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Front suspension - effectiveness?



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 26th 05, 01:51 PM
M i c C u l l e n
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Default 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)
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  #2  
Old September 26th 05, 02:07 PM
Kathy
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Default 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  
Old September 26th 05, 02:31 PM
aeek
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Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old September 26th 05, 11:48 PM
eddiec
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old September 27th 05, 12:11 AM
M i c C u l l e n
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Default 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  
Old September 27th 05, 12:55 AM
Timofey
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Default 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  
Old September 27th 05, 01:11 AM
eddiec
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Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old September 27th 05, 01:22 AM
Bleve
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Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old September 27th 05, 01:25 AM
LotteBum
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Posts: n/a
Default 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  
Old September 27th 05, 01:48 AM
M i c C u l l e n
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Posts: n/a
Default 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)
 




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