in message <
[email protected]>,
Dundonald ('
[email protected]') wrote:
> I've had a rigid bike for a long time and I'm recently testing out a
> bike with front shocks for the first time. I've asked around, done a
> bit of googling, to try understand when best to use the front shocks
> and when to lock them out. I might add that my I typically ride on
> off road tracks such as the TPT. The track I take to work is probably
> 80% off road track and 20% tarmac. Decent ascents and descents both
> ways of the journey. I noticed on the first run that with the front
> shock on, I'm bouncing as I'm putting the power down on a climb, so
> seemed to lose power, is that right?
I always lock both ends when on tarmac; usually lock the front (/not/ the
back) when climbing steep stuff off tarmac. The better you can train
yourself to spin perfect circles the less bob you'll get and consequently
the less power you'll lose to it, so it's worth learning to spin.
> So as I say I did a bit of research and what I understand so far is to
> lock out before hitting a climb and unlock on flat and descent. Is
> this right?
It depends. The more uneven the surface the more benefit you get out of
suspension. On really uneven climbs it may be worth leaving the suspension
active because the benefit you get from it will outweigh the loss from
pedal bob. Again, the better you can spin, the more often it will make
sense to leave it active.
> It just seems a bit of a pain locking and unlocking, especially if I'm
> on a track that I don't know, so possibly being surprised by a climb
> around a bend.
Do you have a lockout lever on your handlebars, or just a knob on the top
of the fork stantion? A lockout lever on the handlebars is a real benefit,
but can only be fitted for some models of fork.
--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke)
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
Age equals angst multiplied by the speed of fright squared.
;; the Worlock