Full Suspension Mountain Bikes - By: Gen Wright

A full suspension trail bicycle is sometimes called a dual suspension mountain bicycle because it is equipped with shock absorbers for both wheels. This is in sharp relief to the hardtail mountain bicycle which has a shock absorber only for the front wheel. Both kinds of mountain bicycles have their own uses. The hardtail bike is easier to pedal and is faster than the full suspension bike on smooth terrain. However the latter kind can run faster on rough terrain because the shock absorber authorizes more traction by absorbing the results of obstacles. Apart from offering the rider a more comfortable ride, the bicycle suspension also enhances potency and safety.

Types of bicycle Suspension

The suspension system can be implemented thru a suspension stem, suspension front fork, rear suspension, suspension seat post, or suspension center. A combination of these systems could also be applied. It should be spotted the suspension stem is not popular.

The front suspension is generally made possible by employing a pair of shock absorbers for the front fork. The shock absorber is often made of a spring and a damper. The spring can be a coil spring, compressed air, or elastomer. The damper is usually provided by letting oil pass thru shim stacks or small openings.

Kinds of Rear Suspension

Rear suspension is often regarded to mean full suspension because off-road bikes with single suspension often apply a front suspension technology. The sorts of rear suspension include the single pivot, soft tail, Horst link and four bar suspensions, unified rear triangle, Virtual Pivot Point, FSR system, DW-link, Equilink, Monolink, and split pivot.

The single pivot is the simplest kind and is also the cheapest. Diverse bike manufacturers have implemented their own designs for rear suspension and each design has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is up to the purchaser to establish which of the features are most important to him.

Purchasing a Full Suspension mountain bike

When planning to buy a full suspension off-road bike it's vital to ask if you're actually serious about being able to ride across rough terrain. A good hardtail mountain bike will be faster than the least dear full suspension bike because the latter is usually heavier aside from being saddled with the inherent disadvantages of a rear suspension.

The amount of suspension travel is also important when purchasing this sort of mountain bike. For uphill or cross country racing, suspension travel should be less than 4.5 inches. These are lighter because the less suspension travel, the lighter the bike.

However for people that want to do some jumping or free riding, the additional weight is not a primary concern. So, this sort of mountain bike will typically require 6 to eight inches of suspension travel. And in between these 2 is the trail bike, which requires up to 6.5 inches of suspension travel.

A full suspension mountain bike is also known as a twin suspension mountain bicycle because it is equipped with shock absorbers for both wheels. This is in sharp relief to the hardtail mountain bicycle that has a shock absorber for the front wheel. Both types of mountain bicycles have their own uses. The hardtail bike is easier to pedal and is quicker than the full suspension bike on smooth terrain. However the latter kind can run quicker on coarse terrain as the shock absorber permits more traction by soaking up the results of obstacles. Apart from offering the rider a more comfy ride, the bike suspension also augments efficiency and safety.

For more information please visit Full Suspension Mountain Bike