How do you loosen the shocks on a hardtail ... so its not so stiff?

Question

Well i'm pretty new to bikes and all that and I heard you turn the nob ... by the preload but i just want to make my front shocks not as stiff

Answer 1

A hardtail doesn't have shocks because it has no rear suspension.

Are you talking about the front forks?

Answer 2

This is a bit long but should answer your question....

It depends on what kind of bike you have and what shock you have... some shocks- especially those that seem really stiff and "springy"- aren't adjustable at all. So, if you bike was less than, say, $350 it is likely that the shock is not adjustable. You'll have to live with it.

The next step of shock generally has a preload adjustment. This allows you to adjust the amount of "sag" the fork has when you are on the bike and allows better continued contact with the ground.

Then comes a fork with preload and lockout. This allows you to lock the suspension out for riding on smooth surfaces.

Now there are models with preload, lockout, and rebound adjustments. Rebound is the speed with which the fork returns to it's original position. If this is set too fast for the rider it can indeed be a pretty harsh ride.

Here comes the hard part... the way these adjustments are made vary by the type of shock. For example, air shocks generally use air pressure (a pump) for adjusting preload and rebound while oil filled models use a combination of oil weights, elastomers, and spring rate.

Lastly, virtually every bike on the market that has some value to it and has front or full suspension are set up from the factory for people 140 to 170 pounds. Lighter people will often experience suspension that has little or no sensitivity while heavier riders will tend to bottom out.