Northern Ireland Outdoors Forum - Hiking, camping and more
Outdoor Activities => Cycling and Boarding => Topic started by: LandyLiam on March 17, 2011
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I was wondering if suspension bikes are any good? seems to me like the springs will absorb your precious energy, so if your not doing the crazy downhill stuff, why bother, please correct me if i'm wrong ;D
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The theory is correct, however the more advanced the bike the more advanced the shocks. Many of the shocks now use multi linkages which help stop pedal bounce and quite a few can be stiffened on the fly. personally I have a GT which I love and I've upgraded the front shocks. Its really down to what you want to do, if you want to go fast down bumpy trails you want a full suspension with lots of travel, if its for cycling the occasional off road and lanes the possibly good front shocks of a full suspension with less travel and a lock out function. Be careful but, things can start to get expensive. Guys I by no means know a lot about this, feel free to correct me (",)
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generally speaking you're right.
I used to meet a cyclist on my commute who came to work on his £2000 downhill bike.
I was on a £200 bike with no suspension of any sort.
For what we were doing, my bike was far far better than his. ;D
On the other hand, that same £200 bike is the one I blame for me having a perforated TFCC (english translation: wrecked wrist), because I did try to do the stuff that does need suspension. ::)
Right now I'm excitedly waiting for my new bike to arrive:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/News.aspx?NewsID=1537
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Yeah for road cycling no suspension is the ticket! too many springs and you waste all your energy trying to keep it in a straight line, also if your hitting the road I can definatley recommend getting some pedals you clip into or at the very least those little toe straps, makes things a lot more effiecient.
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I can definatley recommend getting some pedals you clip into or at the very least those little toe straps, makes things a lot more effiecient.
Except for falling off :D I've never really got to grips with clipless pedals, although in fairness I've never given them half a chance. They definitely make sense though and can well see their merits on-road.
In answer to Liams question I think its been fairly well covered, but basically it all depends on your budget. A full suspension bike at £80 is going to be like riding a pogo stick. Add an extra zero to that figure and you should get something with a decent linkage system that remains efficient and doesn't bob up and down when you are working the pedals. I have a full suspension bike, but to be honest for the type of trails I ride (or used to ride!) I would be far better off with a hardtail.
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I ride a hard tail with remote lockout which is great for climbing and xc,and have no problems doing any trails in the mournes except some of the out and our dh runs.A good fs bike would start at £1000.. but are faster smoother on bumpy downhill sections,but tend to be heavier so its swings and roundabouts..
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I just got a set of set of dmr v8 pedals, £25...... Have great studs on them, so your trainers really stick to them, making things more efficient.....and if you lose balance your feet arent stuck in those thingys
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I just got a set of set of dmr v8 pedals, £25...... Have great studs on them, so your trainers really stick to them, making things more efficient.....and if you lose balance your feet arent stuck in those thingys
DMR V8 pedals are great when they are sticking into the bottom of your trainers, but not so good when they bury themselves into your shins ;) Kat has a pair of V8's on her bike and I'm using Gusset Slim Jim's which have a really wide, flat platform. I'd like to try something like these Shimano SPD pedals (http://www.realcycles.com/products.php?plid=m11b13s197p1915) though, although the thought of buying SPD shoes puts me off a bit.
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Yes, I've already scraped my left calf ! Still, live and learn !
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A good steel hardtail is all you need im loving my ragley blue pig