David wrote:
> My bike is actually too big a frame for me. As I have some
> redundancy m=
oney
> I can afford to buy a new bike, but obviously can't spend
> an absolute fortune.
Second hand is the place to look IMHO. Fortunately mountain
bikes are=20 about the most common things to get upgraded
and sold on.
> Seems to me that the front only suspension bikes are
> cheaper. Never hav=
ing
> ridden a bike with suspension, what are the pro's and
> con's of front/re=
ar
> suspension both on and off road?
First up, suspension designs for on and off road are usually
different=20 beasts, even though the gains in each case are
through improved=20 efficiency, handling and comfort (*if*
it's good suspension). On the=20 road you're looking at
absorbing a lot of very small, fairly constant=20 shocks,
where off road you need an ability to soak up very big bumps
as=20 a routine thing. Unfortunately the extra travel for
the big stuff=20 weighs more and encourages the bike to pogo
with pedalling if you're=20 climbing, so off-road suspension
is often effectively a liability on the =
road. On road suspension is of some use off, but it'll
generally lack=20 enough travel to soak up the routine bumps
encountered so it won't do a=20 proper job. But the above
assumes the suspension has been well designed. On a cheap =
bike it generally won't have been, as the design requirement
is=20 /looking/ like an expensive bike, and never mind what
actually happens.=20 The springing system will be grot,
damping possibly non-existent, and=20 though it will soak up
big hits better than nothing it's unlikely to be=20 good at
soaking up a continuous stream of rough stuff in a way
that=20 makes the bike truly more efficient, which is where
/good/ suspension=20 scores over rigid.
Dual suspension, where done well, does the above Good Things
mentioned=20 better, though is heavier and there's more
maintenance. Done badly it=20 takes even more money away
from frame and transmission for primarily=20 cosmetic
reasons. Same goes for disc brakes: done properly they're=20
superb, done cheaply they're there to look cool but will
cost more than=20 V brakes, wear out pads quicker and not
work any better.
For dual suspension you're looking at well towards 4 figure
price tags=20 for a good job where money has been sensibly
spread around the whole=20 bike to make a well rounded
whole. It's hard to buy an MTB with rigid=20 forks these
days, but I wouldn't want to spend any less than =A3250 on
on= e=20 with suspension forks, and preferably not less than
about =A3350. And it=
=20
wouldn't have disc brakes at that price.
I'd start looking hard at second hand.
Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44
1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
