Help setting Sag on Float R

[Uncle Leo]

Hey all - my new bike has a Fox Float R rear shock.
I'm new to full suspension so it's hard to tell if it's set up properly.

In the user's manual, it says to set sag using this table:

<TABLE class=whs23 cellSpacing=0 width="35%" x-use-null-cells><COLGROUP><COL class=whs24><COL class=whs25><TBODY><TR class=whs26 vAlign=top><TD class=whs27 vAlign=center width="100%" bgColor=#808080 colSpan=2>AIR SPRING SETTING Guidelines

</TD></TR><TR class=whs28 vAlign=top><TD class=whs29 vAlign=center width="51.55%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>Shock Travel
(in./mm)

</TD><TD class=whs31 vAlign=center width="48.44%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>Sag
(in./mm)

</TD></TR><TR class=whs32 vAlign=top><TD class=whs29 vAlign=center width="51.55%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>1.50/38.1

</TD><TD class=whs31 vAlign=center width="48.44%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>.38/9.5

</TD></TR><TR class=whs28 vAlign=top><TD class=whs29 vAlign=center width="51.55%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>1.75/44.4

</TD><TD class=whs31 vAlign=center width="48.44%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>.44/11.1

</TD></TR><TR class=whs28 vAlign=top><TD class=whs29 vAlign=center width="51.55%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>2.00/50.8

</TD><TD class=whs31 vAlign=center width="48.44%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>.50/12.7

</TD></TR><TR class=whs28 vAlign=top><TD class=whs34 vAlign=center width="51.55%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>2.25/57.1

</TD><TD class=whs35 vAlign=center width="48.44%" bgColor=#c0c0c0>.56/14.2

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

My question is, the bike is a 5" travel bike, how does this equate to "Shock Travel"? (My guess would have been 5" of shock travel but from the table that doesn't work out).

Thanks for any help.

[crux]

Should be a little rubber o-ring on the shock body itself, this helps you set sag and determine if you bottom out. To determine which shock you have according to the table measure the shock body.

http://www.foxracingshox.com/fox_tech_center/owners_manuals/07/eng/rp23_explained.jpg


Video is helpful, just think shock vs fork.
http://www.foxracingshox.com/fox_tech_center/service_videos/fork_sag.htm

I just redid all my suspension after taking some advice/abuse from Buck and glad I did.

[Kingbozo]

In this instance "shock travel" is referring to the stroke of the shock itself not overall travel. You bike's specifications should have that info somewhere.

[tedsti]

You will want to run about 20% sag. This is where the o-ring on the shock comes in handy. Let most of the air out of the shock and bottom it out. This will push the o-ring to the bottomed out position. Then pump up the shock to say 100 psi. Measure the distance from the shock body to the o-ring. This is the full stroke distance.

To set it up you want the shock to sag 20% of full stroke when you are sitting on the bike in riding position. Slide the o-ring back up against the shock body and carefully sit on the bike balancing against a wall or something. Then get off the bike and see how much the o-ring moved. Play with the air pressure until you get the right amount of sag.

[Uncle Leo]

Thanks for the reponses.
I knew to use the O-ring to measure the sag, just didn't have a number to set it to.
I'll try the 20% of full travel and see how it works.

[tedsti]

20% is a good number for XC. 30-35% is a good number for freeride.

[Uncle Leo]

20% is a good number for XC. 30-35% is a good number for freeride.
You know I'm all about the big drops and hucking stairs!

(I'll go with the XC setting)

[dave t]

There is a bit more to it than what you want to call yourself. A softer, more-sag setting will soak up more bumps and give better grip when things get bumpy.
Experiment with the settings and you will know what YOU want from your shock.
Set your sag then tweak the rebound to match. Write down the pressure and clicks or dial position so when you find one you really like, you can get it back. You really want to start low or high and keep testing through the sweet spot until it gets bad again then return to the settings that were best.
Just to complicate things a bit more, if your fork is adjustable, the front and rear should have similar settings.