suspension or not?
- Thread starter dynoram
- Start date
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calibanzwei
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Warrington
On a mountain bike, on a mountain - acceptable. On anything else, what's the point?
Herzog
Swinglish Mountain Goat
- Location
- Bern, Switzerland
TonyEnjoyD
Guru
- Location
- Newcastle upon Tyne
I found hardtails (front suspensions) much better than no suspension - takes the pounding out of the wrists
Boris Bajic
Guest
Front suspension?
For road use, it's heavy, takes the edge off the steering and compresses under braking - making the process floaty and indirect even with heavy pre-load. I wouldn't bother - and if you have lock-out, I'd use it when on roads or on smooth singletrack.
Off-road, it transforms the experience for the better and makes it possible to ride harder, longer. I was an anti-suspension Luddite for years, but the whole off-road experience is better with wrists that still work after 10 miles. I still occasionally go off-road with rigid forks, but I am probably certifiable.
Rear suspension? It's not for me. I do see very good riders riding very fast with full-suss, but I'm not at their level. When I see an average or struggling rider with a full-suss set-up, I find myself wondering whether they wouldn't have been better off saving the weight and cost on a hardtail.
For road use, it's heavy, takes the edge off the steering and compresses under braking - making the process floaty and indirect even with heavy pre-load. I wouldn't bother - and if you have lock-out, I'd use it when on roads or on smooth singletrack.
Off-road, it transforms the experience for the better and makes it possible to ride harder, longer. I was an anti-suspension Luddite for years, but the whole off-road experience is better with wrists that still work after 10 miles. I still occasionally go off-road with rigid forks, but I am probably certifiable.
Rear suspension? It's not for me. I do see very good riders riding very fast with full-suss, but I'm not at their level. When I see an average or struggling rider with a full-suss set-up, I find myself wondering whether they wouldn't have been better off saving the weight and cost on a hardtail.
Peteaud
Veteran
- Location
- South Somerset
On road - dont bother
Rough tracks, some towpaths and cycle paths, takes the blows out of the wrists.
I normally ride with it locked out, however, a few sections of my normal route, Its great.
Rough tracks, some towpaths and cycle paths, takes the blows out of the wrists.
I normally ride with it locked out, however, a few sections of my normal route, Its great.
Globalti
Legendary Member
Last month I sold my Rebas on Ebay and now my mountain bike has a rigid carbon fork. The bike is titanium, which is also a very smooth riding material. Consequently I hardly miss the suspension except on big hits like steps or brick-sized rocks. The rest of the time I enjoy the light weight and at the end of a long mountain day with several thousand feet of climbing I have a heck of a lot more left in the tank that the guys on big heavy FS rigs.
lulubel
Über Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
As others have said, it depends on the surface. If all my on-road riding was on the kind of "roads" that were around my old house - a mess of holes and patches of tarmac and concrete from various bad repair jobs over the years - I'd probably get a hybrid with suspension.
For road riding, even on roads that are quite potholed, as long as you can usually avoid the worst of it, they're not necessary, and just make it harder and slower.
For riding on tracks up (and particularly down) mountains - in my view - absolutely necessary. But the tracks where I live are hard packed with lots and lots of stones, both embedded in the surface and loose, so you'd be shaken to bits without suspension forks. Rear suspension would probably help with comfort going downhill too, but I'm not going to pay extra money for something that adds weight and makes climbing harder, so my knees and ankles have to do the job there!
For road riding, even on roads that are quite potholed, as long as you can usually avoid the worst of it, they're not necessary, and just make it harder and slower.
For riding on tracks up (and particularly down) mountains - in my view - absolutely necessary. But the tracks where I live are hard packed with lots and lots of stones, both embedded in the surface and loose, so you'd be shaken to bits without suspension forks. Rear suspension would probably help with comfort going downhill too, but I'm not going to pay extra money for something that adds weight and makes climbing harder, so my knees and ankles have to do the job there!
Recycler
Well-Known Member
When I got my hybrid I got one with front suspension because I wanted to see what it was like., but I made sure that I got it with "lock out" (turn a lever and it locks the suspension so that there is very little movement)
I have the suspension locked nearly all the time now and for roads and the majority of towpaths I see little real need for it. If you go over a bumpy stretch you can stand on the pedals....your knees are far better shock absorbers and it saves your bum!
I think the answer to your question is; get suspension if your riding needs it otherwise don't bother. It just adds weight, makes things more complicated, gives more to maintain, and wastes energy.
I have the suspension locked nearly all the time now and for roads and the majority of towpaths I see little real need for it. If you go over a bumpy stretch you can stand on the pedals....your knees are far better shock absorbers and it saves your bum!
I think the answer to your question is; get suspension if your riding needs it otherwise don't bother. It just adds weight, makes things more complicated, gives more to maintain, and wastes energy.
MattHB
Proud Daddy
- Location
- Deepest darkest Dorset
No! It's damned heavy and pointless unless you're hurtling down a rocky path.
I recently changed my suspension forks for lockout suspension. Its made some difference to my ride on tarmac and roads as I'm no longer wasting some of my pedaling energy into the suspension. I do use the suspension on uneven ground as over time (all day) on off road my wrists start to hurt.
In a previous life when I used a FSMTB I found the front and rear suspension excellent for keeping the bike wheels on the trail at speed.
They do add significant weight though so if my cycling were all road I may choose a lighter non-suspension fork.
I'm not sure how light the very expensive forks are, if you can justify the expense.
In a previous life when I used a FSMTB I found the front and rear suspension excellent for keeping the bike wheels on the trail at speed.
They do add significant weight though so if my cycling were all road I may choose a lighter non-suspension fork.
I'm not sure how light the very expensive forks are, if you can justify the expense.
derrick
The Glue that binds us together.
- Location
- On the edge of London
If you want full sus go for it, i use a full sus mtb for commuting done thousands of miles on it over the years, the extra weight gives you a better workout.
Cal44
Well-Known Member
As you can see from my avatar I have a front suspension hybrid, I hardly notice the weight difference that some people talk about but my previous bike was a full steel MTB. I use the suspension most of the time but lock it out on the climbs as it makes quite a difference there. It is comfier on the bumpy roads around here as I have been experimenting recently with locking it out on the local roads and leaving the shocks "On". Considering I play other sports as well as cycling I feel I am reasonably fit so I welcome any extra workout that the sus forks may give me....within reason of course....if on a distance ride I would lockout most of the way.