make the fork firmer in the middle and end of the stroke without affecting the plushness of the first inch or two of travel. Sometimes all it takes is one or two strokes of the pump and it won't even register on the gauge. I suggest trying it as is (on an actual mountain trail) with no pressure at all first to get a feel for the coil spring. You're welcome to call the shop if you have any questions about the fine tuning of your new old White Brothers fork. -mike r Suspension Experts www.mtbsuspensionexperts.com

Well, I got the fork back yesterday, and some things I've planned on doing for awhile got done last night.

This came off...

and was replaced with a 790 gram Rampage. That was very nice. The Kodiak was a sweet tire in the winter, but way overkill for this time of year in North Carolina.

This came off too...

and was replaced with this...

The Mountain King to Ignitor swap dropped an additional 170 grams meaning I lost a total of 800 grams of rotating weight, which means the 26.32lb Death Stick now weighs...

There was some incidental weight loss when I stole the riser bars and Truvativ stem off the Death Stick when I put the crabon frok on the Niner, but I basically have almost two pounds less rotating weight to deal with... excellent.

Once the bike was fully assembled I did as Mike suggested and rode the fork straight outta the box. I was able to bottom it out pretty easily though, and since I was headed over to the school to do a waist high stair drop to a flat sidewalk I decided to do as Mike said not to do and without caution I grabbed my shock pump and added too much air pressure. He was dead on. 10psi was overkill and I ended up bleeding air out until I hit the mark like he said I should... just a few pumps at a time (2.5 ~ 3.75 psi) to "make the fork firmer in the middle and end of the stroke". Last night I only had a chance to ride around the school yard, but I must say the magic that they put in my fork was already obvious. One of my biggest complaints about the White Brothers fork was compliance on low speed bumps. In other words I had to hit something big and fast to get it to move. Last night just pedaling through a bumpy field or a busted up service road was enough to get the fork moving which is a definite improvement.

My fork, now with nifty "travel used" indicator and Suspension Expert maintenance reminder sticker. Also a slight amount of dog poo on the brake arch... meh.

I can't wait to get this thing in Pisgah this weekend. I've only been on one real ride on the Death Stick (on which I spent a lot of time fiddling with the fork) and one long walk in the snow, so this weekend should be a hoot. I can't beleive I considered tolerating the way this fork was riding when I first put it on the bike... blech.

Own a White Brothers fork that ain't quite up to snuff? Want more outta your ailing Reba or think your Fjox Fjork is fjucked? I would think about sending it off (with a very detailed description of what you would like the fork to do and what it's doing that you don't like) to the guys at Suspension Experts. I've had a lot of their satisfied customers pretty much screaming in my ear since I got my "not ready for prime time" fork telling me to just go ahead and send it. Don't believe me or my fellow converts? Give Mike or Kevin a call and ask them to dazzle you with their brilliance and extensive suspension vocabulary.

I will definitely get you a full shakedown after this weekend's ride. I hear Squirrel Gap calling my name.

Oh yeah, buy a jersey (or two).

And if I still have any female readers left after yesterday thank you for having a sense of humor about your boobs.

Still there?

Good.