M i c C u l l e n wrote:
G'day all.

As per my other posts, I'm looking to get a bike to ride to work.

I've been told various stories regarding front suspension, the most
believable being that the cheap ones simply add weight, and the more
expensive ones are OK.

Having ridden an Avanti Blade Sport today and suffering this arvo
(possibly) as a result, I'm even more inclined to buy something a bit
softer.

Out of curiosity (now I've read the rest of your followups, and
the neck injury), what does your physio say? Most bike riding
positions will load your neck up, unless you're pretty-much
bolt upright. A light weight helmet may make things easier
for you, and obviously as upright a position as possible. You may
also benefit from a suspension seatpost - as you become more upright,
you can't flex your back as much to absorb bumps, so a suspension
seatpost may make a measurable difference - maybe more than suspension
forks, depending on the ratio of your weight that's being carried
from arms to arse.



About the most expensive I can run to is an 05 Innova ($700), unless
someone can convince me a Revive or something else is REALLY worth the
extra :-)

A $700 hybrid will be one very flash bit of kit.