How to Select a Good Test Trail for Dialing in Your MTB Suspension Setup, with Chris from RockShox

Let's learn how to pick the best testing track for balancing our bike suspension with squish expert Chris Mandell.

We pedaled up Galbraith in Bellingham, Washington, to learn about suspension setup with Chris Mandell from RockShox. Mandell is a former shock product manager for the brand and has tuned countless dampers to different bikes. Fortunately, he also knows how to explain the basics of suspension setup to help newer riders tune their squish for optimal performance.

In this video Mandell shows us how select a good section of test trail for optimizing suspension settings. We’ll start with baseline sag, rebound, and compression settings, then talk about how riding different trail features can give us feedback on any adjustments that need to be made.

In our next suspensions videos with Mandell, we will go through setup with a true MTB beginner, followed by an advanced tutorial of how to set up suspension for super steep descending. Let us know what questions you have in the comments below!