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Adjusting Preload on Front Suspension Forks
Preload affects how your suspension works. It is to set the amount of sag from your body weight to make the fork perform best for you. Its worth taking a moment to consider such a simple thing
Budget suspension forks
like the Rockshox™ Judy TT that many bike manufacturers have fitted to their low
and mid range bikes for some time now have an adjustable preload setting. In these manuals recommended levels of ‘sag’ are determined. 'Sag' is how much suspension travel is used when you are just sat stationary on the bike. The level of sag will depend on your weight & riding style. On the Rockshox Judy TT fork for example the knob is easy to use – clockwise to reduce sag & anti-clockwise to increase sag. My old Judy fork came with a manual that recommended a level of sag between 13-20mm on my 80mm fork when sat on the bike normally in a stationary position. With more complex forks, preload is still one of the main settings, and is always the first to be set. Preload is more common on oil sprung forks, as with air forks you purely pump the amount of air in that the manufacturers manual recommends for your set weight. With more complex suspension forks preload will be the first thing to set before moving on to set compression and rebound adjustments. Depending on your bike, fork, and fork travel options levels of sag will differ. Longer travel forks will run more sag than short travel forks. If you are unsure then Consult your suspension fork manual. If you do not have a manual check on the manufacturers website as most manuals are usually available to download. If all else fails consult your local bike shop!
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