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.

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 :-)

Anyway, the question is - for street riding, almost all on bitumen, is
it
worth getting a bike with suspension of the quality level of the
Innova,
which runs a "SR Suntour Magnesium 1 1/8th ahead" fork, or is that
just
kidding myself?

TIA.

--

cheers, mic (yes, the email address works)


Hi,

Depends a lot on what you mean by 'suffering' as to whether suspension
would help. Is it just hands or is the whole body? If it's the whole
body then it's probably just a matter of getting used to the bike and
the regular riding, and suspension wouldn't make much of a difference
to that. If it's hands and arms, then the advice about gloves and such
is relevant, but suspension could make a difference. One ride on a new
bike is probably too short to work out what's causing what problem, if
you know what I mean.

I've commuted with and without suspension (currently without). I'd
agree that it's not necessary on bitumen, but if you're finding that
the potholes and kerbs on your route do shatter you a bit (I know when
I took off my suspension forks and put on a *very* rigid set of forks
it took me a while to adjust) then a simple set of forks might help
take the sting out, which can help you feel better/fresher and thus
enhance your ride. When I commuted on a dual suspension bike (it was
all I had at the time) I'll admit it was overkill, but geez, was it
cushy and smooth...

Suntour forks are mid-low range forks, and I don't know that much about
them. Be aware that they will add a chunk of weight and require regular
maintenance to keep them performing well and not becoming a liability.
I doubt you'd need a Revive... Ideally I reckon it would be great to
find something with a set of air-sprung forks - Lightweight, simple,
and you can tune them to your body weight and firm them up as much as
you like for the bitumen ride. But that might be hard to find in your
price range.

Or you could experiment with some other options. Bigger/fatter/softer
front tyre. Bigger softer grips. Something with riser bars and a more
relaxed posture. Or find a suspension stem somewhere (do they still
sell those??).


--
eddiec