The first step towards finding the ideal suspension setting is adjusting the suspension preload, an adjustment that can be found on the vast majority of bikes currently on the market.
But first of all, what is it?
The preloading function doesn’t act on the hydraulics but directly involves shortening the normal “rest” length of the spring, in other words, the length it would have without any load on the bike. The shorter the spring, the more force will be required to start the process of compression of the suspension, while the rigidity of the spring, which is dictated by its elasticity, remains unchanged.
In essence, by turning the adjuster, you are changing the amount of force that has to be applied before compression commences. When you increase the preload, the suspension will compress less under the weight of the bike and the rider, in other words, it increases the height of the bike’s suspension setting. Conversely, by reducing the preloading, the suspension compress more, thereby lowering the bike’s suspension setting.
