[bemlyn]

hi,

I just bought a Trek 4300 Disc Mountain Bike 2010

do i need to do anything to the front forks?like ste them up?

it has red thing on the top right that spins around it has a lock on it,
on the left side it has a black thing with preload on it.

Whats does preload mean in suspension? what is the red thing for?

Thanks,
Emlyn.

[Grape Ape]

The red part is the suspension lockout. You turn it to lock the suspension out making it a solid front fork. It can help when climbing hills by removing the flex as you pedal. The preload part will have to be left to someone with more knowledge than me.

[hophead]

What fork do you have? The Trek website is not very clear on this. In the specs they show a Spinner 300 and the photo is of an RST.
Trek Bikes | Bikes | Mountain Hardtail | 4300

Anyway, a suspension fork can have as many as five different adjustments or settings:

-Rebound
-Compression
-Lock out
-Travel
-Preload

The way these adjustments are done depends on the type of fork. Some low end forks have no adjustments and some more expensive forks have all of the adjustments listed above. Also, there are several different ways that a fork provides damping. Some use springs, some air, and others elastomers.

Here's the short answer for each setting:

Compression is the speed at which the fork reacts to bumps or irregularities in the terrain and moves from it's fully extended position to fully compressed position.

Rebound adjusts the speed at which the fork returns to it's extended position.

Preload adjusts sag. When you sit on th bike, a portion of the stanchions (the rods that extend down from the crown) will compress into the lowers. The preload adjustment will increase or decrease that distance. Check your owner's manual on this one because the sag setting will vary. If you don't have a manual, start around 25%. So if you have a 100mm fork, set preload so 75mm of your travel is available.

Lock out Grape already covered.

Travel is just that. How far the fork is allowed to travel up and down. Some forks are adjustable from say 100mm to 120mm to 140mm for instance. Others are not adjustable at all.

Hope this helps.

[bemlyn]

The forks are RST gila tnl hydraulic lockout?

[hophead]

Originally Posted by bemlyn

The forks are RST gila tnl hydraulic lockout?

I can't find any info on this fork at all. The Trek website is useless and RST doesn't seem to have a website.

Generally, new bikes come with separate manuals for the fork and rear shock if equipped. If you did not get a manual for your fork, contact the selling dealer and have them get one for you.

[Sickmont]

I have an 09 Trek 4300 disc. The so-called "manual" for the fork is just a folded piece of paper thats very ambiguous. And yes, i fully intend to replace the fork soon with something much better.

[guywhomaybuyatrek]

I understand this is a dead horse now.. but I was looking into Trek.. I am in korea and I thought the Koreans were trying to get one over on me.. I looked and say they had RST shocks in the photos.. but then when i looked at the bike
it had Spinner 300's... I then thought that Spinners might be a cheap shock. The lady at bike shop didnt help because she originally said "American version have RockShox and we put these because they are cheaper..etc." Anyway doing research maybe the first batch of 2010's treks had them but the supplier ran out.. and then they went to Spinner 300's because they still have the same 100mm travel.. ..

now after reading this I am not so worried.. Since i orig thought RST meant rockshox

Anyway I will now resume my quest for a 4300. RST

I think this post will help anyone else with the same or similar problem as me...
'
thanks


Bob

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[CTD50]

You're just as well off staying with the Spinner fork; Spinner is a smaller brand, but quality, and there might be some OEM/entry level fork in their lineup that I'm unaware of. RST is pretty much bottom-feeder, basic stuff. I'm a little surprised to hear about a lockout knob on one, they're that low on the food chain. I've seen a couple Wal-Mart bikes with RST forks!

The good thing is, regardless of which fork you end up with, if it turns sour on you, replacement forks are fairly cheap from the right supplier. Last year, I bought a 100mm fork from Chain Reaction Cycles for right around a hundred bucks. Put it on my brother's bike, and he's happy.