Front Suspension; Riding With Luggage - Giant EXPEDITION BIKES-2001 Owner's Manual

3. Front suspension

The front fork that has been assembled has an air suspension mechanism.
The rider has to set the pressure of the air chamber in the right hand side fork leg with a special pump.
To do this, it's possible to use the same pump that is necessary to control the air pressure of the rear
shock.
This suspension fork is not a "Zero-SAG" system. The set-up of this fork is completely different from the
TM
NRS rear suspension. The fork has to be adjusted with "SAG".
SAG is the amount of suspension pre-compression that is required to compensate for the riders
(and luggage) weight and allow the bicycle to perform as it was designed to.
The optimum setting for SAG is between 20 - 30% of total fork travel.
To measure SAG, install a zip-tie on one of the stanchions (upper tubes) of the front fork so that it is
flush against the top of the lower leg assembly.
Sit on the bike with normal riding apparel (and luggage), then step off your bike and measure the
bottom of the zip-tie to the top of the lower leg assembly.
This measurement is the amount of SAG.
The total travel of the front fork is approx. 3" or 76 mm.
This can be checked in the same way as measuring SAG, but without any air inside the air chamber in
the right hand fork leg: push the pin of the Schrader valve, so all air can escape. Now, push on the
handlebar as hard as you can, so all the travel of the fork is used.
Measure the bottom of the zip-tie to the top of the lower leg assembly.
This measurement is the total travel.
Adjustment of suspension is subjective and cannot be prescribed by Giant. If help is needed, please
contact your Giant dealer.

4. Riding with luggage.

Giant recommends to limit the weight of the luggage to the maximum of 30 kg. (all together: front
carrier, rear carrier, saddle bag, handlebar bag, etc.).
Not only because of the strength of frame, front fork, carriers, and hardware, but especially to maintain
the manoeuvrability, handling and riding characteristics of the bike.
For the same reasons, the luggage has to be divided well.
Make sure that the weight of the luggage on each carrier does not exceed the maximum of 15 kg.
So, not more that 15 kg. on the front, and not more that 15 kg. on the rear carrier.
If you ride with luggage, it's better to increase the air pressure in the positive chamber of the rear shock
(upper valve), in order to maintain the "ZERO-SAG" principle. Also the air pressure in the front fork may
have to be increased.
Giant's experience is that for each 5 kg. luggage on the rear carrier, the "positive" air pressure of the
rear shock has to be increased with approx. 10 psi.
A way to reach the "ZERO-SAG" rear suspension set-up of your loaded bike is the following.
Add the weight of the luggage on the rear carrier to your body weight (incl. clothing, helmet, etc.) and
look for the air pressure recommendations in the chart in paragraph 2-2, "Selecting air pressure, "Zero-
SAG" adjustment".
Then, follow the whole procedure as described in the same paragraph.
- Pag. 6. -
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