How to Set Up Your Front Fork and Niner CVA Suspension

Suspension setup is critical to get the best performance out of your new Niner. Here’s how you get to your base settings for front and rear suspension, using air pressure/spring rate, rebound (high and low speed) and compression (high and low speed). We will also discuss volume spacers.

When starting suspension setup, place all adjustments into their middle setting. Run any compression lever in the open setting and remember to deactivate any lockouts.

You can find our recommended settings for front or rear shock in our specification sheets.

Manufacturer Setup Guides – Downloads

• FOX Front: 32 Tuning Guide
• FOX Front: 34 Tuning Guide
• FOX Front: 36 Tuning Guide
• FOX Rear: FLOAT DPS Tuning Guide
• FOX Rear: FLOAT X2 Tuning Guide
• ROCKSHOX Tuning Guide
• MARZOCCHI Bomber Z2 Tuning Guide

If you have another Fox fork or shock, you can find their model-specific setup guides here.

If you have a RockShox fork or shock, you can find their model-specific setup guides here.

Tools Required

• Shock pump
• Tape measure/ruler
• Multi-tool
• Brand-specific socket
• Notepad and pen
• An assistant makes this a lot easier as well

Suspension Fork Setup

How to Set Up Your Fork Sag and Rebound

1. Remove the air valve dust cap and attach the shock pump to get a PSI reading.
2. Position the bike on flat ground and get on the bike in your complete riding kit (including helmet, bag, water, etc.).
3. Get your balance and lean against a wall, tree, or assistant.
4. Release your brakes and lightly bounce on the fork to move slightly.
5. Move into your neutral riding position and have your assistant move the o-ring on the fork stanchion down.
6. Get off the bike carefully and measure the sag with a ruler.

Your sag should measure around 15-20% of the total travel of your fork. Adjust air pressure if necessary and repeat the steps. Note your settings for future reference.

When inflating your Fox fork and with the shock pump attached, be sure to slowly cycle your fork through 25% of its travel for around 10 times. This equalizes the pressure between the positive and negative air chambers and will change the pressure displayed on the pump gauge.

Volume Spacers

Many forks now come with the option to add or remove volume spacers. These change the rate at which the fork ramps up. Remove the appropriate top-cap to open the fork, count the volume spacers, and adjust as needed.

Compression (High and Low Speed)

Leave the high and low-speed compression in the middle setting. Fine-tune using the bracketing method after initial setup. If needed, refer to your manufacturer's manual for more detailed instructions.

Rebound (High and Low Speed)

Set the high and low-speed rebound to the middle setting. With the bike on level ground, compress and release the fork multiple times. Continue adjusting until the wheel remains stable after compression.

Rear Shock Setup

How to Set Up Your Shock Sag and Rebound

1. Remove the air valve dust cap and attach the shock pump to get a PSI reading.
2. Position the bike on flat ground and get on the bike in your complete riding kit (including helmet, bag, water, tools, etc.).
3. Release your brakes and lightly bounce on the shock.
4. Move into your neutral riding position and have your assistant move the o-ring on the shock shaft down.
5. Get off the bike carefully and measure the sag with a ruler.

Your sag should measure around 30% of the total stroke of your shock. Adjust air pressure as needed and repeat the steps. Note your settings for future reference.

Similar to fork setup, be sure to slowly cycle your rear air shock through 25% of its travel for around 10 times. This equalizes the pressure between the positive and negative air chambers.

Volume Spacers for Rear Shock

Volume spacers change the rate at which the shock ramps up. Adjust these spacers following the same process used for the fork.

Compression and Rebound for Rear Shock

Set high and low-speed compression and rebound in the middle setting and adjust similarly to the fork using the bracketing method.

Suspension Testing

Now you’ve got your suspension setup at home, it’s time to head to the trails for some real-world testing. You shouldn’t be making any major changes at this point. The secondary setup is to best match the base settings to the demands of the trail.

For this reason, you want to choose a short section of trail (1-2 minutes) that best reflects the kind of riding you’re going to be doing. Do this stage of setup where you are usually riding – whether that’s your local woods, or a bike park.

After a couple of runs to get used to the way the suspension feels, you’ll be using a technique called bracketing. This is where you make small changes either way of a base setting, to assess what feels better or worse. As this point that’s the only answer you’re looking for.

Pick a setting and move the dial 2-3 clicks. Complete a run and decide if it was better or worse. If it was worse, revert back to the original setting. If it was better, go further and adjust by another 2-3 clicks in that same direction, until things get worse.

Start with compression and then move on to rebound. If you have a separate high and low-speed setting, then adjust these individually. Finally move onto volume spacers, using the same bracketing technique.

This completes your first suspension setup. Make a note of every setting that you have, along with your weight, the trail, temperature, and conditions. These notes serve two purposes – first, they can get you back to a base setup if you ever lose your way. Secondly, they are the starting point for moving on to advanced suspension setup.

For any help with Fox suspension setup please go to - Fox Suspension Help.

Suspension Servicing

To ensure optimum performance, your suspension will need to be serviced at regular intervals. The exact information relating to how often your fork and shock need to be serviced will be included with your bike.