|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
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) |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
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. For street riding it aint worth having suspension at all in my opinion. Dave |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
Dave Wrote: For street riding it aint worth having suspension at all in my opinion. Wear bike gloves, the palm padding makes a big difference. Padding on the bars, Fi'zi'k bar gel or similar, helps too. Suspension just means more work, so you hurt more! -- aeek |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
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 |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
On Tue, 27 Sep 2005 08:48:01 +1000, eddiec wrote:
Depends a lot on what you mean by 'suffering' Sorry, for got to add to this post that I've got a pretty stuffed neck (C3-C4) from a motorbike accident a few years ago. Jarring it around doesn't do it much good :-) as to whether suspension would help. Is it just hands or is the whole body? If it's the whole Mostly just the neck. 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. Yeah, exactly. As I said in another post, just getting used to being back on a bike on the road will take some getting used to. 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... And hard work :-) 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. Yeah :-( 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??). Would putting a taller stem and different bars on the Avanti Sport be a viable idea (I liked the bike) or would it screw up the geometry? -- cheers, mic (yes, the email address works) |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
Would putting a taller stem and different bars on the Avanti Sport be a
viable idea (I liked the bike) or would it screw up the geometry? Sure you should try putting a taller stem. And then widest tires Avanti can take. Suspension is for cross-country. I had a Trek MTB with suspension, and it always hurt after 3-4 hours riding. Now I have an older than me drop bars roady with a tall(ish) stem and it doesn't hurt after 5-6 hours. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
M i c C u l l e n Wrote: 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... And hard work :-) Funnily enough, it wasn't really all that much harder! It was a fairly lightweight (no heavier than my old commuter i now use), firmly sprung slick-shod duallie which served me well for a couple of years of bitumen-commuting. Some wasted effort no doubt, but not as much as it could have been. 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??). Would putting a taller stem and different bars on the Avanti Sport be a viable idea (I liked the bike) or would it screw up the geometry? My gut reaction says that should be ok... If it makes you more comfortable, then by all means do so. You could even get one of those adjustable stems if you want to experiment a bit with your position, at the expense of a bit more weight. Then once you've worked out what's right you can replace it with a fixed stem... Since it's your neck that's the problem, I'd probably say that position and fit are more important than suspension, given that your arms and legs give your far more potential shock-absorption than even the longest travel forks and shocks, and would probably be easier to find a solution in your price range. You can always retrofit a good suspension fork onto it later if you find you still want some more comfort. -- eddiec |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
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. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
My personal opinion is that if you ride a mountain bike with suspension on the road and it looks like you never ride it off road, then you're a poonce. If you're worried about bumps, then get a hybrid or something like that. If you want to ride in the bush, then a $700 bike will never cut it anyway, regardless of how much movement the fork is capable of. Oh... and a $700 bike with suspension is a piece of sh!t. You'd get an alright hybrid for that sort of money. Did I mention that you'd look like a poonce? LotteBum P.S. I hate Griffith University at the moment. -- LotteBum |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Front suspension - effectiveness?
On 26 Sep 2005 17:22:36 -0700, Bleve wrote:
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 It depends on which one I talk to :-) Honestly, I haven't been to the physio too much lately - I bought a SpineMelter 2000 chair from HN, and sit in it every day, and it achieves about the same, and costs a LOT less. (As well as being on call 24/7.) 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. All good points. 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. You'd hope so, eh? the Blade is about $400, but I don't want to buy it and then spend the rest of the difference optioning it up, trying to get it to the same as the Innova. Ah well, I'll head out this morning and look at/try a few more. -- cheers, mic (yes, the email address works) |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
New front suspension RST Gila T15 for sale | Ronald Shu | General | 0 | May 6th 05 07:47 PM |
Pictures/Opinions of M5 front suspension? | Robert Haston | Recumbent Biking | 2 | June 29th 04 01:42 PM |
Backwards front brake? | Andrew Sweetman | Techniques | 3 | March 23rd 04 02:07 AM |
Does the world have room for another full suspension design? | Simon Brooke | Techniques | 31 | January 5th 04 05:21 PM |
Is seat suspension enough? | optimistx | Recumbent Biking | 6 | August 19th 03 01:03 AM |