Dialing in sag is one of the most important steps in mountain bike suspension setup. These tools are designed to help you measure and tune your fork and shock sag accurately without scratching expensive coatings or relying on guesswork. Whether you’re running air or coil, front or rear, these tools are made for field use and are made to be as cheap as possible while being effective.
Getting Sag Right Is Only the Start
Sag settings give you a solid starting point, but how your bike feels on the trail depends heavily on body position, dynamic sag, and damping.
If your fork feels harsh or stiff on rough terrain, don’t automatically blame the setup. A common issue is not putting enough weight on the front wheel. If you ride too far back, the fork stays high in its travel and doesn’t have enough sag to fill the holes and track the ground. That creates harsh feedback, poor traction, and arm pump.
The solution can be counterintuitive: more front-end pressure and more compression damping often smooths things out. Proper riding posture with a strong attack position makes a huge difference.
I made this mistake myself. I kept softening the fork thinking it was too harsh, but I was bottoming out constantly and still getting even more beat up in rock gardens because the fork would stay way too low in it’s travel. Eventually a more experienced rider pointed out my poor riding position. Once I learned to hinge and add pressure on the bars, I increased air pressure and damping and the fork started working like it should. Better traction, less harshness, and no more arm pump.
If your fork feels harsh, it might not be the fork, it might be your technique. Don't just adjust pressure without checking your body position first.
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