Okay, so humour me while I think out loud here. Theres been a lot of hype about the Specialized 'inertia valve' recently. I'm generally of the opinion that its a novel idea, but as a guy that has gotten used to full suspension, the whole concept of lockout to me seems like a feature that isnt worth the trouble. Is there a point to having suspension that doesnt work? Is lockout just a feature to attract conservative techophobe racer wannabes?
I'm a pretty old school mountainbiker. I got a GT in '88 and havent looked back. I spent a lot of time on the road so I know how to pedal, so I'm not some newbie that gets up off the saddle and deliberately weight shifts just to see my suspension moving. ( I'm sure some of you have encountered this phenomenon - its pretty funny ). What I do know is this. An absolute minority of mtbers race, and even smaller minority are newbies, and here is all this hype about a bike that doesnt work when it decides the trail is too smooth. Personally, I havent encountered a trail that isnt 'too smoth' for suspension - well, except on my road bike Now I pose these questions to anyone with experience on fs - does suspension make you slower? Is there any proof, any studies that show that suspension makes you slower? If so, why is suspension so popular? Why, on my 4.5" travel trailbike, do I leave my Fuel riding buddies for dead?
I see it like this - hype for minority products is the art of the marketer, trying to stretch the boundaries of what they can sell - its not about building a better bike. Its about making us think we need things that we actually dont. Things we all desperately need are things like decent quality bottom brackets, a cassette mechanism that allows for 20mm+ thru axles, an efficient gearbox to replace the 100 year old derailleur, an 18 speed shifter, a new larger standard for mounting discs to frames - these things will improve our collective experience, these are the things that need hype - not some novel idea that will go the way of the URT as soon as people get comfortable with the idea- "Suspension gooooood".
Hah! Now, URTs for racing on. Theres an idea! Only one pivot, locks out when you stand, plush when you're seated - perfect for XC racing!...and I hear retro is 'in' too...its all just a matter of time people, just a matter of time....
I'm a pretty old school mountainbiker. I got a GT in '88 and havent looked back. I spent a lot of time on the road so I know how to pedal, so I'm not some newbie that gets up off the saddle and deliberately weight shifts just to see my suspension moving. ( I'm sure some of you have encountered this phenomenon - its pretty funny ). What I do know is this. An absolute minority of mtbers race, and even smaller minority are newbies, and here is all this hype about a bike that doesnt work when it decides the trail is too smooth. Personally, I havent encountered a trail that isnt 'too smoth' for suspension - well, except on my road bike Now I pose these questions to anyone with experience on fs - does suspension make you slower? Is there any proof, any studies that show that suspension makes you slower? If so, why is suspension so popular? Why, on my 4.5" travel trailbike, do I leave my Fuel riding buddies for dead?
I see it like this - hype for minority products is the art of the marketer, trying to stretch the boundaries of what they can sell - its not about building a better bike. Its about making us think we need things that we actually dont. Things we all desperately need are things like decent quality bottom brackets, a cassette mechanism that allows for 20mm+ thru axles, an efficient gearbox to replace the 100 year old derailleur, an 18 speed shifter, a new larger standard for mounting discs to frames - these things will improve our collective experience, these are the things that need hype - not some novel idea that will go the way of the URT as soon as people get comfortable with the idea- "Suspension gooooood".
Hah! Now, URTs for racing on. Theres an idea! Only one pivot, locks out when you stand, plush when you're seated - perfect for XC racing!...and I hear retro is 'in' too...its all just a matter of time people, just a matter of time....