Fork air gap effects on suspension
 

Just curious if reducing the amount of fork oil would decrease the compression rate on some cartridge style forks, and what other effects it would have (ie rebound, bad feedback etc)

And, on average, how much an increase or decrease of the air gap would be required to feel any difference?

Re: Fork air gap effects on suspension
 

Provided there is enough oil to cover the valves, be they damper rod or cartridges, the amount of oil will not affect Compression or rebound damping. What it affects is the air spring created by compressing the air volume during fork compression. The smaller the air gap the greater this effect is. The air spring acts with the conventional springs and makes the most difference towards full compression.

In short a smaller air gap can help prevent bottoming out while using fairly soft springs for a comfortable ride. Most setups with stiffer springs and / or emulators to help with fork dive use a larger air gap.

Jambo

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