Test: Works Suspension Re-valve
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First, a note about my philosophy on suspension: I've never been a re-valve guy. I've owned and ridden a lot of bikes with re-valves from different companies, but for the majority of my own bikes, I've been happy to use the more accessible tools of suspension tuning: adjustments in spring rate, preload, oil height and the clickers.
And I was all set to use those tools on my 2008 CRF450, which I felt was a little soft for my tastes, when Greg Chapel of Work Suspension offered to re-valve both the forks and shocks so I could write a review on his work. Curious what this might do to my suspension ideology, I described my problem to Greg and delivered the forks and shock to his shop in Sparks.
Once they were done, I met Greg at the track so he could evaluate how they were working. I met Greg at Mustang for my Ride Day (this was back in April) and we set the sag at his specs and I went riding. Things were going fine, until I had a slight lapse in judgment and tried a new combination through a rhythm section.
Three months later when my femur had mended, I met Greg at the track again so we could resume our work (incidentally, Greg's suspension wasn't the cause of my crash at Mustang. The cause was me totally coming up short on the jump, which was peaked and close to yet another jump. No suspension was going to help me with that situation.)
But while my initial impressions of the re-valve, which I made while riding Mustang on a fairly smooth day, were positive, I found that the bike was lacking in compliance when I got on a rougher track littered with small bumps. I called Greg and he was back with me at the track in no time to assess my problem.
With a few clicker and sag adjustments, Greg improved the suspension tenfold, but still said he'd like to alter the valving one more time to ensure I'd have enough room in my adjustments to handle any situation. After a one-day trip to Greg's shop for my forks and shock, I put them back on and went out with high hopes.
Bingo! The valving was correct this time, and after a little dialing, I found my happy medium: enough dampening to keep my forks and shock from riding too low (and thus too harshly) through medium-sized hits, and enough compliance to keep my wheels on the ground (and my wrists from being pounded to pieces) on small stuff. I was happy.
But while I am very happy with the action of my bike's suspension now, maybe the best part of my experience with Greg was his helpfulness. Unlike a faraway suspension company, Greg was able to come with me to the track and directly observe what my suspension needed, which made the dialing-in process much, much easier.
Better yet, Greg's expertise with suspension was evident in every adjustment he made. There are a lot of quacks in the suspension world, but Greg is not one of them. When he made a change, he was able to explain what he was doing and why, and better yet: I could feel why he made the change too, because he always seemed to take me in the right direction.
So if you're having suspension issues and would prefer to work with a knowledgeable technician who works ten minutes away rather than ten hours, Works Suspension is an excellent choice. Still, don't forget to be careful on peaky rhythm sections when you get your stuff back, because when you make a bad call on those, there's not a suspension guy on this planet who can guarantee your safety. Trust me on that one.
Rating (out of 10): 8.5 While we had to discard the first set of valving settings, Greg was always helpful and knowledgeable, and that, combined with the quality of the final product, left me with a positive impression of Works Suspension's services.
Price: Re-valving for both front and rear starts at $400, with additional costs for springs if needed.
Contact: Greg Chapel at 690-4109 or visit http://www.works-suspension.com/
