Chapter. 11 Front Suspension & Rear Suspension - MARIN Owner's Manual

Note: Hub maintenance requires special tools and expertise. For this
reason, it should always be performed by your Marin dealer or a pro-
fessional bicycle mechanic.
CARTRIDGE BOTTOM BRACKET
BOTTOM BRACKET
All Marin bicycles come equipped with cartridge sealed bottom brack-
ets. The bottom bracket assembly consists of the axle and the sealed
bearings to which the cranks for the pedals are attached. Your bottom
bracket may need replacement if you hear noise or feel roughness or
if the cranks do not turn smoothly.
Note: The bottom bracket assembly requires special tools and exper-
tise to be serviced. This work should be done by your Marin dealer of
by an experienced bicycle mechanic.
C H A P T E R 1 1
F R O N T S U S P E N S I O N
F U L L S U S P E N S I O N
SUSPENSION FORKS
Most Marin Mountain Bikes models have front suspension forks that
do everything from taking the edge off the bumps, to delivering top
rate performance that keeps your tires hooked up and on the ground
for better control. The suspension fork equipped with your bicycle is
set up for medium size riders weighing approximately 140 to 180
pounds. Riders new to front suspension often believe the fork on their
bicycle is adjusted too soft. Remember that the fork is designed to be
plush and absorb shock from the trail. You should only consider a
firmer ride if you bottom-out the fork several times per ride. If you do
not fit into the weight range mentioned above, more extensive tuning
may need to be performed with the help of your local Marin dealer.
Making a front shock firmer or softer involves changing some internal
fork parts. These parts might need to be ordered and are not covered
by the purchase price of your bike. All Marin models have gone
through geometry changes to keep the front end of your bike steering
and handling at it's optimum performance. Some models of forks will
have pre-load adjustments as well as rebound damping. What these
adjustments allow you to do, is tune the forks performance to your
specific riding style and rider weight. Ask your dealer or refer to man-
ual specific to your fork for a demonstration of these features and how
they relate to the ride.
Suspension forks used on some models have a break in period of three
to four hours of use. The fork action may seem stiff on the show room
floor but within a small amount of break in time the fork will then
move smoothly. The most important part of keeping your fork work-
ing properly will be making sure the slider legs are lubed. Newer style
Manitou forks come with grease ports mounted on the outside of the
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