- Set sag before you touch a clicker. Clickers cannot fix a spring that is wrong for your weight.
- Rider sag lands around 30% of total travel for trail riding. That is the target everything else works from.
- Count clicks from fully closed, always. It is the only way to know where you actually are.
- One change at a time, two clicks at a time, same section of trail each time.
- If preload is maxed and sag is still too deep, you need a spring, not an adjustment.
Suspension is the upgrade riders talk about last and feel first. A bike set up for your weight is easier to ride fast, easier to ride slow, and much less tiring over a long day. None of that requires new parts. Most of it requires a tape measure and a friend.
Sag comes first
Sag is how far the suspension settles under weight. It sets where in the travel the bike sits when you are on it, which determines how much travel is left for absorbing hits and how the bike balances front to rear. Get it wrong and every clicker adjustment after it is a workaround.
Free sag tells you whether the spring rate is right. Rider sag tells you whether the preload is right. If free sag is near zero and rider sag is correct, your spring is too stiff. If preload runs out before rider sag comes up to target, your spring is too soft.
Measuring sag
- A tape measure that reads millimeters
- A friend. Two is better.
- All your riding gear on, including the helmet and pack
- Spanner or preload tool for your shock
Get the rear wheel off the ground so the shock is topped out. Measure from the axle to a fixed point on the fender you can find again. Write it down.
Bike on the ground, nobody on it. Bounce it once and let it settle. Measure the same two points.
Sit on the bike in full gear, feet on the pegs, in your normal riding position. Have a friend hold the bike upright and a second one measure. Bounce and settle before the measurement.
Free sag equals extended minus unladen. Rider sag equals extended minus laden. Run both through the calculator below.
More preload reduces sag, less increases it. Change it, then measure again. Do not guess at the effect.
Preload collar: [00] Nm on the lock ringSag calculator
Enter your three measurements and your total rear travel. The math is the same on any bike, so this works beyond the Ultra Bee.
Sag calculator
All measurements in millimeters, taken between the same two points every time.
Enter your numbers.
Starting points by weight
These are starting points, not answers. Set sag first, then dial clickers from the numbers below and adjust from there. All clicker counts are from fully closed, turning out.
| Rider weight, geared | Rear compression | Rear rebound | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 130 to 150 lbs | [00] out | [00] out | Softer spring may be needed if preload runs out. |
| 150 to 170 lbs | [00] out | [00] out | Closest to the stock spring's design range. |
| 170 to 190 lbs | [00] out | [00] out | Most common. Check sag before assuming stock is fine. |
| 190 to 220 lbs | [00] out | [00] out | Watch for preload running out. Stiffer spring likely. |
| Over 220 lbs | Spring first | Spring first | No clicker setting fixes a spring that is too soft. |
What the clickers do
Compression
Controls how fast the suspension moves under a hit. Too stiff and the bike deflects off roots and beats you up. Too soft and it dives through the travel and bottoms hard.
Rebound
Controls how fast it returns. Too fast and the bike bucks and feels nervous, especially over successive hits. Too slow and it packs down, riding lower and lower through a rough section until there is no travel left.
- Two clicks at a time. One is hard to feel, four is a different bike.
- One adjuster at a time, front or rear, never both.
- Same section of trail, same speed, back to back. Memory of yesterday's ride is not data.
- Write down every setting before you change it. Being able to go back is the whole point.
Symptom to adjustment
| What you feel | Likely cause | Try |
|---|---|---|
| Harsh over small chatter | Compression too stiff | Two clicks softer on compression, then reassess. |
| Bottoms out on landings | Too soft, or sag too deep | Check sag first. Then two clicks stiffer on compression. |
| Rear kicks up over successive hits | Rebound too fast | Two clicks slower on rebound. |
| Rides lower and lower through rough sections | Rebound too slow, packing down | Two clicks faster on rebound. |
| Front pushes wide in turns | Rear sag too deep, weight off the front | Reduce rear sag before touching the fork. |
| Nothing helps, adjusters are at the end | Wrong spring rate for your weight | Spring change. Clickers cannot rescue this. |
Gear in this video
Rear Shock Spring, Rate Matched to Rider Weight
Preload Spanner and Sag Measuring Tool
The sag method works on any bike with a rear shock. The clicker starting points are Ultra Bee specific.
Measured your sag and not sure what it means? Send the three measurements, your geared weight, and where you ride to hello@motorhabit.com. We will tell you whether it is a preload problem or a spring problem.
