The answers to all your technical questions, plus how to shorten a Shimano brake hose and our blu er’s guide to key geometry measurements
Your questions answered
Get a grip
I’ve recently bought my first full-suspension bike, having had enough of getting a battering aboard my hardtail. I went for a second-hand Focus SAM, which was a bargain and came with a load of great components. There’s a problem though – I’ve found myself struggling to keep the front wheel from washing out in turns. A friend suggested this could be due to the suspension set-up. I’m a bit of a novice in this area, so I’ve done my best to set the sag at the front and rear, but that’s about it. Am I missing something? Please help! Arthur Gotobed, via email
Don’t worry, Arthur! Bike set-up can make a huge difference when it comes to traction and how your body weight is distributed between the wheels. The old SAM can use its rear travel a little too eagerly, in our experience, throwing your weight backwards and leaving the front tyre unweighted and lacking in traction. We’d suggest checking the shock’s air can to see if there are any volume bands or spacers fitted, and adding more if there’s room (don’t exceed the maximum recommended by the shock manufacturer). It’s also worth playing around with the rear sag. If you’re at 30 per cent now, try 20 per cent and see how the bike behaves. This will help the back end to sit up a little more in its travel, forcing your weight forwards and keeping it on the front wheel through turns. If you don’t fancy messing with the rear shock, get in touch with a specialist, such as Sprung Suspension or TF Tuned.
Once you’re happy with the back of the bike, it’s worth checking the front. Are you using all of the fork travel? If not, it might be worth dropping the air pressure a touch. If the fork bottoms out easily, consider adding a volume spacer or two to make the travel more progressive. Another thing to experiment with is bar height – you don’t want the bar so low that it feels like you’re going to go over it every time you ride anything steep, but if it’s too high the disconnect between your hands and the front wheel will make things feel extremely vague. If spacers are fitted on the fork’s steerer tube, try dropping the stem lower (by 5mm at a time). This is another way to force your weight further forwards and encourage the front tyre to grip.
Stuck fast
After a good few years of use, I need to change my cleats. I tried to unscrew the bolts but they seem to be stuck to the bottom of my shoes. How can I get the buggers off? Alison Brazington, via email
First, try soaking them in a penetrating lube like WD-40 or GT85. Give them a generous coating and leave them for a good few hours. Then use a long-handled Allen key to try to loosen them. If this doesn’t work, you may need to drill the bolts out using a 5-6mm drill bit. This won’t be easy though, and you’ll need a vice to clamp them in place while you drill. If you aren’t confident doing this, get a bike shop to sort them out for you.
Bottomed out
Is it OK to bottom out my bike? I’m worried I could damage it. Gary Pennington, via email
Bottoming out is usually fine and sometimes even expected, but if your fork and/or shock are constantly slamming into their bump stops when going over pimple-sized trail features, then you may need to reset your sag and tweak your damping settings. If the sag is correct and you’re happy with how the end of the suspension stroke feels, then you should be fine, as long as you’re not headslapping the bar and your bike isn’t emitting shrieking metalon-metal noises every time you bottom out – at this point, you should send it to a suspension specialist. Bottoming out from time to time is rarely a problem, so don’t worry too much.