You know those Facebook “On This Day” reminders? I absolutely love mine! And you know why? It’s a rolling reminder of the incredible people we meet and the amazing projects we’ve had the chance to work on.
This week, my Facebook reminded me of the time we collaborated with Chiru and Fox Suspension to fine-tune the shock tunes for the Savage mountain bike.
We had been working closely with Pierre at Chiru, taking the Savage from initial sketches to CAD designs and finally to a working mule prototype. For several months, we rigorously tested this mule with various shocks, setups, and settings, collecting crucial performance data.
Then, Damon from Fox Suspension offered to come over and really dial in the suspension performance.
Find out more about the development journey here.
So, how do you optimise mountain bike suspension? I’ll give you a clue, It involves a lot of meticulous repetition!
Our process started by establishing a short test loop that incorporated a diverse range of trail features: flowy sections, technical challenges, jumps, rocks, both high and low-speed sections, and even a climb. Quite a bit to pack into a five-minute lap!
We began by setting up a control bike to establish a baseline. These settings were then transferred to the Savage mule. What followed was many, many laps of testing. While we were out riding a lap and providing feedback, Damon worked his magic on a shock – swapping shims, adjusting air volume, and precisely tuning the rebound and compression damping. At the end of each lap, we provided detailed feedback, the shock was swapped, and the process repeated over and over.
Did you know that Hong Kong has some fantastic mountain bike trails? Well, it does! There are quite a few, and they’re surprisingly good.
Next time you find yourself passing through Hong Kong, I highly recommend taking the Lantau ferry from Central. Head over to Friendly bike shop (and they really are friendly!), rent a bike, and make your way up to the Mui Wo bike park.
It will be hot and sweaty, but the reward is breathtaking views of Central Hong Kong across the bay and some excellently crafted mountain bike trails.
