TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction....................................................................pg.4 Basic Terms & Shock Set-up Overview........................pg.6 General Maintenance.....................................................pg.9 Coil Shock Set-up...........................................................pg.10 Setting and adjusting sag................................pg.11 Suspension Settings Faith.................................................................pg.13-14 DH....................................................................pg.14-15 AC.....................................................................pg.15-16 Warp DS/MTX 260 ............................................pg.17-18 Air Shock Set-up............................................................pg.19 Setting and adjusting sag................................pg.20 Suspension Settings Trance..............................................................pg.20 Reign................................................................pg.20 NRS..................................................................pg.21 Setting and Adjusting Rebound Damping.....................pg.22 Front Suspension Travel & Sag Guide..........................pg.24 Suggested Front Suspension Sag Chart.........pg.26 Giant Bicycle Limited Lifetime Warranty.....................pg.27 Contact Info....................................................................pg.30 INTRODUCTION This booklet is intended as a quick-start reference guide to help familiarize you with your new Giant full-suspension mountain bike. It is not meant to replace the general bicycle owner's manual or the shock and suspension fork manufacturer's technical manuals that also came with your bicycle. If you did not receive these manuals, please contact your Authorized Giant Retailer. We encourage you to read all manuals relating to your bicycle and its suspension components before your first ride. All manuals contain important information regarding the safety and operation of your bicycle. CAUTION Please refer to the manufacturer's technical information that came with your bicycle for specific details regarding shock function and set-up prior to riding your Giant bicycle. If you did not receive these technical booklets, contact your Authorized Giant Retailer. CAUTION If you do not understand the quick-start instructions or have difficulty with set-up, please see your Authorized Giant Retailer before riding your Giant bicycle. 4 WARNING Only Giant DH, Faith, and AC model bicycles are engineered for use with dual crown suspension forks. Use of dual crown suspension forks on any Giant bicycle other than these models will void the warranty and may result in frame failure, which can cause injury or death. Giant Bicycle, Inc. is not responsible for damages to the bike and rider resulting from the use of dual crown forks. 5 Basic Terms & Shock Set-Up Overview TERMS Bottomed Out: When a shock absorber or suspension fork (herein after referred to as "shock") is compressed completely and all the suspension travel has been used. Compression Stroke: The motion of the shock in response to an impact. Damping: Internal mechanism to control the speed of compression or rebound. psi: Pounds per square inch Rebound: The extension or return stroke of the shock. Sag: Compression of the shock caused by the rider's weight. Spring Rate: The amount of force required to compress the spring. Topped Out: When all the suspension travel is available (shock is fully extended). SET-UP Please refer to the individual shock manufacturer's technical manuals for specific information on how to adjust the shocks on your Giant dual suspension bicycle. 6 The shocks on your Giant dual suspension bicycle can be adjusted to meet your riding style and weight. This booklet is intended as a quick-start guide to help you get started. It may take a few rides to find your preferred settings. Platform Valve On bikes equipped with a Stable Platform Valve (SPV) rear shock, you can adjust the bike's pedaling efficiency by increasing the air pressure in the SPV air cartridge. Increasing the air pressure will resist pedal-induced bobbing. Decreasing the air pressure will make the suspension more sensitive to small bump forces. Please refer to the individual shock manufacturer's technical manual for specific information on how to adjust your SPV shock. Sag All Giant dual suspension bikes except the No Resonance System (NRS) rely on sag for their suspensions to work efficiently. Please take a few moments to read through this guide to understand sag as it applies to your bicycle (pgs. 11, 20). Setting your bike's sag will greatly enhance your riding experience and the performance of your bicycle. 7 Rebound Damping Rebound damping controls the rate of speed at which the shock returns to its original position after responding to a bump force. Rebound damping prevents the shock from springing back too quickly. This is desirable because it improves the rear suspension's sensitivity to small bumps and the tire's ability to stay in contact with the ground. It also helps reduce the "pogo stick" motion from the rear suspension when the bike encounters a bump while the rider is seated. Typically, the heavier the rider, the more rebound damping is required. Please refer to this guide for details on how to set rebound damping speed. You should also refer to the individual shock manufacturer's technical manual for specific information. 8 GENERAL MAINTENANCE 1) Inspect all suspension bolts and tighten if necessary to required torque settings. If unsure, take your bicycle to your Authorized Giant Retailer immediately for inspection. 2) Do not use high-pressure water sources to wash or rinse your bicycle. Doing so can displace any lubricants that are present, as well as possibly forcing water and/or contaminants into the bearing that can harm the pivot and bearing, reduce performance, and cause premature wear. Use only water at low pressure, or fill a bucket with water and use a soft nylon bristle brush and mild dish soap to clean the frame and components. 9 COIL SHOCK SET-UP Faith Downhill (DH) All Conditions (AC) Warp DS MTX 260 DS All coil shock-equipped Giant bicycles use the same formula to determine "sag" and "rebound damping" (see Basic Terms & Shock Set-Up Overview for definition of sag and rebound damping). WARNING Please refer to the manufacturer's technical information for specific details regarding shock function and set-up prior to riding your Giant bicycle. If you have difficulty with set-up, please see your Authorized Giant Retailer. 10 SETTING AND ADJUSTING SAG (coil shocks) 1. Turn the spring's tension collar counter clockwise until there is minimal tension on the spring (figure 1). 2. With a felt-tip marker, place a dot on the edge of the collar so you can measure full rotations of the shock collar. Spring tension collar 11 3. With no load on the bike, measure the distance between the two fixing bolts (eye-to-eye distance) at the top and bottom of the shock (figure 2). 4. Position your bicycle next to a wall so that you can sit on the bike with both feet on the pedals while steadying yourself with one arm. Gently sit on the saddle without bouncing. Have a partner measure the eye-to-eye distance while the rider is seated on the bike (figure 3). Dismount gently. 5. Subtract the weighted eye-to-eye distance from the unweighted eye-to-eye distance to determine sag. See Sag Recommendations charts for sag distances. For your convenience, compressed shock measurements have been provided. 6. For general purpose riding, the shock should compress approximately one quarter of its travel. Turn the shock's tension collar clockwise to increase spring tension/decrease shock sag. 7. If you sit on the bike with minimal tension on the spring and there is less than one quarter shock travel, a lighter weight spring is needed. If you turn the shock tension collar three turns and the shock compresses more than a quarter of the shock's travel, a heavier spring is needed. Consult your Authorized Giant Retailer for replacement springs. 12 CAUTION Never tighten the spring tension collar past three turns from minimum tension as doing so can cause damage to the spring and internal workings of the shock. Suspension Settings and Recommendations (coil shock-equipped bikes) Faith with MaestroTM (8" rear suspension travel) Giant's Maestro rear suspension design precisely positions the pivots and linkages to give you efficient pedaling and small bump compliance. Maestro's pivot placement allows the rear suspension to be completely active under braking, allowing the rear wheel to react constantly to the terrain. Maestro-equipped mountain bikes rely on rear suspension "sag". Sag (see Basic Terms & Shock Set-Up Overview on page 6) is a critical performance component and is relative to the individual rider's weight. See previous sag setting instructions on page 11 for details. Faith's frame design and travel is intended for aggressive freeriding and recreational/competitive downhill riding. The sag range can accommodate a wide variety of riding styles and terrain. 13 Faith Sag Recommendations: EYE-TO-EYE 8.75" (222mm) SAG Freeriding: .69" (17.5mm) Downhill: .83" (21.0mm) COMPRESSED SHOCK LENGTH 8.1" (204.5mm) 7.9" (201.0mm) DH (8.25" rear suspension travel) The Giant DH is a downhill-specific bicycle made for both recreational and competitive downhill riding and extreme freeriding. The multi-tunable shock can be almost infinitely adjusted for all types of terrain and riding styles. See previous sag setting instructions on page 11 for details. Please refer to the Sag Recommendations chart on page 15 to set up your Giant DH bicycle. For Manitou 6-Way coil shock tuning set-up (high-speed and low speed compression damping, SPV pressure and volume), please refer to shock manufacturer's technical manual. NOTE: These settings must be made prior to standard sag and rebound damping settings. 14 DH Sag Recommendations: EYE-TO-EYE 9" (229mm) SAG Freeriding: .69" (17.5mm) Downhill: .83" (21.0mm) COMPRESSED SHOCK LENGTH 8.3" (211.5mm) 8.2" (208.0mm) AC (5.3" and 6.3" rear suspension travel) Your AC bicycle is a versatile all-conditions bike that can take you up and down any trail on the mountain. The dual-position shock mount gives you the ability to change the travel from 5.3" to 6.3" with a single bolt. This is accomplished with two positions of the upper shock pivot bolt (figure 4). 15 To Change the AC's Travel: 1. Using a 6mm Allen wrench, remove the upper shock mounting bolt. 2. Pivot the shock backward or forward to align the eyelet with one of the two holes. The forward most position is 5.3" travel and the rear position is 6.3" travel. 3. Install the bolt and tighten to the proper torque of 100-120 Kgf/cm (86-95 in.-lbs.). 4. After any adjustment is made to travel, readjust sag/spring tension and damping. See previous sag setting instructions on page 11 for details. Please refer to the Sag Recommendations chart below to set up your Giant AC bicycle. AC Sag Recommendations: EYE-TO-EYE 7.5" (190mm) SAG Downhill: (6.3"): .69" (17.5mm) COMPRESSED SHOCK LENGTH 6.8" (172.5mm) Freeriding (5.3"): .49" (12.5mm) 7.0" (177.5mm) 16 WARP DS/MTX 260 DS The Warp DS and MTX 260 DS are great all-purpose dual suspension cross country mountain bikes that can also take on the urban landscape with equal agility. Their single-pivot swingarms are strong and efficient with minimal moving parts for durability. The Warp DS offers four or five inches of adjustable rear wheel travel that works equally well on climbs and descents. Please follow the guidelines below in setting up your Warp DS or MTX 260 DS. To Change Warp DS Travel (See figure 5): 1. Using a 5mm Allen wrench, remove the rear shock mounting bolt (rear position attached to swingarm). 2. Pivot the shock up or down to align the eyelet with one of the two holes. The upper position is 4" travel and the lower position is 5" travel (figure 5). 3. Install the bolt and tighten to the proper torque of 90-110 Kgf/cm. (78-95 in-lbs.). 17 4. After any adjustment is made to travel, readjust sag/spring tension setting. See previous sag setting instructions on page 11 for details. Please refer to the Sag Recommendations chart below to set up your Giant Warp bicycle. Warp DS Sag Recommendations: EYE-TO-EYE 7.5" (190mm) SAG XC/urban (4"): .49" (12.5mm) Aggressive XC (5"): .69" (17.5mm) MTX 260 DS Sag Recommendation: EYE-TO-EYE 5.5" (140mm) SAG XC/urban: .30" (7.3mm) COMPRESSED SHOCK LENGTH 5.2" (132.8mm) COMPRESSED SHOCK LENGTH 7.0" (177.5mm) 6.8" (172.5mm) 18 AIR SHOCK SET-UP Trance Reign No Resonance System (NRS) Giant mountain bikes equipped with air shocks utilize two different styles of rear suspension designs. The Maestro-equipped Trance and Reign rely on sag (see page 13 for details on Maestro), while our No Resonance System-equipped NRS bikes use a "no sag" set-up. 19 ...