Front suspension: a 'must' or a luxury?

[allen-uk]

Just finalising my spec. for the ebike I'm going to buy, and the question of front forks has arisen:

How useful do people find hydraulic front suspension? My non-electric bikes have always just had solid forks. What are the advantages of front suspension?


Thanks.


Allen.

 

[Mussels]

I've ridden the 905 City and the 905 Sport, the biggest difference when riding is the forks. I didn't think the Sport (with suspension forks) was helping much with bumps until I tried the fixed fork City, the difference was pronounced.
Balloon tryes also helped a lot and turned a bumpy road into a smooth one.

Would I buy suspension forks again? Yes and I have.
Would I recommend them? Difficult as it depends on individual taste and the roads you are riding on, my commute covers some rough roads with unexpected deep potholes and I find they are worth having.

 

[NRG]

For me very. I changed from rigid to sprung on the Peugeot and the difference in comfort was a revelation. Any weight disadvantage is overshadowed by the comfort suspension brings on the roads around here.

 

[HarryB]

In short the heavier the bike the more useful the suspension forks are. You can get away without them with the likes of the Cytronex but you will get a very uncomfortable ride with most electric bikes. If the motor is on the front it makes matters even worse. However there have even been some complaints about the Pro-connect having a very jarring ride - that doesn't have suspension and it is relatively light for an electric bike - and most of the weight is in the middle of the bike. It is one of those self defeating things about electric bikes as you have to keep adding weight (in the form of suspension forks) in order to counteract the additional weight you are adding (if that makes sense).

 

[flecc]

For a full picture on the suspension issue see the article below, but this was written before our roads got into the present state. As things stand out there, the balance has swung strongly in favour of suspension for most e-bikes:

Bicycle Suspension
.

 

[kster68]

Thats a very interesting article. Being new to e-cycling, I had been wondering about this myself in respect to future purchases. My only experience of a suspension cycle was on a cheap mountain bike I borrowed to get to work on a few years ago. It was a triumph of style over substance, and it felt as if much of the energy i was putting into the bike was being damped by the system and not delivered to the road.

I've never ridden anything other than my torq so don't know about other cycles, but i could see why people would want suspension..the ride can be very hard especially at high speeds. I find myself scrutinising the upcoming tarmac much more than on a traditional bike and taking the smooth line. I can certainly see how suspension would be desirable.

 

[allen-uk]

Good information, thanks, and particularly to the article by Flecc on Bicycle Suspension.

Trouble is, you've now opened the next can of worms: Tyres.

In my naivety, I've been transferring the (little) knowledge I've gained about non-electric bikes across to my spec. for my first electric bike. Thus, on my non-electric, I found that ditching big chunky 'knobbly' tyres for decent slim road-tyres gave me an approximate 20% saving in energy. Hills that were very hard became not so bad; long runs seemed shorter.

So in spec.ing my Wisper City, I've been assuming Marathon Plus tyres would do a better job than the (unspecified) puncture resistant knobblies which come as standard.

But from the comments to Flecc's 'Suspension' article, it seems I might be making too big a leap. Now, I DO intend to pedal as much as I can, but given my physical circumstances that is not going to be a huge input, so what I'm wondering is whether I shouldn't just settle for the knobblies and stop fussing about tyres.

The last decisions I'm making are:
Front suspension, yes or no.
and
Road tyres or knobblies.

(I shan't be doing any off-road cycling, just average London roads and some park paths. I'm a slow cyclist, and definitely not a fit one).

I'm not trying to get you to make my decisions for me, just tapping into the wealth of experience that you (collectively) have, and I haven't!

Thanks for your time and patience.


Allen.

 

[flecc]

Definitely go for road tyres and because their puncture resistance is so good, the Schwalbe Marathon Plus are well worth the extra cost. They are a bit stiffer than most tyres though, making suspension a little more worthwhile.

In contrast, the Schwalbe Big Apple tyres are so comfortable they do away with most need for suspension, but of course don't have the same degree of puncture resistance.
.

 

[piotrmacheta]

A definate yes to front suspension from me as well. Having ridden with and without, electric and non on both I can say they make a big difference.
With a front hub bike the suspension helps to keep the wheel down and hence traction (especially on the rough but also on undulating roads).
As for tyres then quality counts so pay a bit more as you also get more grip in the wet - go for road tyres as mountain bike tyres are like driving with your brakes on!

 

[Mussels]

So in spec.ing my Wisper City, I've been assuming Marathon Plus tyres would do a better job than the (unspecified) puncture resistant knobblies which come as standard.

I've not seen a Wisper that comes with knobblies as standard, it's quite definately a road tyre.

 

[lemmy]

I am in principle against adding any unnecessary weight to a bike but with the state of the roads now suspension is becoming a must. It makes the riding experience so much smoother and more relaxing on a trip.

The Marathon Plus tyres, I'd use nothing else nowadays. It's great to go out in the knowledge that you are unlikely to get a puncture - it increases your confidence such a lot and turns a bike into a much more reliable form of transport.

In fact, I've just bought a Brompton folder and the first thing I've done on getting it is to change the tyres to MPs.

My son, a keen and strong cyclist is getting a new (non-e) bike shortly. He was telling me yesterday that for the first time, he'll get one with front suspension and fit MPs to it.

It's a sensible response to modern road conditions in my opinion.

 

[Clarkey]

Just to chip in with a conflicting view - I have never really got on with front suspension, especially the cheaper, 'horribler', units that tend to find their way onto electric bikes. A fat, slick, tyre like a Schwalbe Big Apple with quality rigid forks will give a decent amount of comfort and roll very well indeed whilst saving pounds of weight.

I recently put Marathons on my Brompton and they have ruined the bike for me - it is much less lively and has an unpleasant harsh feel to it. I have not tried M+'s but I am not tempted, especially after looking at how much they weigh. I think it will be Kojaks next, they are performing very well on my aged Moulton.

 

[flecc]

Just to chip in with a conflicting view - I have never really got on with front suspension, especially the cheaper, 'horribler', units that tend to find their way onto electric bikes. A fat, slick, tyre like a Schwalbe Big Apple with quality rigid forks will give a decent amount of comfort and roll very well indeed whilst saving pounds of weight.

Fully agree and I ride rigid forks, though I understand those who prefer the suspension comfort, even at the cost of some handling precision.

From what you say you would hate the Marathon Plus, they are very stiff and in the smaller widths and the 28 mm in particular can be very harsh.
.

 

[HittheroadJ]

Personally, I prefer the "Dutch style" of riding where you sit up fairly straight and do not lean forward so much. With a riding style like that front suspension is less relevant.

My currie Izip (or Meerkat) is the first bike I have owned with front suspension, I'm not sure how it would feel without it. I have raised the steering as high as possible to sit up as straight as possible and I get the impression I do not really need the front suspension. One advantage: I bought one of those shopping baskets (for 12.95 at argos) and I found that if you bend the metal carrier-bit down until it leans on the font suspension and secure it with cable-ties the front basket becomes rock-solid.

I have fitted Schwalbe Big-Apple on the rear to see how it would go. And I love it so far (about a month, no punctures so far). I get the impression that the bashing and shaking of the battery on the rear is less, and I am quite certain the rolling resistance is better then the original Kenda. Time and mileage will tell if it is really as good.

cheers.

 

[Conal]

Deteriorating road surfacs this winter

My bike has front suspension and I am very pleased it does. The harsh winter has caused roads to deteriorate and the patches have not helped cyclists. We are supposed to travel at the edge of the road and this area has not received the same attention as the surface cars use. If I had not needed front suspension before I certainly need it now!

 

[wurly]

Sometimes i wished my bike had front suspension. I've hit a bad bump and nearly lost control when my hand came off the handle bars. But i don't think i'd be happy with the squishy ride at all times. The roads are bad though and the cycle paths aren't much better.
The only front suspension i'd consider fitting are the fully adjustable one's, where i could have it set up to cushion the real bad jolts, but wow! they are pricey.

 

[lemmy]

My only experience of front suspension is on my Kalkhoff and the suspension is not 'squiffy' as far as I can tell.

With the Marathon Plus tyres I have not had a puncture since I started using them as opposed to one a week on average before. This has made my cycling a reliable form of transport instead of something to do when I do not have to be sure of getting somewhere on time.

However, for me cycling is my favourite means of personal transport. I have a car and free tube, tram, bus and rail travel in greater London so I always have a choice. But I don't cycle for exercise or a sport, purely as I always have done all my life as a convenient means of transport.

I can honestly say that any extra rolling resistance of marathon tyres or energy loss on suspension is lost on me. I just ride places

To the extent that I cycle to keep fit - I don't - surely I'd be looking for inefficiency, more rolling resistance, for example, for that purpose?

 

[rosjen]

I am amazed nobody has mentioned the continental travel contacts, not had a problem with them for over a year (non e-bike) very good tiers. smooth on the center - knobbly on the outside for that extra grip on turning or off road.

blurb:
Uses all our new puncture protection systems in one tyre to give a product which is the new standard for world tours, or any type of heavy duty cycling

Semi slick tread with knobbly "endless edge“ shoulders, great on the road and not bad either when the road ends and some off road riding is required

Safety System - Kevlar reinforced anti-puncture belt under the tread along with

Duraskin sidewall protection

Supplied with a free inner tube & 1 year Safety System guarantee!

 

[rosjen]

Sorry, in keeping with the threads question - hard all the way - any sprung system transfers power up and not forwards - I can see a pot hole and avoid it

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I've not seen a Wisper that comes with knobblies as standard, it's quite definately a road tyre.

Just to confirm, we have not used off road tyres on our bikes for a year or so now. Please try the Kenda E-Bike tyres supplied as standard before you spend your cash on Scwalbes. They have low rolling resistance and are extremely resistant to punctures.

All the best

David