Chapter. 12 Cleaning, Lubrication & Storage - MARIN Owner's Manual

shock with rebound damping adjustment, we recommend only slow-
ing the return a little bit at a time, as too much rebound damping will
not allow the shock to return fast enough for the next bump it
encounters. The ideal adjustment is to find a balance between the rear
shock running out of travel because of repeated impacts (sometimes
called "packing down") and the shock returning to full length too
quickly. Too little rebound control and your bike will feel like a pogo
stick.
COMPRESSION CONTROL
The third adjustment is compression control which is only available
on some shocks. This adjustment allows the rider to tune the speed of
how fast the shock compresses. This works in the same manner as
rebound control. If used other than sparingly, the shock will not per-
form at it's optimum.
Once set up, little if anything will need to be done for many different
terrain conditions.
GENERAL MAINTENANCE
Periodically check all pivot points on your Marin full suspension bicy-
cle. Make sure the pivot points at the rear shock and main pivots are
all properly torqued to the correct torque values (see pg. 40).
Little if any maintenance will be needed with our full suspension
frame as the design is designed to be as durable as a hardtail frame.
The swing arm pivots on a set of aircraft certified, full compliment
bearings that are specifically designed for the loads your bike will
experience. While these bearings are double sealed and may last the
lifetime of the bicycle, it may become necessary to replace them. This
work should be performed by an authorized Marin Dealer as it
requires special tools.
C H A P T E R 1 2
C L E A N I N G , L U B R I C AT I O N
A N D S TO R A G E
CLEANING:
Mountain bicycles, by their very nature, pick up a lot of dirt! Keeping
your bicycle clean is an important part of its regular maintenance. Dirt
and grit are particularly damaging to the bicycle's moving parts which
includes chain, rims, gears and derailleurs. If you ride in a lot muddy
terrain, you'll probably need to clean your bicycle after every ride.
Don't take your bicycle to a coin-operated car wash as the high pres-
sure spray will get into sealed bearings and will remove or contami-
nate the grease. It's always best to clean your bicycle by hand. Never
wipe down a dirty bicycle without first gently rinsing off the dirt with
water. Otherwise the dirt will act as an abrasive and ruin your bicy-
cle's finish.
Here are a couple of tips on cleaning your bicycle:
• To get dirt and mud off your bicycle lightly wash off most of the
loose dirt or mud with a hose. Next, use a soft brush with warm
soapy water and clean off the rest of the bicycle. Lightly rinse.
Avoid using a high pressure spray to clean your bicycle. This can
result in contaminated bearings.
• To clean greasy and dirty chains and drive train components. First,
spray on or apply a degreaser like Simple Green or Finish Line
Ecotech. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so. Next, take an old brush or
Park ™ gear brush and scrub any dirty areas. Last, lightly spray off
residue with a hose. Allow bike to dry out before re-lubricating
chain and drive train parts.
Cleaning your bicycle is an ideal time to do an overall inspection. Use
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