Tech Martes no.3: After Extreme ride conditions maintenance

Service time!

Today will tackle basic maintenance after a grueling ride on mixed conditions like rain, river crossings, sand the extreme conditions that CAN damage your bike components.

Bike ride: "Puray"

Lately been spending my Sundays doing laundry or just sleeping all day before family activities but not yesterday. Got invited on a group ride from the boys of “Siglo siklista” at Puray Rodriguez rizal so instead of sleeping till Lunch decided to wake up early and bike till my legs cramped Let’s go!

PapaHamster Photo weekend

Welcome to my Photo weekend which will feature random photos raw un-edited Enjoy.

Wondering what else could happen

Decay, new life

Memory remains

Tech Martes no.2: SR Suntour Epicon UPDATED!

Tech Martes
Looking for a entry level priced fork with close to high end performance? Look no further than SR Suntour Epicon probably one of the most versatile and cheap fork out in the market.
Been using Epicon X2 variety since I started to get serious about Mountain Biking. My 1st mountain bike came with coil spring fork and it rode like shit. Decided to replace it with friends advice to Air sprung Epicon.In this edition of Tech Martes will tackle basic tuning and “Issues” regarding Suntour Wonder fork the Epicon.

Spec:
Air sprung adjustable via shock pump
External Lockout
External Rebound adjustment (+/-)
Internal Travel adjustment 80mm-140mm

Setup
Put the specific amount of air on your forks by following the manufacturers recommended PSI per weight. Suntour recommends 15%-20% sag on 100mm travel fork heres the manual.
SR Suntour Manual

How to video


Setting sag up the 1st step in tuning your fork. For advance tuning leave the sag measurement zip tie, ride your bike on your regular routes, trails. And see where your zip tie traveled on stanchions.
Zip tie hitting the crown (bottoming out) add air on the fork.
Zip tie only traveled 50% or lower on stanchions decrease air.
Zip tie traveled between 70%-80% maintain or lower psi.
You could go until 90% for maximum plushness but do not exceed or it will bottom out.

Add, decrease between 5 psi for maximum tune-ability.

External Lockout the newer EPICON forks have little clicks on the lockout (manual models not the remote types) which works like FOX CTD but simpler.

Open-Full - maximum travel, rough rocky, DESCENT.
Open-half - put the lockout knob in the middle and you get 50% lock out perfect for smooth single tracks, fire roads and TRAILS.
Close- Full - smooth roads and CLIMBING. And Clicks notches in between for added compliance on mentioned lockout positions.

The older Epicon forks has NO clicks on lockout knobs. I know this because I owned a 2012 model it only has two modes Open, close.

External Rebound adjustment (+/-)
According to SR SUNTOUR manual
The rebound function enables you to control the speed of your fork’s rebound after its been compressed.
If you are going to ride on a terrain with lots of small and fast bumps, we recommend to increase your forks rebound speed. Otherwise it implies the risk that your front wheel loses its contact to the ground. If you are going to ride on a terrain with a lot of big and slow bumps, we recommend to decrease your forks rebound speed.

+ on small and fast bumps.
- on big and slow bumps.

It has 10 clicks of adjustments in total. For first use move the knobs until the last click on either side the fork has a sticker indicating which direction to turn for positive, negative rebound. Adjust for type of terrain you are riding or for 50-50 split set it up in middle count (5).

Internal Travel adjustment 80mm-140mm


Clean the stanchions after each ride as dust sticks to lowers and dust seals.

What would make Epicon great the ability to EXTERNALLY adjust travel of the fork, clicks on rebound adjustments and continues hit/small bump sensitivity.

Ernest Hamster

Beginners guides: Pre ride checklist

Trails or waiting

Got the basics on gears covered, now before embarking on your ride a few essential things worth checking. Much like any machine with moving parts a bicycle needs regular inspection here are my pre ride checklist.

Bike ride

Urban XC

Wind is just epic today I guess its one of those days when you feel you could push more but the body reacts differently. Plus my fork keeps on making annoying creaking sound when semi-open (lockout) probably needs a service.
Was going to shoot for 40 km but ended up short by 10 km. Just felt tired ...

Next article: Beginners guide "Pre-ride checklist" stay tuned

Hamster Product review: Muc*OFF Wet Chain lube

Add caption

Purchased last quarter of 2012 and been using it both on dry and wet weather. Although I will admit that using a WET lube during Summer dry, dusty conditions will make cleaning your drive train more difficult due to dust and gunk build-up. Using my bike mostly on dry weather during the duration of the purchase the lube was not tested on extreme wet conditions until the rainy season came.

Tech Martes no.1 ClydEssentials

Race Clydesdale Hamster

Tech Martes 
Welcome to "Tech Martes" every Tuesday I will publish my own articles, and links from bike websites about tech related to Mountain bike.

Beginner guides: Gear and tools

Don't leave home without us

Purchased or Built your Mountain bike the next step acquiring the proper gear, spares and tools plus a little extra stuff you might need.

Explorac Race Porac Pampanga 2013

Welcome to The Amazing World of PapaHamster

Hi, I am Ernest Rufo from Manila a Father, husband, and an Avid Cyclist. Been writing about my bike rides on Facebook since I first started riding a bike two years ago and now I would like to share these rides, some other stuff with you and the rest of the Interwebs.
Enjoy,
Ernest "PapaHamster" Rufo