We’re continuing our deep dive on suspension technology with EXT’s Franco Fratton, and this week, it’s all about dampers: how they’re built, how they work, how EXT goes about designing them, and more. And along the way, we debunk some common misconceptions about damper performance and design, too.
TOPICS & TIMES:
- How a damper is built (3:13)
- Orifice dampers (10:03)
- Oil displacement (16:33)
- Damper consistency (21:33)
- Hysteresis (30:48)
- Choosing targets for damper design (33:11)
- Critical damping (38:16)
- Rebound vs. compression damping rates (42:36)
- Mountain bikes vs. other off-road vehicles (47:31)
- Heat & dampers (53:46)
- “Living inside a damper” (1:05:14)
- Valve design (1:07:13)
- Shims vs. poppet valves vs. spool valves (1:14:11)