[Chemx]

Hi all. First time poster here, as well as first time rider. I'm a 30 y/o 165 lb rider, 5' 4".

The CRF150RB was suggested to me for my stature, and I got a 2017 for a great price. The bike feels super comfortable in terms of geometry. Now, since I'm learning to ride on this bike, I haven't jumped anything, just bumming around on trails and through some clumpy grass meadows. I've been telling to read as much as possible about my bike so I can learn to maintain it and make sure it's set correctly for me, personally.

From what I've read, I think I might need to change out my rear spring?

Can someone help a new rider/wannabe tinkerer out? Should I look into changing anything in terms of my suspension since I'm heavier than the ideal weight for this bike?

Thanks in advance!

[JimDirt]

Welcome to the site !!

the spring rate for the bike is fairly close for your weight surprisingly , you should be able to keep the fork springs , but you will need to up the shock spring from the stock 5.0 to a 6.5 , then set your sag to about 95mm and you should be good to go ....

[Chemx]

Welcome to the site !!

the spring rate for the bike is fairly close for your weight surprisingly , you should be able to keep the fork springs , but you will need to up the shock spring from the stock 5.0 to a 6.5 , then set your sag to about 95mm and you should be good to go ....

Jim, thanks so much!

For future reference (and also so I can learn)...

I did use the Race Tech website tool to try to figure out the spring to use. My bike is really a CRF150RB expert, but there isn't a 2017 option for it. I switched to the CRF150R and used that. (I assume this doesn't make a huge difference) Putting in all the inputs into the online tool, it came up with 90 mm sag and what is closest to 6.01 kg, which matches the 6.5 kg you recommended. So all good there. Now is 5mm a huge difference? Physically, looking at a ruler or tape measure, it is not. Just want to make sure.

Also, I noticed on the forum many prefer the BBR springs if you're a heavier rider. Is a BBR spring something I should consider?

I've seen some of your other replies to other suspension posts/questions. I appreciate all you're doing to help the newbies out!

[JimDirt]

I am a Race Tech user myself , I like what they offer and I like the fact that I can buy shims or any parts from them so I can do my suspension myself ... The only real difference from the 150R and RB is the swingarm is a bit longer on the RB and wheels are bigger , other than that it is basically the same bike , so specs would be the same , the reason I said 95 was because you were just trail riding/putting , so the bit more sag will help with comfort and not really take away from handling any , the 90 will make the bike a little nose heavy which would make it a slight bit twitchier (the stinkbug effect you often hear about , nose down rear high , which places more weight on the front which affects handling) , since I figured you just wanted to ride around and get comfortable on the bike , 95 would make it a little more forgiving ... and is still within specs ....

Once you gain more riding experience and get more aggressive with riding , you can raise the sag and work on cornering , etc. , but realistically , anywhere between 90-95 is fine , its all about what works or feels the best for you , go ahead and experiment , it won't hurt anything , and will give you a idea what the difference does , I find when track riding that some tracks work with more and/or less sag because of the type of dirt , corner shape , and how aggressive I am riding that track , for trail riding , I tend to prefer comfort and stability over handling preciseness , so I tend to run more sag , I vary (on a 450) between 100mm and 110mm , depending on where I am riding ... I am almost 60 (in Aug) , so for me comfort/plushness is a major factor in my ability to ride , especially when on a GP or MX track , the rougher the track , the more comfort I require , especially with a crushed , bone on bone left wrist , I have very limited left hand movement , so I feel every little hit , so suspension is critical for me , if I am to continue riding , especially MX , then I need to know what the bike does and why and how to make it work better , which is why I am so passionate about suspension , especially since I am riding a 17 year old bike with inferior suspension compared to current model bikes , so knowing what suspension does and how it affects the bike , is more important than most riders realize .............

Anyway , I tend to ramble as you may have noticed reading some of my posts (more like being anal about details and info) , on a side note , when I weighed 215 I still used the stock (5.5) shock spring on my 450X but used a 0.52 fork spring (which is how the bike still is set up and I bounce between 190-195 for weight right now) , but its about comfort for me on the trails , not handling , I also use a Kouba Link to lower the bike for trails so I can touch the ground (32 leg , so not easy to touch the ground in sketchy situations) , it does need to handle well enough to be safe , but I do not need preciseness to trail ride , as I won't be railing corners or berms with a 285 lbs bike , my R is sprung with a 0.48 fork springs and a 5.8 shock spring , I run that setup from 190-210 lbs , even though I only need a 0.47/5.7 for my weight , but the way I valved the suspension , I use the springs to hold up the bike in the stroke (which is how it should be done) and I revalved for comfort/handling , I use a 03 linkage to raise the rear , to help with cornering , and everyone that rides my R with the stiffer springs , remarks how comfortable it is compared to theirs with softer springs , but also how well it still handles ......... , sometimes stiffer is softer .........just some info you might use ...or not ....

The BBR springs are fine , just keep within the rate for your weight and you will be fine ...... I am far from a suspension expert , I know enough to get by with and hopefully help others along the way ... and I always am trying to learn more , as there is lots to learn ...

[Aussiecrf230]

I like to run a bit extra sag at the rear so the rear wheel can drop that bit further into holes/ruts to maintain traction. I don't do much air time or do big landings either.