Clicker basics - compression, rebound, and how to test a change

Clickers fine-tune DAMPING - how fast the suspension is allowed to move. They do not change how stiff the spring is. Sag and spring rate first; clickers after.

The two directions

• Compression controls energy absorption when the wheel moves UP (hits, landings, braking dive). More compression damping (clicks IN / fewer clicks out) means more support, harsher on small bumps. Less means plusher, more movement.
• Rebound controls how fast the wheel returns DOWN after compressing. Too little rebound damping means pogoing, unsettled chassis. Too much means "packing": the suspension cannot recover between bumps and rides lower and harsher each hit.

LAISA counts clicks out from fully closed (the OEM-manual convention): turn the adjuster gently fully clockwise (closed), then count clicks out.

Reading the live factor logic (why LAISA suggests what it does)

• Rough / rocky / technical / slippery -> clicks OUT (compliance means grip).
• Fast layouts / jumps / hard braking / higher skill -> clicks IN (support beats plushness at speed and on big hits).
• Heavier rider -> slightly more damping overall (the correctly stiffer spring stores more energy).

How to test one change

1. Change ONE adjuster, 2 clicks at a time (1 on track-bike forks).
2. Ride the same section 2-3 laps; judge one question only: better or worse?
3. Keep notes per change (LAISA's setup journal / sessions exist exactly for this).
4. Lost? Return to the baseline (the saved setup) and restart. Never chase two problems at once.
5. If you run out of clicker range to fix a problem, the problem is spring rate, oil height, or worn components - not more clicks.

Safety framing: starting points, never guarantees - verify on the bike, change one thing at a time.

Packing vs kicking - reading rebound

First, remember the click direction: more damping means FEWER clicks out (firmer compression, slower rebound), less damping means more clicks out. Compression is HOLD-UP - it keeps the bike up in its travel. Low-speed compression handles rider inputs, braking, squat and weight transfer; high-speed compression handles hard hits, square edges, g-outs and landings. Rebound is the RETURN speed - how fast the wheel comes back after it has compressed.

Rebound has two failure modes, and they feel opposite

• PACKING points to rebound that is too SLOW. After a set of bumps the suspension stays low, cannot recover between hits, and gets harsher and lower each bump - it loses traction because the wheel is not extending back into the ground. Fix: speed the rebound up, which means MORE clicks out.
• KICKING points to rebound that is too FAST. The rear jumps up and feels loose or nervous; the front deflects and skips off bumps instead of tracking. Fix: slow the rebound down, which means FEWER clicks out.

So the diagnostic pair is simple: stays low and harsh after repeated bumps -> rebound too slow -> open it up (more clicks out); jumps, loose, or deflecting -> rebound too fast -> close it down (fewer clicks out). Change one direction at a time and re-ride the same section.