[Sandwich]

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/1-question-whats-the-next-step-for-mountain-bike-suspension-technology-2015.html

Sounds like from these guys we'll be charging our batteries very soon...what do YOU think?

 

[supercow]

More niche companies coming out of the woodwork, to better mass-produced suspension (fix the areas skimped out on as a by-product of economy of scale)

Batteries and electronics can go f*ck it self, imo.

 

[jonKranked]

18 more axle sizes, 4 new disc rotor mount patterns, proprietary shimz, proprietary suspension fluid

 

[jstuhlman]

I think I'll continue to say eff off and keep running a coil on my trailbike

 

[supercow]

I think I'll continue to say eff off and keep running a coil on my trailbike

Excellent point - as components and frames etc become lighter, people will turn back to coil suspension and you will still end up with a light bike.

 

[Sandro]

I think most of those blurbs are rather vapid, with a lot of these guys tooting their own horn.
Downhill fork performance at XC weight, with everything moar betterer? Sign me up!

More widespread electronically controlled damping will be inevitable, but I'm more interested in data acquisition and how that data can be translated into meaningful tuning advice for the consumer.

 

[Sandro]

I think I'll continue to say eff off and keep running a coil on my trailbike

Some more might follow your lead and go back to coil, which brings to one area still in need of improvement: decent air spring cuves. Still haven't ridden an air sprung fork that i was happy with, i'll be interested to see how the DVO Diamond behaves - the combination of the adjustable negative spring and some volume tweaking through oil levels sounds promising.

 

[Mo(n)arch]

Some more might follow your lead and go back to coil, which brings to one area still in need of improvement: decent air spring cuves. Still haven't ridden an air sprung fork that i was happy with, i'll be interested to see how the DVO Diamond behaves - the combination of the adjustable negative spring and some volume tweaking through oil levels sounds promising.

When will you come out with the Corset review?

I think lighter, better, more consistent and less mantaining is the way to go. Keep optimizing.
Don't come up with electriacl switches for some crappy CTD damping and LED indicators on the handlebar.

 

[jackalope]

Moar "standards"

FTFY


As for more accessible/user friendly data acquisition systems, I too think that would be neat, but I also wonder if many people could actually benefit from it given that most riders aren't really that fast and/or would even truly appreciate the nuances of 100% optimized suspension.

Also, we need some carbon, UV-proof leaf springs to get us into the real future of mountain bike suspension.

 

[jonKranked]

FTFY


As for more accessible/user friendly data acquisition systems, I too think that would be neat, but I also wonder if many people could actually benefit from it given that most riders aren't really that fast and/or would even truly appreciate the nuances of 100% optimized suspension.

exactly what the industry needs. yet another way to quantify things and dick measure instead of actually riding your bike

 

[jackalope]

Perhaps a less expensive way to accommodate dong measuring would simply be to have forks come with rulers zip tied to the stanchions. This system would allow for quick, trail side length comparisons without fancy electronics.

Or maybe have multi-tools come with a nice set of calipers if ultimate accuracy is critical. I'm just trying to think outside the box.

 

[tomasis7]

They will sell you software packages together with Strava profiles suited for each track.

Like as an extra mission pack coming with an AAA game.

It's inevitable that the gravity cycle sport will adapt electronics because it give you faster times. 27.5" worked, why shouldn't electronics?

I look forward for updates in the bike threads from the consumer fellow's. Now the new wheels are barely ridden.

 

[Sandro]

When will you come out with the Corset review?

I don't own one, I went with the kidwoo disapproved DB Inline, which actually works quite well with my frame.

 

[Westy]

A new 36" X 7" wheel/tire standard will make suspension obsolete.

 

[4130biker]

Boost 148 specific shox.

 

[StiHacka]

The future of suspension is no suspension. Buffed, flowy trivial trails won't need no stinking suspension, gravity fun will be even moar marginalized by rising healthcare costs and insurance complications.

 

[Sandwich]

I would like to see more adjustability come to lower end shocks, like externally adjustable LS compression, and higher end shocks and forks getting all four plus ramp control.

Sadly I don't think that's really going to happen, I think we'll be seeing more gimmicks and clever SRAM names for shit ideas and band-aids for bad product design than we will practical things to improve our rides. I do hope to see more coil-like lightweight shocks, like whatever that stack of donuts PUSH was toting around.

 

[yd35]

Come now gentlemen, let's get to the cRUX of the matter.

 

[tomasis7]

Suntours commentar made most sense, more customer friendly. Win-win.

 

[djjohnr]

Bellows springs.

 

[Nick]

front and rear synchorized magnetic dampers that adjust in real time based on gyroscopic info fed to the system by a controller stored in your fanny pack or attached to your go-pro helmet mount.







with cool stickers.

 

[blindboxx2334]

magnets, anyone?

 

[TrumbullHucker]

wooden ruxy magnets

 

[Da Peach]

Suntours commentar made most sense, more customer friendly. Win-win.

Yup. He gave the most pertinent answer for my purposes.

Of course, he also works in the bike industry, so he can't be trusted.

 

[Westy]

Yup. He gave the most pertinent answer for my purposes.

Of course, he also works in the bike industry, so he can't be trusted.

He probably got fired for not mentioning a current Suntour product within 4 words.

 

[iRider]

As for more accessible/user friendly data acquisition systems, I too think that would be neat, but I also wonder if many people could actually benefit from it given that most riders aren't really that fast and/or would even truly appreciate the nuances of 100% optimized suspension.

The bike industry will never push for cheap data acquisition systems. Would be too easy for the user to verify all the BS marketing claims about faster wheel sizes then.

 

[IH8Rice]

i didnt realize all of Fox's WC XC riders are using their iRD mumbo jumbo

 

[jackalope]

The bike industry will never push for cheap data acquisition systems. Would be too easy for the user to verify all the BS marketing claims about faster wheel sizes then.

I disagree. If they develop some data acquisition apps, they could promote the latest and greatest technologies. To wit:

* Good job rider237, your shock was cycled 749 times, generated 41.8 kJ of heat, rebound speed average was 3.4 mm/second, damping fluid viscosity is within factory specifications.

* Suggest adjusting mid-speed rebound 1.7443 clicks in and increasing sag by 0.002%

* Suggest replacing front hub with new 97 mm width model and 16 mm electric axle

* Suggest replacing rear hub with 174 mm width model to accommodate new mega-plus sized tires

* Suggest replacing cranks with asymetrical carbon axle model (40 mm non-drive side, 23.2 mm drive side) and new BB model with just one big fucking bearing

* Suggest replacing 13 speed cassette batteries

* Suggest replacing girlfriend...pretty sure she's cheating on you


So anybody want to help me with a kickstarter campaign to develop this new "technology"?

 

[iRider]

* Suggest replacing girlfriend...pretty sure she's cheating on you

 

[csermonet]

Suspension works amazingly these days. I don't think there is going to be much more groundbreaking innovations in the suspension department. What the industry needs to do is stop adding cogs to our cassettes, stop making all these stupid suspension gimmicks with catchy acronyms, and just fucking adopt proper gearboxes already. Who the fuck cares if my suspension is 5% more efficient, I want real innovation, not perceived innovation. The Shimano Di2 stuff is a joke. Electronic derailleurs, really? I wonder how much money was dumped into developing that steaming pile of shit when they could have spent that money developing something like Pinion or Effigear. Brakes these days are amazing, suspension is amazing, frame design is amazing, the elephant in the room is that stupid ass exposed transmission hanging off the rear axle

 

[Muddy]

Gearbox is an innovation, but being able to allow any of them to be servicable and accessable will destroy initial buy in for a new frame, and they will simply be too heavy in the end. Best drivetrain innovation will be finding ways to allow short-cages to track a normal cassette range.
One-Up are with patents now for their cogs, 45T at the present time. No drivetrain maker is going to allow that much more interference with their own design, yet I am quite certain larger cogs are coming like the grapes of doom.
Gearboxes (in large volume) will usher in busted frames, misaligned frames, frames losing tolerances quicker than greased owl poop, and potentially nasty failures of the internals.

 

[IH8Rice]

The Shimano Di2 stuff is a joke. Electronic derailleurs, really? I wonder how much money was dumped into developing that steaming pile of shit when they could have spent that money developing something like Pinion or Effigear.

whatever the development cost were, im sure it would be only a fraction of what designing a bicycle transmission would be since the Di2 type stuff is just basically adding a motor w/ battery to a already existing tech, the derailleur

 

[no skid marks]

Crank motion sensor that when pedaling activates more damping, different damping circuit, reduced
travel, reduced air chamber or whatever. Enables less anti squat to be built into suspension designs. Could have a brake dive or pedal bob one for front forks too.

 

[aenema]

Only thing that makes real sense to me if going electronic is tying my suspension lockouts with my seatpost. If post is up, put me in pedal/trail mode. If down, open that shit up cause I be rally'ing. Why else would my post be down, certainly not caring about pedal bob if that is dropped and out of the way?

 

[commencaldh]

I think the next thing for suspension will be having a suspension design that works but is not super ccomplicated. VPP is so complicated, and know the majority of bikes have a faux bar which works just as well and is less prone to brake jack.
I like me my Kona's!!!!

 

[Da Peach]

2 chicks at once.

 

[commencaldh]

2 chicks at once.

Whatt does that mean

 

[no skid marks]

Gearbox is an innovation, but being able to allow any of them to be servicable 1/20th of the time with a 20ml oil changeand accessable With more sales, decent shops should be able to just keep a Pinion, Effigear or whatever gearbox they sell in stock, and have a loaner gearbox if needed. I sell Nicolai and Zerode here in Oz and would happily lend out my own gearbox if needed while a customer needed one waiting on parts, very unlikely to happen but. Never sold the spare gearbox we've had in stock for five or more years for a Zerode. They are starting to perish now, more from neglect than wear though. At only the price of a fancy mech anyway and easily supplied by any bike shop pretty quickly, it's not a concern really. Also only ever sold one set of new sprockets for one due to the chain running straight and not being rammed and bent into other sprockets under load like with a mech. will destroy initial buy in for a new frame, and they will simply be too heavy in the new 9 speed Pinion is probably under 500gram weight penalty, weight is at the BB so less unsprung weight. Makes it feel like it RIDES LIGHTER THAN IT IS!. Next profitable and perishable drivetrain innovation will be finding ways to allow short-cages to track a normal cassette range. Mech in a box still has potential, think Hayes might own that, and or Honda depending how you look at it.
One-Up are with patents now for their cogs, 45T at the present time. No drivetrain maker is going to allow that much more interference with their own design, yet I am quite certain larger cogs are coming like the grapes of doom.
Gearboxes (in large volume) will usher in busted frame Say What?, misaligned frames WTF, got shares in Shimano? LOL, How so. You could say quite the opposite easily as they provide a large interface to attach/mould/whatever tubes to., frames losing tolerances quicker than greased owl poopagain, how do you figure?, and potentially nasty failures of the internals. Sure, no doubt, especially if they're made to be perishable and the weight persuit sacrafices durability. Current gearboxes are far superior to mechs though it would seem. Rohloff, 40000kms, LOL. If they were made small and at least as reliable as an 8 speed Alfine, they'd be cheap enough for all shops to stock and easy enough for anyone to replace.

Hmmmm speculation

 

[jackalope]

Whatt does that mean

I think it means one cup.

 

[no skid marks]

Only thing that makes real sense to me if going electronic is tying my suspension lockouts with my seatpost. If post is up, put me in pedal/trail mode. If down, open that shit up cause I be rally'ing. Why else would my post be down, certainly not caring about pedal bob if that is dropped and out of the way?

You'd not like it stiffer/more efficient when sprinting to clear a jump, getting the power down out of corners? I envisage that it'd more efficiently stop blowing through your travel when not needed. Whatever bike you ride it most likely has slightly compromised suspension design to resist pedal stomping, with electronic control this could be lessened resulting in more active suspension. You could have a more agro seat down sensor also though.