Make It Yours: Sharjah Jonsson’s 4-step bike setup process

To help you make it yours, we’ve asked Sharjah Jonsson to run you through his method of setting up a bike over a season, relying on a four-step process: protection, baseline setup, testing changes, and comparing changes.

Protection

‘The first thing I do with a new bike is to add protection to aid against wear and tear. No one likes their motorcycle scratched when it could have been avoided.’

The best practice would be to check where your previous bike was damaged and apply protective guards in the same areas on your new bike, ensuring it does not happen again.

‘My wear areas are usually my chainstays, seat stays, down tube, top tube, and the bottoms of my cranks,’ Sharjah says. ‘By protecting these areas with PRO’s Frame Guard Set, Chainstay Protector and Crank Protector, I keep my bike looking fresh, keeping the resale value high when it's time for a change.’

Baseline setup

The next step is to make a baseline measurement for future reference, Sharjah explains.

‘I log all my settings in the notepad on my phone, with the date, so that when I change something, I have the previous settings close to hand in case I don’t like the change. If that turns out to be the case, I can resort back to the original setting or test something slightly different.’

‘A great tool to use is the measure app. It provides insights that I use to check my lever and saddle angles. The PRO Tharsis 3Five cockpit has markings on the handlebar and stem, making tracking your bar roll simple. Similarly, the PRO saddles have measurements on the saddles’ rails, allowing for a straightforward recording of their positioning in the seat post clamp.’

Testing changes

Once the baseline settings are recorded, it’s time to get comfortable on your bike.

‘After a few rides, I start to test new setup settings, such as my bar roll, stack height, lever angles, saddle angle, and saddle position. After changing the setup settings, I move on to component settings such as handlebar width, handlebar rise, stem length and saddle width.’

Choosing the right saddle is easier than ever, thanks to PRO’s Saddle Selector tool. A bonus of recording your bike settings is that it makes rebuilds easier – when making alterations to fit a bike bag, after traveling, or when you crash and have to realign twisted components, for instance.

Comparing changes

After trying the new settings, it is essential to compare them. Pro tip: don’t change too much at once, or it will be hard to notice anything in particular.

‘With your logged setup data, you can now analyze what you like or don’t like. If you have worked with a bike fitter, you should try their recommended settings and log them, but you should also listen to your body and how you react to those settings on the bike.’

‘Remember, there is no ‘perfect setup. Every rider is different in size, riding style and personal preferences. Plus, your setup may change with your fitness or flexibility. Your bike, your settings; hopefully, this advice makes it easier to make it yours.’

About Sharjah

Sharjah Jonsson is a South African mountain bike racer and PRO Community Rider. He likes to keep things exciting and has turned his hand to Downhill, Enduro and 4X when the opportunities arise. Currently, he lives and rides in Europe.