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KNOW YOUR SUSPENSION

So, you’ve set your suspension up and took a few laps—your bike is feeling great, but now you're curious if you can tweak your settings to help the wheels track the ground a little better, or smooth out berms and transitions. Let’s dive into your options for fine-tuning.

  
Before getting started, there are a few things to note:
    1. The goal of tuning is to make your bike feel consistent, so you feel confident while riding. We've found that when your suspension feels balanced front to back, your bike is more predictable and you are more confident A balanced feel may mean making similar adjustments from fork to rear shock, or it may mean tuning it differently depending on your ride style, position, and preferred terrain. It should feel like a system, all but disappearing beneath you as you ride. All setup suggestions work for forks and rear shocks (except the air spring setup if you have a Coil shock).
    2. When tinkering with your settings, it’s helpful to remember that some ride characteristics can feel similar to one another. The key is identifying whether the air spring or the damper is creating the characteristic you’re trying to tune:
    • The spring: We think of the spring as providing the "position sensitive" response in suspension. Spring Rate controls how far the suspension compresses under a given amount of force: too firm a spring rate, and you won't compress enough under force, but too soft a spring rate means you'll bottom out easily under force.
    • The damper: We think of the damper as providing the "speed sensitive" response in suspension. Damping controls how quickly the suspension compresses and rebounds: too much damping can make the ride feel harsh, while too little damping can lead to excessive dive or an unsupported feel.

Looking for initial setup instructions? Setup is easy.

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AIR SPRING

01. Dial in your air spring first

Air springs absorb impacts from the trail to provide comfort and support.

Air springs are, quite literally, what holds the rider up. Properly pressurizing the air spring for your rider weight and style is critical because it responds directly to the forces you apply while riding. A correctly set-up air spring will feel predictable and help you maintain control of your bike, so you feel confident in any terrain. We aim for a soft but supportive feel, using most of your travel regularly with occasional bottom outs on large impacts.

If your suspension:

  • Feels firm or hard to get moving
  • Rarely uses most of its travel on a typical ride
  • Makes it difficult to maintain control of the front wheel, shifting the rider toward the rear of the bike (for forks)
  • Makes the bike feel difficult to control, pitching the rider forward (rear shock)

Then: Drop 5 PSI at a time until you’re using most of your travel regularly, and full travel when needed.

If your suspension:

  • Isn’t supportive in the middle of the stroke
  • Dives too easily through travel
  • Makes it difficult to maintain control of the front wheel, leaning the rider toward the front of the bike (for forks)
  • Shifts the rider toward the rear of the bike, increasing pedal strikes (rear shock)
  • Bottoms out regularly

Then: Add 5 PSI at a time until it feels more supportive and you aren’t bottoming out too frequently.

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REBOUND

02. Set rebound next

Rebound adjustment affects how quickly the suspension returns to full travel after being compressed.

Rebound is tied directly to the spring rate. The more air pressure in a system, the more energy the spring has, which requires more damping to control how quickly the suspension returns to full travel, and vice versa for less air pressure. So, heavier riders with higher spring pressure will trend towards a slower Rebound setting (toward the turtle), while lighter riders with lower spring pressure will generally lean towards a faster setting (toward the jackalope). Your optimal Rebound speed allows the fork to extend at a controlled rate, maintaining traction and control.

If your suspension:

  • Springs back too quickly after a bump
  • Feels a little too active, like riding a bucking bronco
  • Loses contact with the ground after impacts

Then: Add 1–2 clicks of rebound damping at a time by rotating the Rebound Knob clockwise (toward the turtle) to slow it down.

If your suspension:

  • Packs down between consecutive impacts instead of returning to full travel
  • Shifts the rider too far forward after repeated hits (fork) or hanging up the rear wheel (shock)
  • Generally feels a little “dead” or dull

Then: Remove 1–2 clicks of Rebound damping at a time by rotating the Rebound Knob counterclockwise (toward the jackalope) to speed it up.

Tech tip: You may need to adjust your Rebound speed when making significant air spring pressure changes. While it's not an exact science, removing 5-10 PSI from your air spring could necessitate removing rebound damping 1-2 clicks (toward the jackalope) since the Rebound circuit has less air pressure to work against.

The same concept applies to adding air spring pressure: 5-10 PSI more could require increasing Rebound damping 1-2 clicks to balance out the higher air pressure.

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COMPRESSION

03. Tune your Compression

Compression refers to the force provided by the damper as the suspension compresses into its travel, influencing how the suspension responds to the speed of an impact.

Compression settings can be adjusted based on the rider’s preferences and the terrain. Charger 3.2’s compression knobs follow a new logic, making it easier to see exactly where you are in your adjustment range. Want to learn more? Read Knob Logic.

Each fork and rear shock offers a different level of adjustability depending on the model tier or intended riding style. Ultimate and Select+ models typically offer more adjustability, while Select and Base models prioritize simplicity. Depending on your suspension, you may have Low and High Speed Compression adjustments, a single Compression adjustment, or a 2/3-Position adjustment—allowing you to run your suspension in Open, Pedal, or Lock positions.

Select your the adjustments your damper has below to set compression:

Low Speed Compression (LSC) adjustment

LSC affects how the suspension feels in gradual compressions. Think berms, weight shifts, small bumps, and transitions—whenever the damper shaft moves slowly.

In low-speed situations, if your suspension:

  • Is overly sensitive to weight changes or braking
  • Shifts rider forward (fork) or backward (rear shock) on steep terrain
  • Feels unsupportive

Then: Add 2–3 clicks of Low Speed Compression (LSC) at a time by turning the LSC Knob clockwise to increase support. For Charger 3 and newer dampers, rotating the knob moves the “+” or the “7” toward the indicator line.

In low-speed situations, if your suspension:

  • Deflects off objects instead of absorbing them
  • Causes the wheel to lose traction with the ground
  • Shifts rider backward (fork) or forward (rear shock) in steep terrain
  • Gives too much feedback to the hands

Then: Remove 2–3 clicks of Low-Speed Compression (LSC) at a time by turning the LSC Knob counterclockwise to soften the damper. For Charger 3 and newer dampers, rotating the knob moves the “-“ or the “–7” toward the indicator line.

High Speed Compression (HSC) adjustment

HSC affects how the fork feels in high-speed, quick impacts. Think square-edge rock gardens, roots, and drops—whenever the damper shaft moves quickly.

In high-speed situations, if your suspension:

  • Is overly sensitive to impacts—dives into travel too quickly
  • Feels unsupportive
  • After big impacts, makes it difficult to maintain control of the front wheel (fork) or rear end of the bike (rear shock)

Then: Add 1-2 clicks of HSC at a time by turning the HSC Knob clockwise for more support. For Charger 3 and newer dampers, rotating the knob moves the “+” or  “2” toward the indicator line for more support.

In high-speed situations, if your suspension:

  • Deflects off objects instead of absorbing them
  • Causes the wheel to lose traction with the ground
  • Feels like there’s some give in compression, but not quite enough
  • Gives too much feedback to the hands

Then: Remove 1-2 clicks of HSC at a time by turning the HSC Knob counterclockwise to soften the damper. For Charger 3 and newer dampers, rotating the knob moves moves the “-“ or “-2” toward the indicator line.

  
BoXXer Select features a singular Compression adjustment. Vivid Coil Select and Base models do not have a Compression adjustment.

Compression adjustment

A single Compression adjustment provides more or less support as the fork compresses through its travel.

If your fork:

  • Is overly sensitive to impacts—dives into travel too quickly
  • Feels unsupportive
  • After big impacts, makes it difficult to maintain control of the front wheel (fork) or rear end of the bike (rear shock)

 
Then: Add 1-2 clicks of Compression at a time. Rotate the Compression Knob clockwise, moving the “+” toward the indicator line for more support.

 

If your fork:

  • Deflects off objects instead of absorbing them
  • Causes the wheel to lose traction with the ground
  • Feels like there’s some give in compression, but not quite enough
  • Gives too much feedback to the hands

 
Then: Remove 1-2 clicks of Compression at a time. Rotate the Compression Knob counterclockwise, moving the “-“ toward the indicator line for less support.

2-Position (2P) or 3-Position (3P) dampers

Forks with 3P dampers feature a plush Open, efficient Pedal, or Firm/Lock positions, while 2P dampers feature Open and Lock positions, adjustable right at your fingertips.

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BOTTOM OUT TUNING

Adjustable Bottom Out (ABO)

Some forks and rear shocks feature Adjustable Bottom Out (ABO), letting you fine-tune the bottom-out feel once you've dialed in your spring rate and compression settings. Forks with ABO offer 8 clicks and 10mm of adjustable end-stroke control for added confidence. ABO ships in the middle position.

ZEB and Lyrik Ultimate

Rotate the adjuster toward the “+” 1-2 clicks at a time to increase bottom-out support in the last portion of travel. Rotate the adjuster toward the “-” 1-2 clicks at a time to decrease bottom-out support.

Related Image

ZEB and Lyrik Select+

Remove the lower legs to internally adjust bottom-out support in the last portion of travel.

Vivid and Vivid Coil

Ultimate and Select+ models equipped with Adjustable Bottom Out (ABO) feature 5 clicks of adjustability that impact that last 20% of travel. When the adjuster is open, there is no bottom-out resistance. When the adjuster is closed, it increases the pressure building in the Hydraulic Bottom Out chamber, causing more damping as the shock enters the last 20% of travel.

  • Add one click at a time to increase bottom out support, or remove one click at a time to decrease it.
Bottomless Tokens

Adding a Bottomless Token to your suspension is the last step to increase bottom-out support. Tokens reduce the volume in the air spring chambers to create a more progressive spring rate, so you can run a lower air pressure but increase bottom-out support.

Before adding a Token, add HSC damping one click at a time. If you still need more bottom-out support, add a Token and repeat the setup procedure in the Welcome Guide. Instructions for adding and removing Bottomless Tokens can be found in your suspension's Service Manual, available through the TrailHead App or at sram.com/service.

LEARN MORE

XX DH WELCOME GUIDE

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BRAKE WELCOME GUIDE

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