Cheat sheet
Spring rate & ride frequency
The spring label is only the starting point. Wheel rate = spring rate × motion ratio², then sprung corner mass turns wheel rate into ride frequency. This sheet uses spring travel divided by wheel travel for motion ratio.
| Motion ratio | Rate reaching wheel | Wheel rate | Ride frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 | 100% | 70.0 N/mm | 2.43 Hz |
| 0.90 | 81% | 56.7 N/mm | 2.19 Hz |
| 0.80 | 64% | 44.8 N/mm | 1.94 Hz |
| 0.70 | 49% | 34.3 N/mm | 1.70 Hz |
| 0.60 | 36% | 25.2 N/mm | 1.46 Hz |
Every wheel-rate and frequency result above is produced by the live spring-rate calculator. Because the ratio is squared, a 0.70 installation delivers only 49% of the spring label at the wheel.
| Frequency | Typical use | Read it as |
|---|---|---|
| Below 1.0 Hz | very soft / comfort-biased | large body movement; travel matters |
| 1.0–1.5 Hz | road | composed, with useful compliance |
| 1.5–2.0 Hz | fast road / dual purpose | responsive; clear ride trade-off |
| 2.0–2.5 Hz | smooth-circuit track | busy on broken surfaces |
| Above 2.5 Hz | race / aero | specialist platform control |
Comparison ranges, not prescriptions. Dampers, tyres, bump stops, travel, road surface and aero load decide whether a target works. Many road setups place the rear roughly 5–15% above the front for flat ride.