What is an air fork?
The spring in the fork is provided by compressed air that is sealed in an airtight chamber inside of the fork arm. This part is called the air spring. As the air is compressed, it resists further compression. Air forks are used for all types of mountain biking including trail riding, downhill, cross country, enduro, and freeride.
How do air fork suspension work?
Air forks have a progressive spring rate. This means that the fork becomes harder to compress as it travels throughout its range. At the beginning of the range, the suspension is soft. As the fork is compressed, it becomes exponentially harder to further compress.
Why do bikes have air forks?
It’s easier for bike shops to sell bikes with air forks because they can simply adjust the fork to fit any rider rather than having to carry a bunch of springs and swap them out. It’s easier to fit riders to bikes. Most mountain bikers seem to prefer air forks as well. Due to the progressive spring rate, air forks offer a bit more lively ride.
How do tuning forks work?
How Tuning Forks Work. Every time you strike a tuning fork, you're setting off a tiny, invisible hurricane. Thrashing back and forth at tremendous speeds, the two prongs of the fork, known as "tines," are smashing against nearby air molecules, kicking off a chain of impacts that echo through the air.
What are Kayaba air forks called?
Why has the WP AER fork succeeded where Showa and Kayaba failed?
What air forks did Yamaha use in 1976?
Why did the 1976 Kayaba air fork fail?
How long did the air fork craze last?
Why haven't they revolted against the KTM and Husky air forks?
When did the air fork craze end?
See 2 more
How do air forks reduce travel?
Typically, an air fork achieves travel decrease/increase with the addition/removal of spacers on the air spring assembly, respectively. This effectively will reduce the air chamber size (travel decrease, spacer added) or increase the air chamber size (travel increase, spacer removed).
Are air forks good?
Air forks are best suited to cross country and all mountain disciplines of mountain biking, where maximum travel is not required, unlike in downhill mountain biking. Air forks work on a progressive spring rate, which translates to a stiffer suspension fork with less travel, the more pressure is applied to it.
Are air forks better than coil?
The air-spring shock may rule the market for its lighter weight, ease of setup, and infinite adjustability, but that doesn't mean a coil-over is inferior. For many riders, it may be the better-performing, more reliable, and more enjoyable shock to ride.
Do air forks lose air over time?
ALL AIR FORKS CAN LEAK AIR, WHICH MEANS THEY CAN COLLAPSE That depends on the fork's design. If the fork relies on air pressure in an outer chamber (which puts pressure on the fork seal), then yes, it is possible for a damaged fork seal and/or chrome slider to lead to a partially or fully collapsed fork.
Do air forks need oil?
Rather than do what's required with conventional forks (that is, bottom the fork out and then carefully measure oil heights), all you need to know with the AER is that there's 200ml of oil in each leg. Pus the oil contained within the WP air fork's outer chamber is purely for lubrication.
Can you convert coil forks to air?
So, going back to the original question of whether you can change from coil to air: for the vast majority of suspension brands that we're familiar with, the simple answer is no… sorry. With the exception of the Ohlins RXF 36 coil, where the air spring is enclosed within a separate cartridge inside the fork leg.
Which is better air or spring suspension?
The conclusion: Air-ride suspension is not superior to spring ride. Not only are air-ride suspensions more expensive to purchase and maintain, which could translate to inflated expense to the shipper, but more importantly, they do not guarantee superior ride quality.
What makes a bike Poppy?
The rider. The rider is what makes a bike "poppy and playful."
Is Air Ride good for performance?
Air suspension provides a duality – comfort and performance at the flick of a switch, with the ability to raise and lower at will – whereas coil spring suspension is static – providing fixed ride height that may result in superior performance, but at the compromise of practicality and daily usability.
How do you pump air forks?
0:321:35How to use a shock pump for MTB air suspension fork - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipFirst you need to unscrew the red dial. So that does not press down the pin for the schrader. Valve.MoreFirst you need to unscrew the red dial. So that does not press down the pin for the schrader. Valve. Then unscrew the silver dial. Then you can disconnect the pump.
What year did KTM go to air forks?
20172017 – Worldwide, KTM's MX (and four-stroke cross-country) models were fitted with WP's 48mm AER air-sprung fork.
How often should I shock pump?
Similar to tyre pressure, air sprung suspension pressures can diminish over time, so it's best to give your forks and shocks a re-visit every 25-35 hours of ride time.
What year did KTM go to air forks?
20172017 – Worldwide, KTM's MX (and four-stroke cross-country) models were fitted with WP's 48mm AER air-sprung fork.
How do air forks work on a dirt bike?
(1) Air forks. Instead of a spring, compressed air is used to support the weight of the bike and rider on air forks. The benefit of this technology is that it weighs 3 pounds less than traditional spring forks, plus it's easier and cheaper to adjust for riders with different skill levels and weights.
How do I set up my KTM air forks?
0:374:23HOW TO - Set up the KTM WP Air Fork - Mike Sleeter - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo deep in the front and the back's. Kicking. My first recommendation to you is to add some forkMoreSo deep in the front and the back's. Kicking. My first recommendation to you is to add some fork pressure right so add some air in the forks to get the front end up. Right.
What size are KTM forks?
The 43mm fork is still in use today in the KTM and Husqvarna 85SX plus the Freerides.
What are Kayaba air forks called?
The two air canisters resembled the instrument cluster of a street bike, leading to the Kayaba air forks being called “speedo & tach” forks . The design of the accumulators was incredibly inventive. The canisters were empty, save for a floating piston and two Schrader valves on each canister (one below a floating piston and one above it).
Why has the WP AER fork succeeded where Showa and Kayaba failed?
So why has the WP AER fork succeeded where Showa and Kayaba failed? That’s easy. WP kept its air fork simple. PSF and TAC air forks were too complicated for the average rider to adjust and too hard to keep in the sweet spot once properly adjusted. Consumers hated having to check multiple air valves every time they rode—and they revolted.
What air forks did Yamaha use in 1976?
Speedo and tach forks on a 1976 Yamaha YZ400 at Saddleback—with some youngster in the saddle. Air forks are nothing new in motocross, as the 1976 Yamaha’s 35mm Kayaba air forks prove. The most visually unique aspect of the 41-year-old air forks was the air accumulators that replaced the fork caps.
Why did the 1976 Kayaba air fork fail?
While the 1976 Kayaba air fork was innovative, the forks were doomed to failure because their valving was atrocious and, as riders soon found out, they topped out on the rebound stroke. They clanked on the way back to full extension.
How long did the air fork craze last?
Voila—inexpensive air forks! But, the air-fork craze only lasted from 1976 to 1977 and then died.
Why haven't they revolted against the KTM and Husky air forks?
Why haven’t they revolted against the KTM and Husky air forks? Because the WP forks only have a single air valve. Basically, WP just replaced the coil springs with air pressure. They didn’t ask the air to do anything else, because the much-needed balance chamber was self-adjusting. It turns out that when it comes to Schrader valves, three is way too many, two is still too many but one is just right. Goldilocks would approve.
When did the air fork craze end?
But, the air-fork craze only lasted from 1976 to 1977 and then died. All was quiet on the air-suspension front until 2013 when both Kawasaki and Honda made Kayaba PSF air forks OEM equipment on the CRF450 and KX450F.
How much does it cost to pump up a dirt bike air fork?
AIR FORKS ALL REQUIRE SPECIFIC PUMPS, WHICH CAN COST A BOMB. Well, a $10 bicycle pump can be used to pump up any dirt bike air fork. But if you want to accurately check air pressures and minimise pressure loss when you fit and remove the pump, then the investment in a quality pump is money well spent.
What happens if an AER fork leaks?
In other words, if an AER fork does have a fork-seal leak, it will not lose any air pressure. If the AER fork’s internal cartridge were to fail, the pressure will equalise on either side of the piston and hold the fork halfway down in its compression stroke.
How much oil does a WP air fork have?
Rather than do what’s required with conventional forks (that is, bottom the fork out and then carefully measure oil heights), all you need to know with the AER is that there’s 200ml of oil in each leg. Pus the oil contained within the WP air fork’s outer chamber is purely for lubrication. In other words, you no longer have to change the oil height (and air volume, as a result) to generate better bottoming resistance. The air chamber is already there in the fork’s design (which is adjustable), and air offers incredibly progressive resistance. It’s a simple but effective design, whose performance and adjustability has been very well received in Europe for the past year (remember that the KTM MX models sold in Europe have run the WP AER air fork for 12 months now).
How much does a WP fork weigh?
WP’s complete AER fork (including the brake calliper mount) weighs 7160g, compared with 8650g for WP’s new Xplor 48mm coil-sprung fork (which, itself, is between 300g and 600g lighter than its 4CS and open-cartridge predecessors, respectively). The significance of saving somewhere in the vicinity of 1.5kg depends who you’re speaking to. For elite race teams and Pro racers, that’s a huge saving that might otherwise cost them countless thousands of development dollars to achieve. Plus, at the high-performance end of the spectrum, saving unsprung weight is the Holy Grail. On the other hand, for an adventurous trailrider whose bike runs an oversize fuel tank and massive bashplate, saving a kilo or two is neither here nor there.
Do air forks increase air pressure?
Modern-day air forks experience a negligible increase in air pressure, even when ridden hard in hot weather, and/or on tracks with large jumps and deep bumps. With the WP AER fork, most owners report that there’s a warm-up factor involved. In other words, once they’ve set their air pressure after an initial ride, it varies very little during a day’s riding. That mirrored what we found during our test sessions – both on trail and enduro loops and MX tracks.
Does the WP air fork have air chambers?
So, bearing this in mind, WP’s AER fork was intentionally designed with simplicity of adjustment as a primary goal. It only has one air chamber (in one fork leg). As Transmoto surmised after their 2015 450cc MX Bike Shootout (when the Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki all arrived with all-new air forks), “Adjustability is a great thing, but only if users understand how each of those adjustments – made in isolation, and in conjunction with each other – will affect the suspension’s ride. Air suspension is here to stay, but if riders and technicians want to stop chasing their tails, it’s inevitable that the manufacturers dumb down the adjustment options in the years to come.”
Can air leaks on air forks?
If the fork relies on air pressure in an outer chamber (which puts pressure on the fork seal), then yes, it is possible for a damaged fork seal and/or chrome slider to lead to a partially or fully collapsed fork.
Why do air forks work?
Due to the progressive spring rate, air forks offer a bit more lively ride. The bike wants to pop and bounce. This makes it easier to lift the bike off the ground. It also makes the bike feel a bit more supportive while landing. The lively ride characteristics make air forks a great choice for those who like to jump, hop, and ride rolling terrain.
What is an Air Fork?
Air forks use the compression resistance of pressurized air for shock absorption. The spring in the fork is provided by compressed air that is sealed in an airtight chamber inside of the fork arm. This part is called the air spring. As the air is compressed, it resists further compression. Air forks are used for all types of mountain biking including trail riding, downhill, cross country, enduro, and freeride.
Why do air forks heat up?
In addition, air forks create a bit more heat due to friction from the tight seals. While this heat doesn’t affect performance, it may speed up the degradation of the seals and fork oil. For these reasons, air forks require more frequent maintenance than coil forks.
How to adjust air fork spring rate?
You simply attach the pump to a Schrader valve on the fork and add or remove air. You also adjust the fork preload and sag by changing the pressure. There are no preload dials like you would find on a coil fork.
What does it mean when an air fork is compressed?
Air forks have a progressive spring rate. This means that the fork becomes harder to compress as it travels throughout its range. At the beginning of the range, the suspension is soft. As the fork is compressed, it becomes exponentially harder to further compress.
Why are air forks lighter than coil forks?
For cycling, a pound is a pretty significant weight savings. Air forks are lighter because the spring is provided by air, which weighs nothing. Coil forks, on the other hand, have heavy steel coil springs. The lighter weight at the front of the bike makes the steering feel faster and more responsive.
How much force does it take to compress a mountain bike fork?
The total amount of distance that the fork can compress is called the travel. This typically ranges anywhere from 80-200mm depending on the type of mountain bike.
How does a tuning fork make sound?
The way a tuning fork's vibrations interact with the surrounding air is what causes sound to form. When a tuning fork's tines are moving away from one another, it pushes surrounding air molecules together, forming small, high-pressure areas known as compressions.
What happens when you hit a tuning fork?
By hitting a tuning fork, you're causing its tines to vibrate back and forth several hundred times per second. Often, the vibrations are so fast that they're not visible to the human eye.
What material is used to adjust the pitch of a tuning fork?
You can also adjust the pitch of a tuning fork by making it out of different materials. Dense metals like copper and steel vibrate with a crisp, high pitch. Soft metals like brass have a low, dull pitch. Really soft metals like tin, gold and lead, meanwhile, won't make any noise at all. Due to cost considerations, however, most modern tuning forks are made out of stainless steel.
How fast does a tuning fork vibrate?
For instance, for a tuning fork to mimic the top key on a piano, it needs to vibrate at 4,000 Hz. To mimic the lowest key, on the other hand, it would only need to vibrate at 28 Hz.
Where is the largest tuning fork in the world?
The largest tuning fork in the world, by the way, is a 45-foot (13.7-meter) sculpture in Berkeley, Calif. [source: City of Berkeley ].
What happens when the tines snap back toward each other?
When the tines snap back toward each other, they suck surrounding air molecules apart, forming small, low-pressure areas known as rarefactions. The result is a steady collection of rarefactions and compressions that, together, form a sound wave.
How do you change the fork oil and fork seals?
Every motorcycle varies in how it’s put together. But generally, the process for changing the fork oil and seals is like this:
What does motorcycle fork oil do?
The job of motorcycle fork oil is to make the motorcycle stop bouncing around after the spring compresses then rebounds.
What is the best fork oil to use?
Check your manual for your fork oil. It varies between motorcycles. You have to know a) what fork oil to use and b) how much to use.
What causes fork seals to fail?
This is something I discovered when changing my own fork oil and seals. The primary reason fork seals can fail is pitted forks.
What do you need to change fork oil?
Before starting your fork oil change, there are some tools and consumables you should get.
What is the difference between a motorcycle fork and an upside down fork?
The main difference between conventional motorcycle forks and upside-down forks is in “unsprung mass”. The unsprung mass is the word used to describe the weight of everything under the suspension spring — i.e. the wheels, brakes, tyres, and the bottom half of the suspension fork.
What is a fork on a motorcycle?
The “fork” is the suspension at the front of a motorcycle. In nearly every motorcycle available today, the front wheel is held on by an axle that’s connected to the fork. It’s called a fork because it has two prongs that go around each side of the wheel. Where the forks of a motorcycle are.
How do air purifiers work?
Air purifiers sanitize the air, getting rid of pollutants, allergens, and toxins; they're different from air filters, which only remove them from circulation . But how do air purifiers actually work?
How effective are homemade air purifiers?
These homemade air purifiers work in the same way as manufactured devices, and are fairly effective, with The New York Times and Los Angeles Times both having made and tested their own versions. Research from the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore considered different filter materials for their DIY air purifiers, including HEPA filters, surgical masks and melt-blown polypropylene. They found each material was around 80% effective at filtering particles and aerosols.
Do air purifiers filter out airborne particles?
They're effective at filtering out most polluting particles, although some are likely to still remain on soft and hard surfaces like furniture or walls. The particular airborne particles that get pulled out of the air depend on the type of air purifier and filter used.
Can you use a box fan as an air purifier?
However, box fans aren't designed for this purpose, and their motor has to work much harder to pull air through a filter, so these homemade air purifiers present an increased fire risk and should be used with caution.
Would a DIY air purifier work?
But what if you can't get hold of an air purifier? Could you make your own? Actually yes; all you need is a box fan and a HEPA or high-quality filter. There are two types of air purifier you could make: the first uses a fan and one filter, while the second, which is a bit more complex to construct, uses a double filter set up over the fan.
What is the advantage of air springs on a mountain bike?
Air springs are more and more common on mountain bikes, from entry level to top end. The advantage with air springs is their light weight and tune-ability. With a shock pump, you can set the air spring resistance to exactly what you’re looking for on the fly. Air spring volume, which further changes the kinematics of the shock, can be adjusted on some models. The downside is that in some cases, they don’t (generally speaking) provide quite the sensitivity and performance of coil springs. Recent technology is closing this gap quickly.
What does compression damping do on a bike?
The total resistance force is still being provided by the spring, but compression damping controls the rate at which your suspension will compress. Think of it this way: if you put a triceratops on the saddle of your bike, the amount of compression will be the same, no matter what settings are being used, but the time it takes to get there will change. On trail, this means that compression damping settings control how much travel you will use in any given situation and can make the suspension feel softer or firmer without adjusting the spring rate.
Can a mountain bike shock bottom out?
A well-tuned mountain bike fork or shock will bottom out here and there on a ride, but it should never have that “dropped a t-bone steak on the counter” harsh feeling. It may even go completely unnoticed and bottom out control can be a big part of that.
Do air springs have a linear rate?
Air springs naturally have progressive spring rate, meaning that the amount of resistance growth isn’t linear. The resistance ramps up as it drives further into the stroke providing a natural bottom out resistance (Imagine the increasing resistance as you pump up a tire). This can be accentuated by reducing the volume of the air chamber, which can be adjusted on some higher-end suspension.
Do mountain bikes have bottom out control?
Lastly, in rear suspension, some bottom out control may be built into the bike. Some mountain bike suspension designs adjust their leverage ratio throughout the travel to make for cushy bottom out. Don’t worry about this too much as its integrated into the frame design and isn’t adjustable.
What is The Working Principle of AirTag and Where Can It be Used?
AirTags make tracking easy because they can always connect to your iPhone and you’ll find out real-time information about where they are. This tracker has unbeatable durability, the scale of the network, portable size, and is sold at an affordable price.
How to Find Your AirTag When Attached to Items?
Finding the AirTag is relatively simple. All you have to do is open ” Find My App” on your apple device to immediately locate the tracker. If you are nearby and still can’t find your tracker, it’s possible to play a sound on it from your phone. If you use an iPhone 11 or 12, you can simplify your search with Precision Finding. This mode will give you exact details (distance and direction) on the location of your object and give you on-screen guides till you find it.
How to use AirTag?
It can help you track items, as long as you can find a way to attach the tag to it. To use it, all you need to do is connect the AirTag to your account, attach it to the object in question, and finally use Find My App to track the object.
What are Kayaba air forks called?
The two air canisters resembled the instrument cluster of a street bike, leading to the Kayaba air forks being called “speedo & tach” forks . The design of the accumulators was incredibly inventive. The canisters were empty, save for a floating piston and two Schrader valves on each canister (one below a floating piston and one above it).
Why has the WP AER fork succeeded where Showa and Kayaba failed?
So why has the WP AER fork succeeded where Showa and Kayaba failed? That’s easy. WP kept its air fork simple. PSF and TAC air forks were too complicated for the average rider to adjust and too hard to keep in the sweet spot once properly adjusted. Consumers hated having to check multiple air valves every time they rode—and they revolted.
What air forks did Yamaha use in 1976?
Speedo and tach forks on a 1976 Yamaha YZ400 at Saddleback—with some youngster in the saddle. Air forks are nothing new in motocross, as the 1976 Yamaha’s 35mm Kayaba air forks prove. The most visually unique aspect of the 41-year-old air forks was the air accumulators that replaced the fork caps.
Why did the 1976 Kayaba air fork fail?
While the 1976 Kayaba air fork was innovative, the forks were doomed to failure because their valving was atrocious and, as riders soon found out, they topped out on the rebound stroke. They clanked on the way back to full extension.
How long did the air fork craze last?
Voila—inexpensive air forks! But, the air-fork craze only lasted from 1976 to 1977 and then died.
Why haven't they revolted against the KTM and Husky air forks?
Why haven’t they revolted against the KTM and Husky air forks? Because the WP forks only have a single air valve. Basically, WP just replaced the coil springs with air pressure. They didn’t ask the air to do anything else, because the much-needed balance chamber was self-adjusting. It turns out that when it comes to Schrader valves, three is way too many, two is still too many but one is just right. Goldilocks would approve.
When did the air fork craze end?
But, the air-fork craze only lasted from 1976 to 1977 and then died. All was quiet on the air-suspension front until 2013 when both Kawasaki and Honda made Kayaba PSF air forks OEM equipment on the CRF450 and KX450F.
