FAQ

Will System 2 work on any bike?

System 2 will work on any air fork with a single centered Schrader valve. For any DH fork that is less than 210mm of stroke range, just purchase the DH mount which replaces the upper Enduro Tracer flexure. Spring enduro forks and other novel designs are not supported but could be with custom mounting brackets (not provided by Motion Instruments).

For the rear sensor, the rotational magnetic sensor was designed to fit links that have the bearings in the link. With this configuration, the bolt securing the link is static while the link rotates relative to the fixed bolt. When the bearing is pressed into the frame, the relative motion of the bolt to link is fixed and we can’t detect motion. Also, the max diameter we can fit is 34mm.

If your bike is not supported, we have provided CAD .step files for you to use. If you want to design your own paddle to fit your frame, go for it. You can print your own parts from your own models based on our CAD. We also have paddle extensions at various lengths. This may help you extend the paddle onto your frame. We have done this on several bikes.

Our system won’t fit Yeti and Ibis links. Ibis uses a bushing in the frame. Yeti has their bearings embedded in the frame so the bolt stays fixed with the link. For Yeti, a custom paddle would allow the system to function.

Is System 2 waterproof?

Yes, System 2 is IP67 compliant which means it can be submerged in 2 meters of water for 30 minutes. You should take care to remove any water from the USB port prior to charging. If not, you will build up corrosion on the connector pads and prematurely wear the system out.

How should I wash the system?

You should wash the system after really muddy/wet sessions. Take off the sensor and wash them under warm water under a faucet. Clean all the debris from the sensor. Wipe to dry. Make sure the USB port is dry. If you have compressed air, blow out the USB port. For the Fork Tracer Wiper (lower mount), wash and rinse the inside slot. Blow out with compressed air and re-install on the fork. You will have to recalibrate on your next ride. For the rear sensor, unscrew the 2.5mm hex bolt and remove the sensor. Wipe the magnetic base with a paper towel and reapply grease. Do the same for the cavity of the sensor. Ensure there is no dirt inside. You can wipe clean with rubbing alcohol but do not submerge in alcohol for any extended period of time.

If my bike is not supported, can I get help?

Yes, send us an email at support@motioninstruments.com. We’ll take a look at your bike and try to give you suggestions. We know we won’t be able to support every bike in the market, but we’re happy to help any way we can.

Are classic Motion Instruments sensors still supported?

Yes, we have inventory of old parts and will support your systems. Send an email to support@motioninstruments.com.

Are you still selling and supporting the moto system?

Yes but these will be custom order only and will not be on our website.

What if my bike is not supported in MotionIQ with the System 2 rear sensor?

We recommend you use generic soft tail. This will get you 95% of the way to set up your bike. If you want your bike supported, we ask that you send an email to your bike’s support line and get this curve from their engineering department. This is a bit more work than a simple leverage ratio they are used to giving out. We need a relative angle displacement curve for the specific link you are attaching relative to the rear axle vertical motion. Keep in mind we have received curves from manufacturers and they were wrong when we measured ourselves. We recommend you just use generic soft tail and go through the calibration technique guided by the app.

Best practice on mounting rear sensor?

Yes, wipe clean the pivot bolt and link with alcohol. Let it dry prior to installation. Stick on the mounting base first. Before sticking on the paddle, try to visualize the sensor through a full rotation (bottom out). Better yet, let the air out of your shock and then you can see exactly where the link will end rotation. You don’t want to get a full bottom out and then yank out the cable.

How do I calibrate a coil shock?

Remove the shock, then remove the spring from the damper. Install the damper on the bike. When calibrating, make sure to pull the rear wheel so the damper tops out. When calibrating for full compression, sit on the bike and fully compress the damper. You must have the damper in the bike during calibration because the mechanical range of the bike linkage likely exceeds the range of motion when the damper is installed.

Do I have to record with the phone in my pocket?

iOS Apple Watch: No if you have an apple watch. Just install MotionIQ on the watch. Once you set up your bike with the app, the bike details will be sent to the watch. Leave the phone behind. With your watch, you can open the app and shake the bike to see the sensors connect. Then hit record and go ride. All the data will stream to the watch in real time. When your watch is finished recording, iOS will sync the data between all devices when data services are available.
iOS Phone only: yes
Android: yes

Now I have data, great… How do I use it to tune my bike?

Well, we want you to read the manual as it will give you insight into the graphs and underlying meaning. The graphs are not hard once you understand the concepts. Give it a shot. Our procedure is as follows:

Start with your recommendations from your bike manufacturer for settings and sag. We should all start here.
After you’re warmed up and have gone down some of your burner trails, take a look at dynamic sag. This is where things become subjective: Pro EWS/DH riders will have a low dynamic sag on fork (5-12%) but this may be too stiff for you. 15-30% is typical for fork, 22-40% is typical for shock. If you’re more aggressive, shoot for a lower number until it feels too stiff.
Next look at max rebound speed. Anything over 2000 mm/s is aggressive (Expert/Pro). Mortals are between 1200-1800 mm/s. If you are more aggressive, shoot for the highest number you can handle. Wheels on the ground mean you can stop and corner. If you are packing (really slow rebound), your wheels may be slowly going back toward earth, meanwhile you may have blown that corner because you couldn’t slow down. Experiment. There is no one size fits all. That’s why we give you data and let you decide.
Compression: Pros will have really high compression speeds. 4500 mm/s and up to >7000 mm/s. You may be in the 2000 - 3000 mm/s range. Open it up (fastest possible) then start to close it down to find where you are using your travel but not blowing through it. Pay attention to your max position. If it’s past 90%, you may need to add damping to compression to hold the bike up.
Balance. Our observation with balance is it’s easy to balance compression. Rebound, the fork will always be faster than the rear because the shock has to physically lift the rider as well as get the wheels back on the ground. Typically, there is a lot more weight on the rear of the bike vs. front. Try to get the balance, but don’t stress. Sometimes you’ll only get 25% to the Front of the bike.

The data is a feedback mechanism. It’s not the holy grail. Over time you will understand your bike and how you like it to ride. You will quantify that feeling with data. This is no different than training with a power meter and a heart rate monitor. Your MotionIQ data is just a Fit file for your bike.

What do I get with the PRO subscription?

You can find the differences between the app subscriptions here: MotionIQ App

What is the difference between dynamic sag and average position?

Dynamic sag shows your average position while the bike is moving, whereas average position is calculated over the entire recording.

How do I filter the results just for the downhill section?

You can use the pin editor and navigate to the elevation view. Place a pin at the top of your run and one at the bottom. Now that you have 2 pins, you can filter just the results between the pins. This is recommended as climbing and flat riding data will pollute some of the histograms (position, etc).

Do I need a paid Strava subscription?

No. We provide a workflow to connect MotionIQ to.

How accurate is the System 2 Rear Tracer?

Quite Accurate and Repeatable. The sensor is magnetically actuated and is considered absolute and repeatable. The resolution is 14 bits, or 16,384 discrete positions over 360 degrees. So even if you have only 15 degrees of resolution on a cross country bike, you will still be able to measure movement down to 0.2mm (example: 100mm rear axle movement). For DH bikes with at least 45 degrees of movement, you will get down to ~0.015 mm of movement. It is important that the sensor is mounted on a solid VHB cured base with blue loctite holding the sensor to the paddle. This sensor will provide very accurate measurements.