The answers to all your technical questions, plus how to adjust air springs and add volume spacers to a RockShox shock
Your questions answered
Front-end failure
I’ve not been into mountain biking for long and on a recent trip to a trail centre, struggled to keep my front tyre gripping through the corners. This ride was on quite a wet day and very rocky, but I’ve had similar experiences in the dry too. What am I doing wrong? Or is it the bike? I’m on a Voodoo Bantu. Please help me! Robert Wallace, via email
There’s no easy way to overcome this, as it could be a mix of technique and bike set-up. There are some tips to point you in the right direction though.
Start by checking tyre pressures. If your front tyre is too hard it’ll feel skittish and ping from rock to rock, making it hard to steer accurately. Too little pressure and it’ll squirm about as you load the bike and feel vague when you turn the bar. Aim for around 22-24psi in the front tyre and 24-26psi in the rear. Then there’s your fork. If it’s too soft, it won’t offer any support as you hit the corners; too stiff and it’ll push your weight back, making it harder to weight the front tyre as you turn. The Bantu’s SR Suntour fork is coil-sprung, which means it isn’t the easiest to adjust, but it does have a preload dial that you can use to alter how freely the fork enters the first part of its travel.
If things still aren’t feeling great, consider a new set of tyres. The Kenda Honey Badgers on the Bantu have quite a low-profile tread. At this price point, they also won’t be made of the grippiest rubber. If you can afford it, look to get (for the front, at least) something with a softer-durometer rubber – like a Maxxis Rekon 3C MaxxTerra or Schwalbe Nobby Nic ADDIX Soft – which will not only grip more effectively, but will also help to damp trail vibrations.
A lot also comes down to technique and knowing how to weight the front tyre as you turn. It’s generally a case of ‘practice makes perfect’, but if you’re unsure, book onto a coaching course and learn from a professional.
Back-end buzz
I ride a lot of miles on a hardtail, but as I get older, I’m getting a little tired of giving my nether regions such a battering. I’m adamant that I’m not going to buy a full-suspension bike (I can’t bear the thought of maintaining all those pivots) but I’ve heard about bikes
with more flex in the back end. Are these worth looking at and will they solve my problem? Alan Brown, via email
A lot of bikes have a decent amount of flex built into the rear triangle, but you’ll only feel the benefits of this when seated. Some of the latest cross-country frames have chainstays and seatstays that flex upwards to reduce back-end buzz (and some also use a skinny 27.2mm-diameter seatpost to add more flex). To achieve this, manufacturers generally use clever tube-shaping, although some brands, like Trek, do things a bit differently. Their Procaliber bikes have a pivot just below the top tube/seat tube junction that allows the seat tube to flex back and forth, helping to absorb some of the shock from the trail while you’re seated. We’ve seen this bike and the likes of the Canyon Exceed do really well on the World Cup XC circuit, so maybe there’s something in it.
Ringin’ it
How do I know what size chainring to buy? Mine is worn out so I need a new one, but should I be going bigger or smaller? Darrell Brown, via email
This is a tricky one, as it depends on a number of factors. Consider the sort of riding you do (is it hilly or flat for the most part?), your fitness level (a bigger chainring will tire you out faster) and the wheel size of your bike (bigger wheels are harder to get moving). If you were happy enough with your last ring, maybe just replace it like-for-like. If you do change ring size, be sure to check your chain length is correct once you’ve swapped it over.