Changing front suspension forks to rigid forks



dannyfrankszzz

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Mar 8, 2003
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I've currently got a pair of front suspension forks on my Marin Muirwoods bike. I've got the suspension turned off as much as possible i.e. with max stiffness but there is still a great deal of give in it.

I'm thinking about changing to a pair of rigid forks.

Will this make the bike quicker?

Will I get a noticeable stiffness in the arms and shoulders as a result?

What if I get carbon forks?

My left elbow has a tendency to get stiff - perhaps I should keep to a front suspension.
 
dannyfrankszzz wrote:
> I've currently got a pair of front suspension forks on my
> Marin Muirwoods bike. I've got the suspension turned off
> as much as possible
> i.e. with max stiffness but there is still a great deal of
> give in it.
>
> I'm thinking about changing to a pair of rigid forks.
>
> Will this make the bike quicker?

Depends where you're riding it. On roads, very probably

> Will I get a noticeable stiffness in the arms and
> shoulders as a result?

Depends where you're riding it. Rough stuff, very probably.

> My left elbow has a tendency to get stiff - perhaps I
> should keep to a front suspension.

Depends what sort of riding you're doing.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Most of the roads I go on are tarmaced and flat. I don't do any offroad stuff.

So in your opinion, it's worth changing over?

Would carbon forks be a good compromise between the two although probably a little pricier.
 
Originally posted by dannyfrankszzz
Most of the roads I go on are tarmaced and flat. I don't do any offroad stuff.

So in your opinion, it's worth changing over?

Would carbon forks be a good compromise between the two although probably a little pricier.


Quite interesting. It sounds as though you are converting your bike into a hybrid like the Marin Point Reyes.

If you are going to get a set of rigid carbon forks (e.g. PACE) then presumably you will be getting a set of slick tyres as well?

The resulting frame will be a lot more responsive because less of the power that you put through the pedals will be dissipated by fork compression.

I doubt that you'll notice any marked increase in arm / shoulder stiffness if you are going to be riding mainly on roads, because of the "sit up and beg" posture that mountain bikes typically require - this tends to alleviate weight being put on the arms and shoulders, unlike road bikes where you are in a "tuck" position.

Let us know what you decide ;)
 
dannyfrankszzz <[email protected]> wrote:
: Most of the roads I go on are tarmaced and flat. I don't
: do any offroad stuff.

: So in your opinion, it's worth changing over?

Ah. In that case rigid is the way to go.

: Would carbon forks be a good compromise between the two
: although probably a little pricier.

Carbon forks aren't a compromise between rigid and sus. They
are rigid forks. Full stop. They may ride a bit smoother
than a cheap Al rigid fork, but they are in no way
comparable (for good or bad) to a suspension fork.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org "Technolibertarians make a
philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook
 
dannyfrankszzz wrote:
> Most of the roads I go on are tarmaced and flat. I don't
> do any offroad stuff.
>=20
> So in your opinion, it's worth changing over?
>=20
> Would carbon forks be a good compromise between the two
> although probably a little pricier.

Wot Arthur said. Plus if you want to go faster then you may
wish to=20 assess different handlebars as well as a fork
change (though you may=20 need to change your gear shifters
and brake levers too...). Drops=20 and/or aero bars should
allow you less air resistance in a tuck, and=20 that's what
will affect your speed most as you get progressively faster.

If you want just a wafffeeeeere of suspension effect then
something like =

a Pantour suspension hub may well be worth looking at. These
give you=20 12 mm of travel and are there for road type
continuous bump-ettes, not=20 absorbing Big Air. I've not
tried one though I've heard good words=20 said. But they
ain't cheap at =A3135 each :-( (see=20
http://kinetics.org.uk/html/pantour_hubs.shtml)

Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382
660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44
1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
On Wed, 26 May 2004 11:35:02 GMT, Simon Brooke <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>I don't think so. Not much anyway. If you're getting much
>bounce in your suspension on flat roads as you pedal you're
>probably mashing - using your legs as pistons - rather than
>spinning (using lower gears and moving your feet in
>circles). Learn to spin, it's more efficient.

Spinning is "More efficient". That's a big bold claim: Care
to back it up somehow?

Cheers,

Vic.
 
Mmm, interesting reading. Seems a little gimmicky the Pantour suspension thing.

I'm beginning to lean more towards a rigid fork.

Any recommendations?

Cheers.
 
Vic. [email protected] opined the
following...
> >I don't think so. Not much anyway. If you're getting much
> >bounce in your suspension on flat roads as you pedal
> >you're probably mashing - using your legs as pistons -
> >rather than spinning (using lower gears and moving your
> >feet in circles). Learn to spin, it's more efficient.
>
> Spinning is "More efficient". That's a big bold claim:
> Care to back it up somehow?

Basic principle follows:

High gear, low cadence: Force applied vertically (Up and
down movement). Dead spots at top and bottom of crank
motion. Equivalent to low leverage (Large force over a small
distance). Bad for your knees.

Low gear, high cadence: Force now applied in a more circular
manner. Dead spots at top and bottom of crank motion
significantly reduced. Equivalent to high leverage (Small
force over a large distance). This makes it easier to pedal
in circles rather than up and down. Much much better for
your knees.

There is a point at which you are no longer able to apply a
useful force to the pedals when spinning. With training, you
can make this point faster, but an optimum will usually lie
a little slower than this point. Be kind to your knees.

Jon
 
dannyfrankszzz wrote:
> Mmm, interesting reading. Seems a little gimmicky the
> Pantour suspension thing.
>
> I'm beginning to lean more towards a rigid fork.
>
> Any recommendations?

How much do you want to spend?
 
Vic. wrote:

> Spinning is "More efficient". That's a big bold claim:
> Care to back it up somehow?

Notice you you get a pogo effect minimised. Though pogoing
is mainly a problem with suspension bikes, you've got some
suspension through your tyres in any case and the suspension
merely illustrates you're creating waste energy jumping the
bike up and down better than your tyres do.

Or watch a pro spinning up a /long/ climb rather than
mashing it.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/