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Conference noted::bicycle

Title:	Bicycling
Notice:	Bicycling for Fun
Moderator:	JAMIN::WASSER

Created:	Mon Apr 14 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	3214
Total number of notes:	31946

2051.0. "Industrial strength MTB" by FSDB00::BRANAM (Steve Branam, DECcallserver Project) Wed Aug 21 1991 13:14

Last month I saw this really weird MTB: motorcycle-style front forks with
pneumatic piston shocks for the tines, and a *pivoted* rear triangle, attached
to the top of the down tube with one mother of a spring. The pivot point was at
the bottom of the down tube, right behind the crank. This non-rigid 
configuration allows the entire rear wheel and frame to pivot up toward the 
seat, compressing the upper spring. Talk about a rock-hopper! The thing was a
work of art too, lots of shiny machined steel (not just chromed, looked like
solid stainless machined out). Anybody ridden on one of these things? Is all
that shock absorption really useful? It looks like you could ride right off
a fifty-foot cliff, land with a big SKWISH of shocks and springs, and continue
on your way.

SDB

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
2051.1	Greg too	KIRKTN::GGOODMAN	Number 1 in a field of 1	`Wed Aug 21 1991 13:18`	5
	Lemond rode forks like that in this year's Paris-Roubaix. Graham.
2051.2	wave of the future	BENONI::SOFIO		`Wed Aug 21 1991 17:09`	13
	Suspended bikes are going to be BIG next year. Rumors are front & rear suspension, for under $1000. I've ridden a bike with the most popular front for/shock (Rock Shox), and liked it a lot on the hardpack in California. Would seem to me that it would be most useful for high-speed riding over washed out area. Would help with high-freqency vibration (less numbing of the hands on downhills), but I wonder how useful it would be in the muddy, technical Northeast. Anybody ride them here in NE? What's the verdict? Ed
2051.3	retro-tech	DOGONE::WOODBURY		`Wed Aug 21 1991 18:25`	11
	Cannondale has a frame with the rear suspension as you described too. The one I saw (in Vail) didn't have front shocks, which I thought was wierd since that's where I pound rims, but I guess it's only money. There will be lots of suspended bikes around next year - the marketing guys love this kind of technological 'break-thru'. There is an attitude here on the east coast (Fat City Cycles), however, and also from some west coast dudes (Richey) thinking that a cheaper, simpler, and more reliable suspension just might be called FATTER TIRES.... Doesn't sound like the marketeer's dream, but it really works. mark_who_isn't_about_to_trade_in_his_custom_Fat_City_front_fork_just_yet
2051.4	Offroad Proflex...	NQOPS::CLELAND	USIM&T Data Center Services	`Thu Aug 22 1991 02:58`	15
	Two companies selling suspension bikes in N.E. - Offroad, & Cannondale. I've been reading in Bicycle Guide magazine that Offroad is now marketing 4 versions of their "Proflex" suspension bike. The least expensive model is the 550, listing at $750. It is also a heavy bike, at 30+ pounds. Notice that Rishi Grewal was riding a machine equipped with the Rock Shox suspension fork. So was Ned Overend, and just about everyone else. I wonder if the additional weight of a rear-end suspension system would be advantageous. Fatter tires sound much better for the rear.
2051.5		RUTILE::MACFADYEN	You never listen to a word I say	`Wed Aug 28 1991 09:18`	13
	From what I've read about suspended bikes, front suspension is popular because it cushions the hands from impact and doesn't soak up rider energy. Rear suspension is a lot more iffy because it affects the transmission. No-one seems very sure so far whether a significant amount of power is lost. As a previous noter said, the one thing we can be sure of is that marketing departments will be pushing suspension as the next big thing. And at �300 for a set of Rockshox, a lot of marketing people's wages can be paid. Rod