Fox Riders' MSA set ups!

Sep 16, 2010
by Tyler Maine  
Everyone wants to know what the pros are running at the races, what their set ups are like from tires, to settings on their suspension. Fox Racing Shox wants you to know what their top tier DH racers are running and how it varies from regular consumers' forks and shocks. At MSA they got a few of us media darlings together with their staff members and 3 of the world's fastest racers - Aaron Gwin, Gee Atherton and Justin Leov.

Read on to learn how the pros set up their bikes at MSA,
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Photo by Tyler Maine

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Getting to talk with Fox's lead engineers and racers about set up was really intriguing to say the least. I was amazed to hear that the average pro runs the same tuning set up for wet or dry conditions - they may back off the High Speed compression a bit initially from race weekend to race weekend for new tracks and then slowly ramp it back up to where it was by race day as they get traveling faster and faster on the tracks.

The pros all run stiffer set ups due to the higher speeds in which they are traveling and the need to keep their bikes moving forward as efficiently as possible. But they all said that they have "play" settings for when they are not racing or holding on for dear life.

Here are set ups for Aaron Gwin, Gee Atherton and Justin Leov from their MSA race bikes. (Fox counts all of the clicks from closed. They turn the adjuster in clockwise until it stops and count clicks counterclockwise. For example compression would be 8 clicks out. They do this because the closed position on their products is always a constant. When they make a valving change counting the clicks from closed doesn’t change. When going from open there are piston and shim stack heights that alter the “open” position.):

Aaron Gwin's Yeti 303:

Bar: Sunline Bar
Stem: Sunline DM Stem
Grips: ODI Ruffian
Cranks (length and tooth size): SAINT 165mm w/40T ring
Chain Guide: e.13
Shifter: SAINT
Rear Derailleur: SAINT
Brakes (Rotor sizes): SAINT w/ 203mm Front and Back
Seat Post: Thomson Master Piece
Saddle: WTB Silverado
Wheels: DT Swiss 1750
Tires: Schwalbe Dirty Dan (rear cut down)
Tubes: Yes
Pedals: Shimano DX Clips
Cassette: Shimano 11-23 (9 speed)

Rear Shock: Fox DHX RC4
Spring Weight: 400 lbs
Low Speed: 9 clicks
High Speed: 4 clicks
Rebound: 5 clicks

Fork: Fox 40 Fit RC2 w/ Kashima Coating
Low Speed: 8 clicks
HS Speed: 14 clicks
Pre Load: Zero
Rebound: 12 clicks
Spring: Green
*Special Tuning: Custom Compression valve stack. If a consumer's valve stack is rated a 5, then Gwin's is a 9 for firmness.

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Photo by Tyler Maine

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Gee Atherton's Commencal Supreme DH:

Bar: PRO Atherton Bar
Stem: PRO Atherton DM Stem
Grips: PRO Lock on grips
Cranks (length and tooth size): SAINT 165mm w/ 38T ring
Chain Guide: e.13
Shifter: Shimano XTR
Rear Derailleur: SAINT
Brakes (Rotor sizes): SAINT w/ 203mm Front and Back
Seat Post: PRO Carbon
Saddle: Proto-type
Wheels: SAINT
Tires: Cut Spikes
Tubes: Yes
Pedals: Crank Brothers Mallets
Cassette: 11-21 (9 speed)

Rear Shock: Fox DHX RC4
Spring Weight: 350 lbs
Low Speed: 9 clicks
High Speed: 7 clicks
Rebound: 5 clicks

Fork: Fox 40 Fit RC2 w/ Kashima Coating
Low Speed: 9 clicks
HS Speed: 14 clicks
Pre Load: Zero
Rebound: 12 clicks
Spring: Green
*Special Tuning: Custom Compression valve stack. If a consumer's valve stack is rated a 5, then Gee's is an 8 for firmness.


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Justin Leov's Trek Session 88:

Bar: Fun Full On
Stem: Funn DM
Grips: ODI Ruffian
Cranks (length and tooth size): SAINT 165mm w/ 38T ring
Chain Guide: e.13
Shifter: SAINT
Rear Derailleur: SAINT
Brakes (Rotor sizes): SAINT w/ 203mm Front and Back
Seat Post: SDG I-beam
Saddle: SDG I-beam
Wheels: Bontrager
Tires: Cut Spikes
Tubes: Yes
Pedals: Crank Brothers Mallets
Cassette: 11-21 (9 speed)

Rear Shock: Fox DHX RC4
Spring Weight: 450 lbs
Low Speed: 12 clicks
High Speed: 9 clicks
Rebound: 6 clicks

Fork: Fox 40 Fit RC2 w/ Kashima Coating
Low Speed: 10 clicks
HS Speed: 13 clicks
Pre Load: Zero
Rebound: 12 clicks
Spring: Green
*Special Tuning: Custom Compression valve stack. If a consumer's valve stack is rated a 5, then Justin's is an 8 for firmness.


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Please visit www.foxracingshox.com/bike to learn more about all things Fox Racing Shox related.


*All Photos by Ian Hylands

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86 Comments
  • 44 1
 lucky bastards lol
  • 29 2
 Love this post! Haven't seen one like it before, gives me some ideas to try out with my suspension. Do one on freeriders or slopestylers next please!
  • 7 1
 pss... thomson elite + Selle Italia SLR FTW
  • 12 1
 could we have a post with the SRAM/RockShox crew next.PLZ???
  • 1 0
 when preload is set at "zero" does that mean all the way open or all the way closed??
  • 2 1
 It means the spring is not cranked down at all, so unscrew the adjuster all the way.
  • 1 0
 450 pound spring? holy balls!!
  • 5 0
 Nice attempt to rub off maxis logo on the Atherton tires
  • 1 0
 noo I'm sure these are Continental Diesel - king of all extreme tyres buehehe, I always wonder who designs thread pattern for contis Big Grin
  • 1 1
 the fox rc4 rear shock has high speed compression, low speed compression(both adjusters on top of each other in place of the pro pedal adjuster of the previous dhx5 shock)and on top of this it has a large bottom out adjuster, the one surrounding the boost air valve. whats the difference between low speed compression and bottom out i thought they were the same thing?

they also haven't mentioned how much bottom out they run on the rear shocks maybe its redundant now since the shock has two of the same adjustment?

someone please explain to me im really confused...
  • 1 0
 Low speed compression damping is responsible for shock resistance to oil flow at lower speeds (i.e at pedalling) In a good shock which this one seems to be, valve responsible for LSC should open under harder impacts, r at least there should be some secondary circuit through which it can flow. In a bad shock like my DHX 5.0 2008, LSC/propedal valve does not let pretty much anything through so you have a choice: ped efficeincy or plushness and traction... However they "just" deal with oil flow before IFP is moved.

IFP: Internal Floating Piston. Air on one side, oil on another.

Bottom out: this is handled by the big dial at the end of the reservoir near the valve, and that's pretty much a control over air chamber size resulting in more linear or progressive feel. More progressive = harder to bottom. Though air pressure has also certain influence on B-Out. These two things chamber volume/air pressure are "relying" on each other.

These provide IFP resistance against oil pressure that has been pushed through compression valves.

Best way to understand is just to see the shock section.
  • 1 0
 sweet dude, i thought low speed compression was how far down the travel the resistance kicked in and high speed was how hard the low speed compression ramps up during an impact, why the need for bottom out? I know how the little hole and oil explanation works for the high speed, (the whole lots of people rushing out a narrow door at once or lots of people rushing through an aircraft hanger opening its door)

and i will take a look at the shocks section.

Smile
  • 20 1
 Gee's Maxxis tires Big Grin
  • 1 0
 haha with his ad's in the mags about him representing Continental kaiser tires lol
  • 2 0
 Maybe when Conti gets a mud tire that works as good as the Wetscream, maybe he won't have to do a crummy sharpie job. FWIW, I'm stoked on the Der Kaiser in dry conditions...
  • 4 0
 This is briliant. However, I would like to see width and rise height of their bars as well. Just to give the new t-shirt+neck brace brigade something to think about. Looks like all 3 bikes have a pretty "normal" ride height up front.
  • 2 1
 I noticed the same thing.........because these guys ride super steep gnarly trails really f'in fast. Those ridiculous low bars put you in the wrong attack position for that type of riding.
  • 4 0
 It would be great to know what these riders weights (with gear) are, what the boost valve is set to, and how much bottom out they are running on the RC4s. Additionally, their sag values would be helpful as well. Lastly, if those are all Ti springs, maybe include the manufacturer.
Without these points it's hard to use the information to make comparisons with our own setups.
Please post more of these and include VPP suspension setups if possible. Great topic and information.
  • 2 0
 Now that is going into a lot of detail! Personally I'm not bothered about ti springs unless I was super rich. I've had a go on a bike with one fitted and I honestly didn't notice the difference. Maybe if I could keep up with the fastest riders in the world I would consider it... Still, would be interesting to know all of those details. just interesting, though.
  • 1 0
 Ti and steel is not the issue, it's just interesting to see if the Ti they use is RCS, Nuke proof, Obtainium (which is impossible to get), etc. More of a stat than anything on what the pros are running. The other settings complete the picture for setup.
Getting this same info on VPP or other specific rigs would really be helpful. I had to go through 3 springs to get the right spring weight on my 951 because the leverage behavior of VPP is so different than other platforms (much higher spring rate than calculated for single pivot). It's very difficult to get guidance on this stuff from the shop or any sites on-line.
  • 1 0
 Same with me, currently running a 400 spring on the 951 - initially thinking it was waaay to soft. But playing with the PSI a bit it now feels like the right spring... although switching to the 450 occasionally...
  • 1 0
 I no Sam hill rides with Renthal bars with a 38mm rise
  • 5 0
 Interesting that they all run 165 mm cranks and they're not exactly the shortest of riders. Maybe for ground clearance pedalling out of corners???
  • 1 0
 yes sir, the are also lighter and stiffer
  • 7 0
 Christ. Kids really think that pro setups will work for them. Facepalm
  • 1 0
 so true! Big Grin
every 12-year-old thinks, he will be a professional if he tunes the bike's suspension to extra firm...
come on! first reach that level...
  • 3 0
 More people should be running firmer suspension especially on steep tracks. It keeps your weight more centralized instead of off the back, and keeps your fork from diving too much.
  • 3 0
 Honestly I don't know how people put up with how soft stock forks are. Deck it into a corner or into the rough and the dive is ridiculous. Turned the compression on the marz I'm borrowing and is still just a little too soft.
  • 1 0
 Its not the fork its your set up. From what you explained above you deff need more low speed compression to keep the fork from diving in corners. Turn the LSC up and back the high speed off a click. Also if it dives down and stays down back off a click on the rebound and let the fork move a little more feely
  • 1 0
 I've just started running a much stiffer setup and its so much faster, especially in berms and compressions. Makes the ride more fun as well!
  • 1 0
 If I had HSC I would back it off, as is my "LSC" ups the high speed too. Backing off to tune around high speed, it wallows and bottoms hard. I put more air in the PAR valve, 175 PSI, and it still isn't progressive enough. Of course it is a cross country fork...
  • 3 0
 Start with spring rate first, then fine tune it with compression settings. Don't rely on damping to fix too soft of a spring rate.
  • 2 0
 Best reply to this video so far !! Always make sure you have the rite spring before trying to tune your shock//fork
  • 1 0
 when you run a stiffer setup it might just feel faster.. but in reality your just getting thrown around by the bike.. but you are right, if you adjust to stiffer adjustments you will get faster. Also i noticed that all their RC4's look so damn good!
  • 1 0
 Yep, too stiff = feels like on a wild horse! Especially on VPP which has to be run rather fluffy...
  • 4 0
 fox should offer every 1 who buys their stuff free set up...
  • 2 0
 Did anyone notice that it seems like kashima coat on the rear shock shaft(gold color)? When will that be available to the public?
  • 1 0
 i dont understand this "Custom Compression valve stack. If a consumer's valve stack is rated a 5, then Justin's is an 8 for firmness."
  • 2 3
 Me nether, but I'm guessing it equals the difference between running a 300lb and a 500 lb spring, but just in the forks, or something like that.
  • 9 0
 They're talking about the shim stack in the compression circuit. If your stack is stock he's giving you an idea just how stiff the pro's stack is compared to yours. Basically the stiffer the shims the more control you have over high speed compression when turning the knobs. The pro's want that edge in control because at the speed they're going if they can't fine tune the fork to feel exactly right, that's a race lost where as we everyday normal folks don't require that much control because we aren't hitting massive g-outs at 60km/h everyday.
  • 1 0
 hey thanks dude for the info now i understand cheers
  • 3 1
 ^You're kidding right? The fox DHX RC4 has Low speed, AND highspeed adjustments, both are external adjustments as well, it also has bottom out control and rebound. What else do you want? The shock to ride the bike for you?
  • 1 0
 may be a stupid question but why do they run there forks with no pre load? whats the benefit of it? it's certainly a very intresting post
  • 3 0
 Preload is to alter your spring weight, they run zero preload as they are running correct spring weight and make adjustments to Compression and Rebound accordingly.
  • 1 0
 i dont have my bike in front of me but I swear that on the RC4 to close the adjustments you turn them counterclockwise until they stop. In the article they claim clockwise.
  • 2 0
 Aarons 1 lucky bastard! that yeti is gorgeous! suppose he deserves it, sick riders the lot of them Smile
  • 1 0
 When they are talking about making adjustments from a closed position Does that mean that there starting at soft compression and turning to hard or the other way around
  • 2 0
 is it possible to buy a stiffer shim stack like theirs?
  • 3 0
 good post
  • 15 0
 I agree, however rider weight would have been the icing on the cake. It would help put the rest into context.
  • 2 0
 Spanking bikes, i like the trek.... Mmmmm
  • 2 0
 awesome!!!!!! i have been wondering this for some time now.
  • 1 0
 Keep your eyes peeled for a Conti spike, the Athies have been designing one that will be launched in the spring!
  • 1 0
 Nice!
  • 3 1
 GWINNYS IS clearly the most awesome.
  • 2 0
 Are those the kashima coated RC4s?
  • 1 0
 Yes
  • 2 0
 That Yeti 303 is so fuckin sick!
  • 2 1
 Commencal's chain line is so long
  • 1 0
 Adjustable ain't it
  • 1 0
 well done article...cool to see how these pros set up their bikes
  • 1 0
 nop its only how good they are
  • 1 0
 Gee is sponsored by Continental but why is he using Maxxis? Interesting.
  • 2 0
 Thats why they appear all sharpied out. Thats how good of a tire Maxxis makes.
  • 1 0
 ^^ Yes, and Gee is by no means the first to do it.
  • 1 0
 OMG OMG 3 wicked bikes in one place!!!!!!!!!!
  • 1 0
 i like the gee's tunning's!!
  • 2 1
 Yep love Gee's Maxxis Tires!
  • 7 0
 Dont understand why the hell continental dont make spikes. They have gone full retard on that part.
  • 34 0
 And anyone in their right mind knows... never go full retard.
  • 1 1
 Justin Leov's Trek Session 88 looks more massive and burlier among the three bikes!
  • 1 0
 Justins Session 88 is a size Small ??
  • 1 0
 i love the animal:X:X:X
  • 1 0
 good Smile
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