When we first had EXT founder Franco Fratton on Bikes & Big Ideas back in Ep. 110, we had plenty to cover with just the story of his long and remarkable career in suspension design and didn’t delve too far into the technical side of things. But Franco is an incredible wealth of knowledge when it comes to suspension design, so we’ve got him back on the show to share a whole bunch of that knowledge, in part one of a multi-episode series with Franco. So strap in, you’re going to learn some stuff in this one.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Dampers vs. Shock Absorbers (2:21)
• Sprung vs. unsprung mass (8:12)
• Coil springs & the need for dampers (9:32)
• History of damper design (10:04)
• Adjustability vs. damper quality (22:01)
• Orifice dampers (23:55)
• Valve types (28:36)
• High- vs. low-speed adjusters (30:15)
• Range of adjustments (36:22)
• Damping “knee” (42:20)
• Twin tube vs. monotube dampers (47:28)
• Damper design philosophy (59:58)

RELATED LINKS:

• Franco Fratton (Ep.110)
• Introducing: CRAFTED
• Introducing: Open Mic
• Become a Blister Member
• Blister Labs
• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Blister Mountain Bike Buyer’s Guide

OUR OTHER PODCASTS

• Off The Couch
• GEAR:30
• Blister Podcast
• CRAFTED

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