Titus

Cross Country - Marathon : Speed. Agility. Quickness. Qualities that define a champion. These thoroughbreds are designed around cutting edge suspension technology which delivers optimal performance for maximum speed and spot-on handling at the lightest weight possible. Crush the competition or your buddies on the next ride. X marks the spot when it comes to high-performance racing frames. Trail Bikes : Full Tilt! That’s the way you ride. Up. Down. It doesn’t matter. These durable, versatile performers can tackle any and every kind of terrain. Featuring longer legs and a little more meat where it counts, the FTM gives mountain bikers looking for an all-day, all-conditions bike plenty of comfort and control. All Mountain : Climb easier - descend faster. Lighter and more nimble than most dedicated big-drop, big-hit bikes, the new Guapos are a whole lot more plush than the fast-twitch behavior of XC oriented bikes. The El Guapo can easily be built up under 30 pounds and ridden as a supremely confidence inspiring trail bike. With a slightly more heavy duty parts kit, it is very capable of running with the big dogs in chairlift country. Road : Imagine you’re riding the bike you’ve always dreamed of. Instantly you’re aware of its glove like fit, as comfortable and right as your favorite pair of jeans. As the ride unfolds you feel complete trust in the bike’s every reaction as it responds immediately to each command and impulse. You’re riding stronger, faster, more effortlessly than ever before. Gliding smoothly up hills and diving confidently into corners. An astonishing mix of exhilaration and piece of mind brims up within you. Riding 30, 50, now 80 miles, the bike continually encourages you and rewards you with every pedal stroke. Whatever you may dream, Titus can deliver it to you in every road bike we craft. Custom : Custom means different things to different companies. For some companies, custom means taking a few measurements and telling you what you need. Having built custom bikes for over 17 years we've learned that to truly build a bike unique to you, it involves much, much more. It's not something that you can just look up in a book or take from a chart. Body measurements, while extremely important, are just one part to the custom process. That's why our engineers ask a lot of questions about individual riders and their preferences. That’s why we create a CAD drawing for every custom frame we make. And that's why every Titus custom frame is as unique as its' individual rider.

Materials

Aluminum   At Titus we use both 6061 and 6069 heat-treated aluminum alloys that have been hydroformed, thermo-formed or mechanically formed into sophisticated tube shapes with optimized butting profiles for maximum strength and minimum weight. Hydroforming is an effective method of shaping malleable metals such as aluminum into lightweight, structurally stiff and strong members. Using high pressure fluids with trap molding technology our aluminum tubes are custom butted and shaped to optimize performance and durability while saving weight. Advanced Thermal Forming or "ATF" is a revolutionary and patented technology that allows our designers to create more elaborate tube shapes and more sophisticated butting profiles. This unique process forms tubes at extremely high temperatures when the material is in a plastic, moldable state. It is then stretched and trap molded under extreme pressure into the desired shape and butting definitions - the result – lightweight yet durable frames such as the all-new El Guapo. Mechanical Forming is another means to an end and is very well-suited to the 6069 alloys that we use. Custom butted tubes are press formed under heat into a form tool to maximize stiffness and achieve the desired shapes.

Carbon Fibre  Developing advanced carbon fiber composite bicycle frames isn’t a matter of having the most exotic formula or the fanciest terminology. It’s a matter of quality engineering, the use of appropriate materials and the proper execution of the fabrication process. Before the first layer of composite is even placed in a mold, our engineers meticulously optimize each sheet of carbon fiber for stiffness and strength. The direction specific nature of advanced composites allows Titus designers to create frames that are stiffer in one or more axes, while remaining compliant in others. The extensive use of unidirectional carbon fiber (fibers that are oriented in the same direction) allow our frames to be precisely tuned. We also apply a mix of different fiber modulus (stiffness) to create a frame that is as light as possible without sacrificing strength and durability. Additionally, the bladder molding process that we employ to create our frames allows us a high degree of control during the lay-up of material and ultimately leads to a higher quality finished product. Of course at the end of the day the proof of any composite frame is in the riding.

Titanium   Titanium is where we started back in 1991 and to this day all Titus titanium frames are still built in our Tempe facility. Through the years our cutting edge design and tube fabrications as well as our meticulous attention to detail is what has positioned Titus as the one of the leading titanium frame companies in the world. We use only U.S. aerospace-grade; 3al/2.5v titanium tubing that is both butted and shaped in our own facility. Our state-of-the-art weld fixtures insure perfect frame alignment after welding and eliminate un-needed cold-working used by our competitors. A Bicycle frame represents an ideal application for titanium tubing. Titanium alloys offer the greatest combination of physical, mechanical and chemical properties to yield a frame with the best combination of durability, ride quality, stiffness and weight.

Titanium is extremely resistant to corrosion. This property has lead to titanium’s use as storage containers for caustic materials in the chemical industry. For you as a cyclist, this means that all the salty roads, messy mud and stream crossing you ride over or through will not rust your bicycle, ever. Titanium frames are lifetime frames.

The density of titanium is nearly twice that of aluminum (though aluminum is the weaker of the two metals), but only 56% the density of steel. The stiffness of titanium is also about half that of steel. It therefore follows that the stiffness-to-weight ratio of the two metals is nearly the same. In English this means that titanium is nearly as strong as, but is lighter than steel.

Elongation numbers of a metal tell us how much a material will bend before it breaks. Titanium’s 20 – 30 % elongation beats out steel’s 10 – 15% and aluminum’s 6 – 12%. The lower the elongation number, the more brittle and breakable a material is. The higher the elongation number, the stronger the material is. So, the same amount of titanium stretched out into a tube will wear less than the same amount of steel or aluminum stretched out to the same size tube. Carbon fiber does not stretch; it must be molded into form.

Fatigue strength is another measurement taken to compare metals. Fatigue is the result of accumulated wear from repetitive cycles of force. Aluminum is notorious for having such a low fatigue strength that there is no threshold, no level of strain below which the metal will not fail. This means that the strain on a bike frame from each pedal stroke contributes to the frame’s fatigue failure. The effect can be delayed by over sizing the tubes to add stiffness, but the tubes end up being very thin walled and give a bone-jarring ride. In comparison, titanium has a threshold below which it will never fail, no matter how many times the cycles of force are applied. Yes, this means that titanium will never fatigue and never fail as long as the load it bears is below a certain level (which the stress we put on it riding is).

Next Generation Full Suspension
Just like any cutting edge industry, the top players eventually reach a point where the products in the market place that the customers can choose from are all generally good. It happens with cars, motorcycles, computers, and now full suspension mountain bikes. Sure, there's still plenty of basic single pivot bikes and a few other generally outdated designs out there, but the top performers in the suspension world have basically adopted three types of designs. Please keep in mind that not all bikes are created equal. As with almost anything you can buy, just because a company touts a cutting edge design does not mean they are automatically cutting edge or high quality for that matter. A Hyundai may use a similar suspension design to a BMW, but that does not make them a top performer (sorry Hyundai). We believe that there are plenty of "good" bikes out there, but there are only a few truly great ones. So how do you know what the best suspension design out there is? How do you know what to buy? Read on and I'll tell you at the end.

---

FLOATING BOTTOM BRACKET DESIGNS
Floating Bottom Bracket shell designs were developed by GT Bicycles for use in their I-Drive system. This design as well as similar ones used by Maverick and Klein, place the entire bottom bracket and crank assembly as a floating pivot between the front and rear triangle of the bike. This differs from most full suspension bike designs, where the bottom bracket is part of the bikes front triangle, or in the case of a unified rear triangle design, the bottom bracket is part of the rear triangle assembly. Floating bottom bracket designs can exhibit most of the great characteristics attributed to full-active 4-bar link style designs in that they can be designed to resist pedal bob and the suspension can remain active under braking (i.e.: it does not lock the suspension out, stiffen it up, or raise the rear end of the bike as the rear brake is applied) Overall, this suspension system has always had potential. However, current designs on the market are not perfect. The current I-drive configuration, although lighter then the previous generation, is still fairly complex and has not changed enough to take true advantage of stable platform shock technology. The Maverick/Klein style floating bottom bracket design is straight forward, and relatively simple. However, the design is tied to a special front derailleur and a very custom rear shock which cannot be switched out for different brands of shocks as technology moves forward. Also, the design's very slack seat tube angle makes it difficult for some riders to attain the correct positioning over the pedals and there are some front derailleur shifting issues that seem to plague the current design.

Bottom Line
Floating Bottom Bracket designs have potential but still need some additional fine tuning to achieve the level of refinement available from some of the other fully active suspension designs on the market today.

Companies that feature these designs
I-drive: GT, Schwinn, Mongoose. Other Variations: Maverick, Klein, Seven

---

VIRTUAL PIVOT DESIGNS
Bikes referred to as Virtual Pivot Designs feature a double linkage that connects the front and rear triangle of the frame. This differs from a fully-active 4-bar link style bikes which use one pivot between the front triangle and lower swing arm with a single linkage up top to activate the shock. With virtual pivot designs, the attachment points of the two separate linkages from the front and rear triangle plus the length of each linkage will decide the overall path that the rear triangle moves through space. This path is infinitely tunable and is not restricted to a specific straight line or arc. The rear end of the bike can pivot in virtually any path determined by the designer. Because the main pivot point is always moving depending on where the rear suspension sits in its travel, an exact main pivot location does not actually exist, hence the name "Virtual Pivot".

When most people think "Virtual Pivot", they think of the VPP bikes by Santa Cruz and Intense. These bikes use a specific type of Virtual Pivot design that was originally developed and patented by Outland Bicycles about 10 years ago. The patents cover a specific linkage configuration and rear wheel travel path that is designed to aid the pedaling performance of a rear suspension bike without negatively affecting the overall bump absorption capabilities of the suspension. VPP bikes feature an "S" shaped rear wheel path. As the suspension moves through its travel, it does not swing a standard arc or move in a vertical wheel travel path. The path is similar to a stretched out or elongated "S". In addition, as the two linkages guide the rear wheel through this path, they reach a point about 25-30% into the suspensions travel where the two linkages oppose each other and form what can be best described as a very light lock-out or stopping point in the suspension travel. This point typically coincides with the amount of sag (the amount the suspension settles from your body weight) that you would run on a rear suspension bike. It takes very little bump force to move the linkages past their opposing point. The result is a bike that pedals well at the "sag" point yet is still relatively free to pick up bumps. So what's the downside? The double link design on any virtual pivot design adds a lot of complexity to the frame, and small linkages are forced to handle the majority of the frame loads, so frame stiffness and durability suffer in order to keep the weight down, or in the case of down hill designs, the frames become very heavy. Also, having a link behind the cranks severely restricts tire clearance making lighter, cross-country based virtual pivot designs with short chain stays almost un-rideable in muddy conditions. From a ride standpoint, the bikes pedal well when at the sag point but will still oscillate or bob on fire road type climbs or under hard sprinting. VPP designs still benefit heavily from stable platform shock technology to aid pedaling at other points in the suspension travel. Some riders contend that the bikes lack the lively accelerative feel of some other designs and don't maintain traction as well on climbs as some of the designs on the market. Finally, like single pivot bikes, VPP bikes suffer from brake jack, which is a stiffening of the suspension as the rear brake is applied, resulting in reduced bump absorption or potentially locked out suspension under hard braking. This is a problem that does not plague fully-active 4-bar designs.

What about other "Virtual Pivot" designs? Because the designer is free to send the rear wheel in whatever path, he/she desires, the possibilities are endless. However, there is no getting around the amount of moving parts, and overall complexity of any virtual pivot type design.

Bottom Line
"Virtual Pivot" designs are generally good 3rd generation suspension designs. Pedaling performance is an improvement over most single pivot designs. However, the complexity, frame stiffness vs. weight, tire clearance and overall chassis feel still leave them a step behind some of the more cutting edge fully active designs today.

Companies that feature virtual pivot designs
Santa Cruz, Iron Horse, Ibis, and Giant

---

4 BAR LINKAGE DESIGNS: AKA HORST LINK
There's never been a more hotly contested suspension design on the market than the 4-Bar linkage design with the Horst Link. This design has been around only slightly longer then the original Outland VPP, but its instant success and many attributes have made it the most valued and fought over suspension design in the world. The original design was developed by Horst Leitner at AMP research. The driving goal behind the design was to isolate braking forces from affecting the suspension performance. The first generation Horst bikes did not stiffen up or lift (brake jack) under hard braking. They were and still are to this day "fully active". The icing on the cake was that the original bikes pedaled better than anything else at the time.

The original Horst patents were purchased by Specialized Bicycles and are selectively licensed to only a few companies in the USA. In Europe and Canada where the US patents don't apply, Horst Link style bikes are the dominant suspension design. Just like with virtual pivots, and floating bottom bracket designs, many of today's 4 bar designs are at least 3 generations beyond the original. Everything has been changed to make the already great pedaling design even better without affecting the bike's excellent performance under braking. Four bar bikes, are light, strong and can be built extremely stiff without the complexity and issues associated with other suspension designs, plus they don't stiffen up under braking. If you own a suspension bike, you want the suspension to work. One of the worst traits a suspension bike can exhibit is to have the shock get progressively more locked out as you are braking hard into a bump filled corner. This is when you need the suspension most and this is just one of the areas where the 4 bar delivers and others can't.

So what's the downside? There is almost nothing bad that can be said about a well made 4-bar design. However, nothing is perfect. Because of the way the suspension works, long travel 4 bar bikes frequently need to have an interrupted seat tube design to the front triangle. Although there is no performance or handling downside to this, some riders prefer the traditional look of a standard front triangle and/or like to have the wider range of seat post adjustment of non-interrupted seat tube bikes.

Bottom Line
Current 4-bar designs from high end companies have the edge over anything else on the market. The ability to build light, class leading bikes at any travel range with ample tire clearance, great pedaling feel, in a fully active chassis with the highest level of durability is a combination that cannot currently be matched by any of the competing designs on the market.

---

So, are we a little biased? Of course we are, but that's ok because it's our article and there's no real need to be politically correct. The reality is that all the above designs are excellent. If you read closely, all references to the downsides of any particular design said "currently". That's not to say that any of these and maybe some new ones will be better. Maybe they will tackle the short comings of the current designs. With every generation, every model year, etc., we all continue to get better. Our competitors are working just as hard as we are to make sure their latest performs better then the last and we continue to develop products to stay ahead of our competitors. It's a game that never ends. But right now, I can say with the utmost confidence, that the ride, performance, durability, and just about any other measurable aspect of a Titus bike is better then our competition because it is not just the suspension design, and it is certainly not the marketing or the hype. It's about the details, and Titus does the details better then anyone. It's not just a pretty paint job, but a perfectly designed main pivot, the right size tubing to optimize lateral stiffness, and a partnership with the shock manufacturers to give us what we want and to not just accept what they have to offer. These are just some of the details that make a Titus a Titus. Yes, we just happen to build the most kick ass 4 bar, Horst link bikes, in the world, but it wouldn't matter if we were building virtual pivot or floating BB designs either. They would still be great and they would still be better because we sweat the details to make it the best bikes in the world and being better is what makes a Titus the bike to have in the past, present and well into the future. So, if you don't already own a Titus, you have no idea what you're missing and if you do, tell them what they are missing. In the mean time, keep on riding and we hope to see you out on the trail.

---

Suspension Design and the Horst Link

When it comes to suspension, you want a design that works consistently across all types of terrain. You want a suspension design that provides the maximum benefits of comfort, control and efficiency under all conditions – pedaling, breaking and even coasting. A Most importantly, you want a suspension design that resists bottoming on big hits without compromising small bump performance.

The most important thing to consider is that these suspension needs do not change if you’re going uphill or down. They don’t change if you ride cross country, all-mountain or downhill. They are all constant and they are all addressed by the Horst Link 4-bar suspension design we employ on all of our models. It’s the ultimate suspension system, no matter where or how you ride.

One of the paramount factors in suspension design is whether the suspension and pedal forces are fully independent of one another. A fully independent design will not experience chain-induced suspension movement, nor will suspension movement alter chain tension and create pedal kickback or drop-away.

Balancing these goals is a function of the distance between two critical points: the point where the chain leaves the rear cassette, and where it connects to the front chain ring. By carefully optimizing pivot placements and designing our Horst Link suspension system with a near vertical axle pate, this distance remains virtually constant and all discernable feedback is eliminated.

The horst Link design completely isolates braking forces, completing the “fully independent” definition and ensuring that the design remains fully active even under heavy breaking. The key design element here is placement of the rear brake and the axle. Both are fixed to the seatstay assembly, preventing movement between them and isolating both from the main frame.

Any design that lacks these two attributes will experience some break induced feedback and consequently inconsistent suspension performance. By attaching the brake to the seatstay, which is essentially isolated or floating relative to the main triangle, braking forces and suspension movement can work independently in any combination. The position or action of one force has no effect on the other. Feedback between braking and suspension force is the primary limitation of single-pivot designs, which cannot avoid placing the rear axle and the rear brake on a frame structure that is directly connected to the main frame.

Each Titus frame is designed along side its own specifically tuned rear shock, which is matched to the specific needs of both the bikes intended use and the relatively low leverage ratios which are inherent with the Horst link suspension design. Leverage ratio varies throughout the suspension travel, but is always less than 3:1. Generally low leverage ratios avoid working the shock and improve both performance and durability.

Buy design, the horst Link suspension is progressive over its entire range of motion, regardless of actual travel length. Leverage ratios are higher at the beginning of the stroke to give the rear wheel more leverage against the shock. This makes the shock more supple over small bumps by assisting the linkage in overcoming initial static friction and breakaway force. It also allows the rider to settle into the designated sag point of the travel. At the end of the shock stroke, the leverage ration decreases, giving the rear wheel less leverage against the shock. This controls larger impacts and prevents harsh bottoming.

 

---

Proven vs. Trendy

While many companies are still searching for the holy grail of suspension platforms, Titus has not bowed to the pressure to jump on the latest and greatest band wagon. Not unlike the engineers at Porsche, who have not waivered from the McPhearson Strut suspension in over 15 years, we have stayed the course with a proven design. The FSR Suspension, or as it is commonly known, the Horst-Link Suspension was developed over 12 years ago by Horst Leitner and has become one of the most sought after suspension designs in our industry. Since Titus licensed the technology over 6 years ago our engineers have experimented, refined, and enhanced every dynamic of the patented four-bar linkage. Thanks to all that hard work today our bikes are considered the some of the finest performing full-suspension bikes on the planet – as confirmed by a long list of magazine technical editors.

Performance for Wherever You Ride

At Titus, our unique suspension design yields maximum comfort, control and efficiency and it does it consistently across all types of terrain. Because our patented, four-bar suspension technology is fully active and independent, it is free to compress and rebound in an uninhibited manner. This keeps the tire on the ground a greater percentage of the time, yielding more traction for increased control over speed and direction; more comfort by remaining incredibly compliant; and more efficiency because chain torque helps move you forward - not up and down.

The most important thing is that these suspension characteristics do not change if you’re going uphill or down. They don’t change if you ride cross country, all-mountain or downhill. They are constant and they are all addressed by the four-bar suspension system we employ on every Titus model. It’s the ultimate suspension system, no matter where or how you ride.

What Makes Ours Better

While there are other licensees of the FSR Suspension, no one packages it quite the way we do. Our team has gone to great lengths over the past several years to enhance just how well the suspension works. Things that might not be obvious to most are the real keys to why our bikes out perform most challengers. Since Day One we have used four oversize sealed bearings at the main pivot to insure minimal flex and virtually zero maintenance. Our Horst-Link clevis near the rear axle not only uses the most expensive bushing available but is overbuilt intentionally to optimize rear-end rigidity. This year we’ve gone even further to maximize our bikes’ tracking and climbing abilities by designing an all new one-piece carbon rocker and a non-symetrical hydro-formed chainstay. Oh yeah and we did all this while shaving over 100 grams at the same time.

Please visit this link to take a look through the process of a Titus Cycle.

http://www.titusti.com/tour/tourfactory.html

The FTM is a Near-Perfect Evolution of the Trail Bike
2009-06-11
At least that's what the guys over at Bike Mag had to say when the tested the new Titus FTM.

"As much as we like to personify our bikes, they don't just 'evolve' on their own into lighter, stronger, faster beasts. Instead bikes are given life by designers and product managers, and in the case of the Titus FTM, those guiding hands managed a near-miracoulus job."

Read the rest of the review here to see what they had say!




Mountain Bike Action Reviews the FTM
2009-05-21
We unleashed a Full Tilt surprise on MBA when they tested the all new FTM. The Wrecking Crew puts the FTM through the wringer and come away totally stoked.

In their words, "The FTM falls into the same riding category as the Motolite, and the Motolite is a bike we have recommended for years, so comparisons are inevitable. We can tell you right now, the FTM is totally different from the Motolite in both appearance and performance". Read the rest of their ride report here.

Q. Which Titus bike is right for me? A. Titus mountain bikes are all about versatility. Chose any of our models and you will be rewarded with a machine that allows you to expand your riding possibilities. The question becomes: “Which Titus bike is right for me?” We would like to suggest that you buy one of each. After all, you can never have too many Titus bikes…right? Now back to reality. If you can choose only one, we want to make sure that you are getting the right bike for the places you ride, the conditions you ride in, and most importantly, the type of riding you like to do. Q. How much air pressure should I put in my shock? A. When setting up the suspension on your bike, it is important to have the suspension compress slightly (sag) when sitting on the bike. Setting the proper amount of sag will allow the bike to follow the terrain better and maintain proper frame angles. The proper sag setting also determines the air pressure or spring rate so that major adjustments will not be required on the trail. Follow the steps below: Place a zip tie around the shock shaft (your shock may already have an o-ring). Slide the tie or o-ring up to the base of the shock body. Sit on the bike with your full weight on the saddle. (It’s best to do this while wearing your full riding gear) Look down and make sure the tie is still against the shock body, and then slowly step off the bike Measure the distance between the shock body and the zip tie/o-ring. The proper measurement should be between 3/8 and ½ inch (9.5-12.5mm) Adjust pressure up or down accordingly. Re-check your settings after a few rides. The shock seals will break in and the pressure will need to be adjusted. Q. The rear end of my bike has developed some side play. What is causing this and how do I fix it? A. If, over time, the rear end on your frame develops side play, take the following steps to track down the reason: Check your rear hub bearing adjustment and spoke tension first to make sure your rear wheel is not the culprit. Make sure the 4mm Horst-link bolts are tight. Make sure the 5mm shock eyelet bolt is tight (a small amount of play at the shock itself is normal) Re-check the rear end for play. If there is still play move on to step 5. Remove drive side crank arm. Tighten the 8mm pivot bolt at the lower yoke until there is no play in the lower swingarm. Be careful not to over tighten, a 3 inch allen wrench can generate enough torque to adequately tighten the main pivot bolt. Over-tightening may result in crushed bearings. Re-check the rear end for play. If this has not solved the problem, see BEARING REPLACEMENT. Re-install drive side crank arm. Go ride! Q. How often do I need to replace my Horst-link bushings and how do I do it? A. The life of the sealed bearings and Horst pivot bushings on your bike will vary depending on the type of conditions you ride in and the way you ride. You should be able to get two or more years out of your Horst pivots if you disassemble them every 6-12 months to clean and re-lube the bushings. To replace Horst pivot bushings and/or cartridge bearings you will need the following tools: Plastic Mallet Blunt ended punch A vice or press with smooth jaws (not serrated) Q. What if I’m a female who is taller than 5’5”? A. If you’re a female over 5’5”, then the choices and options are even greater. Most of the tips that apply to shorter women still apply to you. You may still have a shorter torso, and longer legs than an equal height male rider and will generally weigh a lot less than your male counterpart as well. However, the need to have a female specific design may not be as important as it is for shorter females. More vertically challenged riders require very small frames with very short top tubes. The short top tube requires adjusted geometry to get the bike to handle correctly. Q. Do you have any owner manuals? A. Currently we only have the Racer X Owners Manual. View it here. Q. What does the warranty cover? A. The warranty covers the original owner for a period of three years for all ALUMINUM frames. Full Carbon Fiber frames are covered for 5 years, and TITANIUM and Titanium/Carbon (i.e. Isogrid/Exogrid) frames are covered for the lifetime of the original owner. SELECTING A FORK: Your Racer X frame is designed to be used with a front fork that has either 80mm or 100mm (3.14 -3.93") of travel. Selecting the proper fork will keep the head angle, seat angle, and bottom bracket height at their intended settings. SETTING SAG/AIR PRESSURE AND SPRING RATE: When setting up your Racer X, it is important to have the suspension compress slightly (sag) when sitting on the bike. Setting the proper amount of sag will allow the bike to follow the terrain better and maintain proper frame angles. The proper sag setting also determines the air pressure or spring rate so that major adjustments will not be required on the trail. Follow the steps outlined below:  Place a zip tie around the shock shaft (your shock may already have an o-ring). Slide the tie or o-ring up to the base of the shock body. Sit on the bike with your full weight on the saddle. Look down and make sure the tie is still against the shock body, and then slowly step off the bike. Measure the distance between the shock body and the zip tie/o-ring. The proper measurement should be between 3/8 and 1/2 inch (9.5-12.5mm). Adjust pressure up or down accordingly. Only use a rear shock specific pump, such as those offered by Fox or Risse. Re-check your settings after a few rides. The shock seals will break in and the pressure will need to be adjusted ADJUSTING REBOUND DAMPING: The air/oil shock on your Racer X has adjustable rebound damping. Rebound damping controls the speed at which the shock returns after an impact. The amount of damping needed will vary, depending on the air pressure you are running. The optimum situation is to have the shock rebound as quickly as possible without bucking you off the saddle or causing the rear wheel to come off the ground. Too much rebound damping will cause the suspension to pack up by not allowing the rear end to return quick enough for the next bump. To properly set the damping, start with the rebound clicker all the way out (counter clockwise). As you ride and get a feel for how the rear end is reacting, you can dial the clicker in (more damping). Adjusting two clicks at a time will make it easier to notice the difference between settings. As a general rule, it will take several rides for the seals and pivots on your frame to fully break in. New seals create more friction and will artificially increase the amount of rebound damping. You may have to make minor adjustments and increase the amount of rebound damping by a click or two as the seals and pivots break in. After you find a comfortable setting, we suggest you write down how many clicks the shock is set at. It will only be a matter of time before an inquisitive friend says, "What does this do?" as he turns your rebound adjuster to some unknown setting. MAINTENANCE AND ADJUSTMENTS: Mountain bikes are amazing products. We know of no other off road racing machine that can put up with the kind of abuse a mountain bike takes with relatively little service. None the less, it has once been said, "if you take care of your equipment, your equipment will take care of you!" This is why your Racer X frame is designed to be easy to adjust and service. We highly suggest that you take the time to check all your equipment before every ride. You will need the following tools: 4, 5, 6 and 8mm allen wrenches 10mm wrench Crank wrench and puller It is very important to check every nut and bolt on your frame after the first couple of rides. Bushings and pivots will break-in and may loosen or develop play. The most important areas to check after the first ride are the 8mm main pivot bolt and the 4mm Horst-Link bolts. The main pivot on your Racer X uses sealed cartridge bearings and should require little or no maintenance. The Horst pivot bushings used on your frame are very durable and do not require constant lubrication. If, over time, the rear end on your frame develops side play, take the following steps to track down the reason: Check your rear hub bearing adjustment and spoke tension first to make sure your rear wheel is not the culprit. Make sure the 4mm Horst-link bolts are tight. Make sure the 5mm shock eyelet bolt is tight (a small amount of play at the shock itself is normal). Re-check the rear end for play. If there is still play move on to step 4. Remove drive side crank arm. Tighten the 8mm pivot bolt at the lower yoke until there is no play in the lower swingarm. Be careful not to over tighten, a 3 inch allen wrench can generate enough torque to adequately tighten the main pivot bolt. Over-tightening may result in crushed bearings. Re-check the rear end for play. If this has not solved the problem, see BEARING REPLACEMENT. Re-install drive side crank arm. Go Ride! BUSHING SERVICE AND REPLACEMENT: The life of the sealed cartridge bearings and Horst pivot bushings on your Racer X frame will vary depending on the type of conditions that you ride in and the way you ride. You should be able to get two or more years out of your Horst pivots if you disassemble them every 6-12 months to clean and re-lube the bushings. We recommend using either Judy ButterTM, Bull Shot, or White BrothersTM fork grease when servicing your bushings. To clean and grease your Horst pivot bushings please use the following steps: Remove your rear wheel. Use a 4mm allen wrench to remove the two Horst-link bolts. Slide the dropouts off of the lower swingarm. Remove the Horst link pivot cylinders from inside the bushings. Clean the bushings and pivot cylinders thoroughly. Do not use a citrus type solvent or degreaser. WD-40 and Windex do an excellent job. Lightly grease the insides and faces of the bushings. Follow steps 1-4 in reverse for re-assembly. Use a generous amount of grease or Anti-Seize (Finish Line Ti-Prep) on the 4mm allen bolts before re-assembly. To replace the Horst pivot bushings and/or cartridge bearings, you will need the following additional tools: Plastic Mallet Blunt ended punch A vice or press with smooth jaws (not serrated) or a short bolt & nut A 3/16 allen wrench If you are already doing a complete overhaul on your bike, it will be easier to completely remove the upper strut from the frame to replace the Horst-link bushings. To remove the upper strut, follow steps 1-24 of COMPLETE OVERHAUL below. If you do not wish to fully disassemble the entire strut, the Horst-link bushings can still be replaced with the help of a friend. Steps 1-18 of SIMPLE MAINTENANCE will walk you through the process. IMPORTANT NOTES: If you do not have a wealth of experience with every aspect of bicycle maintenance and repair, we suggest going to your local shop to have a qualified mechanic replace the bushings/bearings. Bring these instructions with you. When removing the bushings, extreme care must be taken not to damage the surfaces which the bushings press into. Take your time with this project. Chances are good that the bushings will not come out easily. When setting up your new bike, the rear brakes must not extend past the rear brake arch. (I.E Arch Supremes) Brakes that do extend out past the brake brace will damage the frame and the brakes. COMPLETE OVERHAUL: - Remove Swingarm to Replace Horst-link Bushings Remove your rear wheel. Remove rear brake and derailleur cables, rear brake, rear derailleur, and chain. Use an 8mm wrench to remove the cantilever studs and a 3/16 allen wrench to remove the two allen bolts which hold the stiffening brace to the seat stays. Use a 4mm allen wrench to remove the two Horst-link bolts. Slide the dropouts off of the swingarm. Use a 5mm allen and 10mm wrench to remove the front shock bolt which connects the shock to the tabs on the front triangle. Remove the upper strut from the front triangle. Remove the Horst link pivot pins from the dropouts. Insert the blunt ended punch into the bushing housing on the dropout. Line the punch up with the bushing lip. Tap the punch with your mallet. Move to the opposite side of the bushing and repeat step 4. Tap the bushing in the + pattern as shown so that the bushing slides out straight. Continue in the above order until the bushing is fully removed. Repeat steps 9-13 on the opposite bushing. Lightly oil the new bushings before installation. Hold the seat stay bushing housing between the vice jaws. Position the new bushing against the housing, making sure that the bushing is not cocked. Press only one bushing at a time. Slowly close the vice jaws against the bushing face. Make sure that the bushing is going in straight. Continue closing vice jaws until bushing face is flat against bushing housing. Repeat steps 16-20 for opposite bushing. After the bushings have been replaced, lightly grease the insides and faces of the bushings. Follow steps 1-8 in reverse for re-assembly. MAINTENANCE: - Replace Horst-link Bushings Without Removing Swingarm (You'll need a friend) Remove your rear wheel. Use a 4mm allen wrench to remove the two Horst-link bolts. Slide the dropouts off of the lower swingarm. Remove the Horst link pivot cylinders from inside the bushings. Have a friend hold your swingarm steady. Insert the blunt ended punch into the bushing housing on the dropout. Line the punch up with the bushing lip. Tap the punch with your mallet. Move to the opposite side of the bushing and repeat step 7. Tap the bushing in the + pattern shown above so that the bushing slides out straight. Continue in the above order until the bushing is fully removed. Repeat steps 6-12 on the opposite bushing. Lightly oil the new bushings before installation. Position the new bushing against the housing, making sure that the bushing is not cocked. Use a C-clamp, wood clamp, hand held vice or similar tool to press in the new bushing while your friend continues to hold the upper strut steady. Press only one bushing at a time. Slowly close the vice jaws against the bushing face. Make sure that the bushing is going in straight. Repeat steps 14-16 for opposite bushing. After the bushings have been replaced, lightly grease the insides and faces of the bushings. Follow steps 1-4 in reverse for re-assembly. BEARING REPLACEMENT: The main pivot of your Racer-X has been equipped with 4 sealed cartridge bearings that offer a smooth ride and minimal maintenance. Over time, your cartridge bearings may become worn and allow play or cause your rear end to rotate roughly. In this event, we suggest you replace your cartridge bearings according to the following instructions: Remove your rear wheel. Remove the drive side crank arm. Use a 4mm allen wrench to remove the two Horst-link bolts. Slide the dropouts off of the lower swingarm. Remove the 8mm main pivot pin. Be ready to catch the 2 washers as the pin is removed. Remove the lower swingarm from the front triangle. Using blunt ended punch, tap out the far set of bearings in the + pattern shown. Tap the other set of bearings out of the frame, taking care not to scar the inside of the frame. Do not attempt to re-use the bearings you've removed, even if they come out intact. Apply a small amount of grease to the outside edge of the new bearings. Using a vice or press, and a friend to hold your frame still, press in the bearings one at a time. Make sure they go in straight and that you're pressing on both the inner and outer races evenly. Install both bearings on one side of the frame. Re-insert the compression sleeve inside the bearing shell. Press the second set of bearings into the frame. Apply grease to the threads, shaft and head of the 8mm pivot pin. SPECIAL NOTE: If your Racer X has a stainless steel 6mm solid pivot pin instead of an 8mm hollow aluminum pivot pin, it will be necessary to apply blue LoctiteTM to the threads and the head of the main pivot pin instead of grease. Have your friend hold the swingarm up to the front triangle as you align the washer and insert the pin into the drive side of the swingarm.  Align the washer on the non-drive side of the swingarm and slide the pin through. A gentle tap with a rubber mallet may be necessary, but take care not to hammer the threads into the swingarm on the other side. Tighten the 8mm main pivot pin until snug. Be careful not to over tighten, a standard 3 inch allen tool can generate enough torque to adequately tighten the main pivot bolt. Over-tightening may result in crushed bearings. Follow steps 1-4 in reverse for re-assembly. ADDITIONAL WARNINGS AND REGULATIONS: Mountain biking is an inherently dangerous sport. Know your limitations and ride within them. RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK! Night riding is dangerous. Your Racer-X frame is not supplied with any type of reflective or lighting gear. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND RIDING AT NIGHT WITHOUT THE PROPER GEAR. Your Racer X frame is designed for closed course riding only. To make it street legal it is your responsibility to acquire and install the required reflective and lighting gear outlined by your local municipalities and federal government. Your bike should be assembled only by a certified mechanic. Always wear a helmet and full protective gear while riding. Always support your local bike shop. Have Fun!