Suspension Systems
Suspension allows the fork and/or the rear triangle to compress when a rider goes over a bump. This cushions the blow, delivering a more comfortable ride. It can also help the wheels maintain traction in rough terrain. Suspension seatposts and stems are also available. Typically, road bikes lack suspension, although wider tires run at lower pressure do deliver some level of vibration and shock damping. In contrast, mountain bikes operate on rougher terrain, and they have at least front suspension. At the time of writing, most gravel bikes lack traditional suspension.
Suspension forks and rear suspension shocks are available from many different manufacturers including, but not limited to:
- RockShox
- DVO
- FOX
- MRP
Suspension systems can be sprung by:
Coil-sprung shocks use a large metal spring – normally steel – positioned outside the telescopic tubes that make up the shock body.
Air-sprung shocks meanwhile feature a compressed air spring inside the body of the shock.
Elastomer-based systems rely on rubber or another elastic material to compress. These typically offer less travel than coil shocks, but are lighter.
Front Suspension
Typically, in Cross Country (XC), All Mountain (AM), Enduro or Aggressive Hard Tail frames (ie, those that have no rear suspension), front fork travel can range from 100mm to 160mm travel dependent on the frame geometry.
Modern forks offer a lockout (also available as a remote lever lockout, mounted to the handlebar) which allows the rider to quickly disable the fork travel. This is useful when riding on road to provide a rigid platform so as not to unduly waste rider effort.
Rear Shock
Typical rear shock travel for mountain bikes ranges from 100mm to 200mm depending on the frame discipline with Down Hill (DH) bikes offering the most travel (+/- 200mm front and rear).
Previously, some bikes had a soft-tail suspension, with a shock unit placed where the seat stays attached to the seat tube. These typically had smaller travel.
Similarly to front suspension, some rear shocks offer a travel lock out which limits the rear shock travel, useful for riding on tarmac or more predictable surfaces.
Maintenance
Suspension systems require periodic maintenance. Riders should wipe their fork stanchions, or the metal legs, after each ride, and inspect for scratches. Periodic higher-level maintenance may involve replacing the fork seals, which keep dirt out of the suspension chamber, lubrication, possibly rebuilding springs and replacing bushings.
Newer cyclists riding only on paved paths should consider foregoing a suspension system. The prime reason is that suspension is not necessary for this use case, and furthermore a suspension fork requires maintenance and will eventually seize without maintenance - at which point it is dead weight that you paid extra for.
