K2 Bike Chubby - Manual (Page 8)

4. Reinstall spring stack and preload adjuster into stanchion tube
5. Retorque all triple clamp bolts to 85 in-lbs.
CAUTION: All Chubby fork bolts should be tightened to the proper torque when servicing your fork. Failure
to torque all bolts properly can result in failure during use and severe injury.
WARNING: Make sure preload adjuster is installed fully. Failure to do so could lead to fork bottoming out and
serious injury.
Preload
Preload is the amount of load placed on a spring to increase the spring rate in the initial part of the travel. All of our Chubby forks
feature adjustable preload. Preload is used to help achieve the proper amount of suspension sag for your bike or fork.
Suspension sag is the amount a shock compresses under the weight of the rider. All suspension systems should exhibit some amount of
suspension sag. Noleen forks should all be set up properly with a certain amount of sag. The optimum sag amount for all of our front suspension
systems is 20% of the total wheel travel. For example:
Our Chubby LT has 125mm / 5 in. of travel. To calculate the optimum sag for this fork, multiply 125mm by .2. The answer
gives you a suggested sag , which for the Chubby is 25mm / 1 in.
Optimum suspension sag: Chubby 20mm Chubby LT 25mm
To measure the amount of sag:
1. Before you begin measuring, It helps to compress the fork a few times to overcome any initial friction there may be
in the shock. This will help in obtaining an accurate measurement.
2. Measure the distance between a point on the lower leg of the fork (bottom edge of the fork boot, for
example) and a point on the upper part of the fork (The bottom of the lower triple crown) with no weight
on the bike.
3. Then measure from the same two points with a rider on the bike. (You will need some help with this). The
difference between the two measurements is the amount of suspension sag.
4. To increase preload on the Chubby, turn preload adjuster caps clockwise. To decrease the preload on the
Chubby, turn preload adjuster caps counterclockwise.
5. If you have increased the preload fully and are still getting too much sag, you may need to change the spring stack in
the fork. Remember: The correct amount of preload can only be achieved with the proper suggested spring stack.
D a m p i n g
Damping is the action of controlling the rate at which a shock compresses and extends. The rate at which a spring compresses and extends
can be controlled by a number of ways. The Chubby forks use an air damper in each leg to control the rate of rebound and compression.
Air dampers work very well if tuned properly and are also very light. In the Chubby fork, the combination MCU / coil spring stack works well with
the air damper.
The first type of damping is rebound damping. Rebound damping controls the rate at which the spring extends back to its optimum sag
length. If the spring extends too quickly, the suspension will exhibit a "bouncy" or "lively" feel. Too much rebound damping will cause the shock
to feel "dead" or "unresponsive". The other type of damping is compression damping. Compression damping assists the spring to control
the rate of shock compression. A fork that has too much compression damping will feel stiff or inactive over small bumps, and a fork with too
little compression damping will feel too soft and tend to bottom out quickly.
The compression and rebound damping in our Chubby forks are nonadjustable. The air dampers provide ample rebound and com-
pression damping for many different riders.
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Adjusting Preload
Measuring Optimum
Suspension Sag
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