Suspension tuning: How to get your suspension fork and shock absorber ready for winter

Markus Klausmann has not only won 15 German downhill championship titles in the course of his career. During his active time, he has also gained enormous experience in the field of mountain bike suspension. He now runs his own suspension service, Klausmann Suspension. We wanted to know why the performance of suspension forks and shocks deteriorates so much in winter and what can be done about it. The good news: with just a few simple tips, you can significantly improve the response behaviour in winter.

BIKE: The response behaviour of suspension elements deteriorates in cold weather. At what temperature do you notice the change?

Marcus Klausmann: This usually starts quite early. When I was active, it was always said that testing below ten degrees was rubbish because the negative effects of the cold are already clearly noticeable. From five degrees and below, you notice a huge drop in the performance of the suspension elements.

What exactly stops working?

Ultimately, the seals in particular harden. This means they become tougher, are no longer as elastic and as a result the entire chassis runs a little more slowly. You will certainly also notice this in the viscosity of the oil. It becomes more viscous and no longer flows as well. However, this is not really a problem up to five degrees. This is mainly because heat is generated during the journey due to the movement and the oil automatically reaches a slightly higher operating temperature. This may take four or five minutes and then the oil is warm enough. Simply try it out in warmer temperatures. After a long descent, touch the shock absorber with your hand and you will realise: Oh, it's really warm. It's the same with the fork, of course.

So you can save yourself the trouble of changing to a thinner oil in winter?

I would advise against this anyway. Each suspension element has its own specification as to what oil viscosity it needs. If the oil is too thin, this can lead to problems with the shock in particular, as the platform or the lockout may no longer be as strong. This raises the question of what is more important to me, the lockout or the performance. That's why I don't really think much of changing to a thinner oil. The same applies to the fork. You can do that, but it's not necessarily effective.

Does this mean that the real problem is with the seals?

Exactly. The seals simply become harder. In general, the newer the seals are, the better they will work through the winter. Of course, the lubricant is also important. There are also different brands that are designed for specific temperature ranges. High-quality lubricants also work at low temperatures. It's all about improving the details.

Then it would probably be a good idea to carry out the service before winter.

In any case. You should have a service done once a year anyway. For frequent drivers, it would even make sense to do it twice. Because new seals are fitted here, which then run more smoothly through the winter. Of course, dust and dirt will have accumulated over the summer and the more this accumulates, the more the seals will be stressed. You may even scratch the suspension elements and, in the worst case, have to replace the stanchions.

Are you asked to change to a different oil during servicing?

Rather less. It really is a very specialised topic. Of course the questions come up, 'why does my fork work so badly in winter? I also ask: at what temperatures are you travelling? When the answer comes back that it's minus four degrees, you have to say quite clearly that it's just normal. The oil gets tough, the tyres get tough and then it just doesn't run properly. Unfortunately, you have to accept that.

And there is no solution to this?

What you can do here is experiment with the settings. As a rule, the current suspension systems all have rebound and compression adjustment. If you open the compression stage by two or three clicks and perhaps also open the rebound stage a little, then there is immediately a little more oil flow and the suspension works better again, even in the cold. I personally do the same. It's not ideal, but it's definitely better. In spring, of course, you must not forget to slow down the suspension again. Otherwise you will have the problem in the other direction and too much oil will flow.

What else should you look out for in the chassis in winter?

It is crucial to keep the suspension elements clean in winter. To a certain extent, it is quite normal for a small ring of grease to form on the fork or shock. There is always a certain amount of lubricant in the lower leg and this gradually works its way out when riding. This is not a bad thing. It is only important that you go back after the tour and carefully remove the lubricating film and accumulated dirt.

I also like to use some oil spray without additives and spray the stanchions with it. I then give the suspension a couple of good springings and then dry it off properly and the suspension works really smoothly again. I've been doing this for ages and have never had any problems with it. Many people say: For God's sake, don't put any oil there. Sure, it attracts dust. But if you dry it off or clean it properly after washing, it's not a problem. On the other hand, it keeps the rubber supple and you have good response behaviour in the long term.