# lock outs? what does it mean,



## User19783 (21 Jan 2013)

I ride a specialized 29er with rock Shox recon gold tk sl, with remote lockout, 

But am I being a kn*b, 

when I flick the switch to lock, I still get a good bounce up front, it seems to me, all it does is stiffen the forks up, 

Can it be adjusted, so no movement, or is this how there are?


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## oliver (21 Jan 2013)

my rebas still have 2-3cm of travel (they are knackered though), but its much stiffer too for the 2-3cm


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## Drago (21 Jan 2013)

It's a device that locks the suspension, most usually the fork, so it stays rigid and doesn't compress. You'll still have a small amount of movement, it doesn't make them perfectly rigid. This is to prevent damage if you forget it's on and you hit a big jump.


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## User19783 (21 Jan 2013)

Thank you for your replies, 

The problem I have , is , I can still bottom out, with the lock out on, 
I know I've only got 80mm of me travel, should I upgrade to better forks, or put more air into forks, I am running @ 100psi at the moment.


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## Drago (21 Jan 2013)

How much do you weigh?


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## User19783 (21 Jan 2013)

Only 80kg wet,


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## Drago (21 Jan 2013)

I'd have thought 100 psi should be well in the ballpark for that kind of weight, perhaps even a bit on he high side. I'd suggest you might have a fork problem there. Time for a service, see what that reveals, unless you can love without the lockout until re service is due.

Long term you got 2 choices - spunk out on more upmarket forks, which might not be justified on a cheaper bike (I don't know what bike you have). Alternatively, have those forks serviced and set up by a pro. I got a set of Tora coils I had professionally sprung and Valved to suit my weight, 112kg. It cost £200 but te performance improvement is stunning. The coils are are heavier and pronento be noisier but give a better progression/rising spring rate than even the best air forks. Not being too worried about weight and being a heffalump myself I went for them.

Sadly, as time goes by I'm going to be forced onto air forks as fewher manufacturers do a decent coil unit.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. A pro rebuild and custome valve job would cure our problem if you can stomach the expense. They're supposed to be serviced every 50 to 100 riding hours, so pure probably not far off needing the service anyway.


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## User19783 (21 Jan 2013)

The bike has done about 100 hours, with some hard rides,
so it's due a service, but I've had this issue from day one. I just thought it was normal,


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## Drago (21 Jan 2013)

I have to confess in not overly familiar with that model, but the with the lock out engaged tu shouldn't be able to bottom out the forks travel.


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## Cubist (21 Jan 2013)

It sounds like you have the compression damping set too light. The Recons have a set blow-off gate, but adjustable compression damping. Yours is set too light, allowing too much compression if you can bottom it out at 80kg. Have you got the manual? If not, you should find set-up instructions online.


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## User19783 (21 Jan 2013)

The trouble is,
I've brought the from Evans online, and they customer service is not up to much, have to try a lbs


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## Drago (21 Jan 2013)

I've always found Evans customer service to be very good myself.

Cubist, he's putting in 100 PSI which'd manage my weight, never mind his.


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## User19783 (21 Jan 2013)

Thanks Cubist
I shall check the net later for more details,
thanks every one.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (21 Jan 2013)

I know this is going to sound totally mad, but have you tried the lockout around the other way? I ask because for me and my way of think, they always seem to work backwards... just a random thought from someone with only a touch of knowledge of supension forks, other than all 3 sets of mine have always worked backwards to what I expected!


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## lulubel (21 Jan 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> I know this is going to sound totally mad, but have you tried the lockout around the other way? I ask because for me and my way of think, they always seem to work backwards... just a random thought from someone with only a touch of knowledge of supension forks, other than all 3 sets of mine have always worked backwards to what I expected!


 
My OH's Rebas work like this. When the lockout says they're locked out, they're actually not. It confused me when she first got the bike because mine works the way you'd expect it to. (Hers is a push lock and mine is a pop lock ... I think )


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (21 Jan 2013)

lulubel said:


> My OH's Rebas work like this. When the lockout says they're locked out, they're actually not. It confused me when she first got the bike because mine works the way you'd expect it to. (Hers is a push lock and mine is a pop lock ... I think )


not sure what I have to be honest - will have to go off and look it up...

SR Suntour SF11-XCR-DS-26-LO-SP apparently if I go via the link on the forum posting...on the new (2nd hand) mountain bike (2011 Rockhopper) will have to check that in the literature that came with the bike and also on the bike (back outside undercover in the snow, so not going back out their tonight). my old mtb bikes were both Scott's - one a Scott Scale 40 2009 model (IIRC Fox 32 F100RL) and the other not work mentioning because of its age...

They always seem to rotate backwards to my way of thinking... but I suspect it has more to do with the way my mind works than anything else. (If I hit something I was trying to miss, I usually say "missed" rather than "got it" because "I missed going around it!" Just adds to the spice of life really!


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## lulubel (21 Jan 2013)

My OH's has a button that you push in to set them one way, then you push it again to make it come back out and set them the other way. I THINK that's what they call a push lock. When it's in the out position, you can see a little padlock on the side of it, which makes me think, "You need to push this in to lock the forks." But, no. Out is locked!

Mine has a lever that you push flat against the bars to lock the forks, and a little button next to it that you press to release the lever (and the lock on the forks). I think this is a pop lock because the lever pops out when you push the button.

I could be totally wrong, though. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.


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## Cubist (21 Jan 2013)

lulubel said:


> My OH's has a button that you push in to set them one way, then you push it again to make it come back out and set them the other way. I THINK that's what they call a push lock. When it's in the out position, you can see a little padlock on the side of it, which makes me think, "You need to push this in to lock the forks." But, no. Out is locked!
> 
> Mine has a lever that you push flat against the bars to lock the forks, and a little button next to it that you press to release the lever (and the lock on the forks). I think this is a pop lock because the lever pops out when you push the button.
> 
> I could be totally wrong, though. It certainly wouldn't be the first time.


No, you're right, and youre poploc has approximately 37.5 activations* left before it stops unlocking when you release it. You'll then spend the next three years swapping cables, trying new lubes, using thinner inners and fatter outers before you give up and decide that it locks them for you, but you have to press the little side button, then reach down and persuade the bobbin on the top of the fork to go back round and unlock, then push the cable back in its housing and reset the button by pushing down on the exposed cable stop that is sticking up.

Or it may work fabulously forever.

Crown lockout FTW, (except for Fox Floats when you're wearing gloves and then you'll knock the compression damping out of adjustment every time you lock and unlock the forks.)





* Of course it may be 38.


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## 02GF74 (22 Jan 2013)

you have the lockout cable (or hydraulic hose) adjusted correctly?

lockout on forks is pretty rigid - you would need to be super strong to be able to bottom forks out - by that I mean hold the front brake and press on the bars as opposed to jumping off a 4 m ledge!


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## User19783 (22 Jan 2013)

It's cable operated, 

its bottom out very easy, gettin out the saddle when climbing up an hill will do it, 
I shall have a go at pulling the cable tighter, at the weekend,
thanks


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## User19783 (25 Jan 2013)

Had a bit of time to do some maintenance work today
and guess wot, I am a kn*b,
all I did was to pulled the cable tighter, tighten the little screw, and now, I have fork lockouts, with very little movement.

Thanks for your help.


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## Cubist (25 Jan 2013)

Glad it's sorted. This thread prompted me to have another go at making my poploc work. I stripped the motion control damper and repositioned the spring, but that still stuck on locked when I released the poploc. In the end I took it out altogether and fitted a spare crown lever I found knocking about. Weight weenies will be pleased to hear I saved 70g by taking off the poploc remote and cable, and a further 3.5 grammes removing the spring. 

@lulubel Pushloc is a variable adjustment between full compression damping, and a gradual reduction to zero. It affects the start of the fork's stroke. Longer travel forks may benefit from more start-damping on certain types of terrain, making them more or less sensitive to little hits or chatter, and really long forks can suffer from brake-dive when set too plush. If I may be so bold, your petite build is unlikely to affect a 100mm fork until you really stand up and pagger it up a climb, but great fat Clydesdales like me can make a 150mm fork bob by thinking about accelerating.

Poploc is on or off, no middle ground. It was a bit of a gimick as far as I can make out, a hangover from forks like the Dart which didn't need to think about compression damping. I'm kinda glad to see the back of mine, but others' experience will differ!


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