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Suspension Question


TNT1

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On an MTB, is the suspension there for comfort or handling? Whether on a hardtail, or a full sus?

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On an MTB, is the suspension there for comfort or handling? Whether on a hardtail, or a full sus?

 

Suspension gives you both, if correctly setup. Nothing worse than a poorly setup dual sus.

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Poll Perhaps?

 

Can do, but I was hoping some of the technical brains would chime in.

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I'll say comfort first and handling for those to lazy to learn to take proper lines.

 

I thought you get a 29r for that ;)

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A bit of both, I reckon. But as Mamps says - comfort first, performance second. Only in DH or FR disciplines was the suspension linked directly to extra performance in that people could go faster & higher.

 

For the rest of us, it's a comfort thing. BUT it increases how fast we can go, so the performance vs comfort thing is one and the same. Suspension makes us more comfortable, therefore we perform better. But also, the bikes perform better becauuse we are more comfortable with more suspension.

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I'll say comfort first and handling for those to lazy to learn to take proper lines.

 

So if a guy is willing to take the punishment, learn the correct lines, then then he will be equally fast on a hardtail with a decent fork, properly set up, as on a mtb with a rigid fork (or a full sus - weight issue aside)?

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Suspension is there for handling, a by-product is comfort.

 

 

See, that's what I always thought. And its at direct opposite to what the pro funriders here are saying. Hence my question.

Edited by TNT1
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I just get this feeling that this is a question meant to stir . But there is a very simple test , go down a hill with first your suspensionless , gearless bike and then compare on same piece of road on your bike with suspension . You will find that first it is not very comfortable and 2nd you don't really feel much in control . The fact that you CAN do it does not mean anything .

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I just get this feeling that this is a question meant to stir .

Nah, I save stirring for Hijacking and my awesome fred.

 

This was meant to be serious, but, alas, my reputation precedes me...

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I was told to learn to ride on a hardtail before i get a FS. I did this and when i gopt the FS I felt like I had made a mistake as there was no feedback from the wheels. I also felt like I was going to break the bike as it was soft. Chatting to a mate I was mentioning all that I thought was wrong and that I am going to return to a hardtail as its more fun. He said "its a morewood and you have to hurt the bike to enjoy it" since than I have ridden that machine hard and only have good things to say. You can do more things on a FS as it is VERY forgiving. I reckon I would have broken a few bones had it not been for the FS.

 

Comfort - yes.

 

Handling - Hell yes. You can feel it in the corners and certian terrain.(Setup is crucial)

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I'll say comfort first and handling for those to lazy to learn to take proper lines.

 

Have to disagree..... suspension opens a bunch of new posabilities / trail options. Yes you don't need to dodge every root or rock, but this also means you don't need to dodge that high speed rock garden, you are more in control, braking is better when the trail turns gnarly....your trackion is just there when you need it.

 

Also what is a proper line? The smoothes one or the fastest one?

 

I would say the proper line is the fastest one, and with a fullsus the fastest line don't need to be the smoothes....heck it can have ruts, rocks, drops.....

Edited by Pappa Bear
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So if a guy is willing to take the punishment, learn the correct lines, then then he will be equally fast on a hardtail with a decent fork, properly set up, as on a mtb with a rigid fork (or a full sus - weight issue aside)?

 

He should be faster on a full rigid bike but his body will be in pain.

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I was told to learn to ride on a hardtail before i get a FS. I did this and when i gopt the FS I felt like I had made a mistake as there was no feedback from the wheels. I also felt like I was going to break the bike as it was soft. Chatting to a mate I was mentioning all that I thought was wrong and that I am going to return to a hardtail as its more fun. He said "its a morewood and you have to hurt the bike to enjoy it" since than I have ridden that machine hard and only have good things to say. You can do more things on a FS as it is VERY forgiving. I reckon I would have broken a few bones had it not been for the FS.

 

Comfort - yes.

 

Handling - Hell yes. You can feel it in the corners and certian terrain.(Setup is crucial)

 

Ok, thanks, but I'm not only looking at hardtail vs full sus, but asking about suspension generally as it pertains to mtb.

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