favourite suspension platforms :)

Paul 135

Hi. ive got a 2010 kona coilair supreme frame with 08 kit so its pretty perfect and i was riding along the other day and whilst looking at my fox rp23 and magic link system working i wondered if i would find another suspension platform as good as this one (i think this platform is perfect) for when i get a new bike?
Does anybody have any views on their favourite suspension system?
Many thanks for your views.
Paul.

Joe_Pineapples

I'm a single pivot man myself, anything else just seems overly complicated.

GHill

I haven't tried them all, but I like my Trek Fuel Ex with Full floater, ABP and Evo link - that's why I bought it

Nice section on suspension designs in the latest WMB.

Steve_F

Absolutely love the DW linkage.

Rode a Abracadabra at a demo day recently and have to agree that the magic link system is completely and utterly fantastic.

supersonic

Don't really like any, but the Idrive if I had to.

Nice section on suspension designs in the latest WMB.

Aye

Black

I like keeping things simple and single pivot gets my vote
and i know exactly whats going on at the back.
Rear shock is the Manitou IXS 6

The Northern Monkey

I like the hardtail suspension platform....

andyrm

Single pivot on a Bionicon Edison, with ceramic pivot bearings and DU bushes on shock eye upgraded to needle rollers. Badboy.

tilt

Single pivot.

supersonic

A lot are saying single pivot - but what type ie pivot position? Many variations.

Anonymous

The ones I've found to work best for me are Marin's newer quadlink (I didn't get on with the older under-the-downtube setup at all), and GT's I-drive.
FSR designs are ok, but I've not ridden an FSR equipped bike that was to my taste.
Single pivots are ok, provided the pivot is in a good place.

Sadly, (for the OP) the only full suss design which I have categorically hated with a passion was Kona's.

However, bikes will react differently and bob/squat differing amounts for riders of different weights and styles, so what works for one may not work for others. They're all a compromise. Having said that, I do tend to prefer designs which have been thought up based on a set of "reasons", not just thrown together and had a load of marketing guff spattered on them.

Raymondavalon

My Felt has overly complicated "Equilink" suspension, which in essence is a "Thomson Bar Link" setup. It works well for me, I rate it, but I am no FS expert, I've ridden very few FS bikes over long enough distances to judge them properly. In fact I wonder how many people have?

Keep in mind that some "crtitics" never do any form of maintenance on a pivoted rear suspension systems and when they seize up or malfunction they blame the fact that the bike has rear suspension

nicklouse

Single pivots for me, but no low rear pivots like Konas as they are just poor.

Anonymous

Raymondavalon wrote:

Keep in mind that some "crtitics" never do any form of maintenance on a pivoted rear suspension systems and when they seize up or malfunction they blame the fact that the bike has rear suspension

I don't do any maintenance on mine either, and it's fine

tilt

supersonic wrote:

A lot are saying single pivot - but what type ie pivot position? Many variations.

Basically like my new Heckler

Anonymous

supersonic wrote:

A lot are saying single pivot - but what type ie pivot position? Many variations.

I have a feeling a lot of it is misunderstanding.

Skonk

I went from a GT I-Drive to a Specialized FSR and really thought I'd miss the I-Drive system..... but I didn't.

Not had much experience with other platforms but I have since owned 3 bikes that use FSR and I've found them all to work very well.

the article don

The answer is simple - Maestro. Like the DW link found on the boutique brands, with better graphics and without the pricetag

P-Jay

I've always really struggled with single pivot. I'll be honest I'm not tectonically minded enough to say why, and I've only tried two oranges a Five and a Patriot FR. Always seemed to really dive mid corner and as it does it feels like the rear is going.

Don't like I-drive, I had a GT FS for years, always felt because the BB isn't suspended as it's basically on the swing arm I got battered on high speed bumps.

FSR it'd pretty good I've got a Spesh Enduro and it rides and pedals really well.

The best though is the system on my Cove Shocker. Rides and corners met better than the FSR A-Line I had, feels bottomless and goes through the travel uniformly, but it's the way it pounces out of bends on thee gas is insanse! No 9"ish bike should pedal like that.

supersonic

The BB is suspended on the Idrive. It moves a little backwards during the travel. It is not a URT.

Buy this months's WMB, we wrote a great guide on how all sus platforms work.

CraigXXL

GT Idrive got my money but also liked the Pace design.

swiftyx2

My vote!!,

The new Marin Quad link, solid, tracks well, reassuring feel under you when the going gets tough. Only down side it's a bitch to clean!!!!!!, lol.

Steve.

Anonymous

Swiftyx2 wrote:

My vote!!,

The new Marin Quad link, solid, tracks well, reassuring feel under you when the going gets tough. Only down side it's a ***** to clean!!!!!!, lol.

Steve.

Don't clean it then!
The new quadlink is very veeeeery similar in concept to the DW-Link. (well, the old quad links were too, but I think they missed the mark rather)

bails87

supersonic wrote:

Buy this months's WMB, we wrote a great guide on how all sus platforms work.

I have to say that was very, very useful for someone like me whos brain melts when talk of anti-jack-squat-dive curves starts

Good work WMB!

supersonic

Took a bit of effort that one did, but worth it in the end! We wanted to go to places other mags had not before, by gently introducing the terms, and not just saying 'this pedals well' and 'multi link' is better etc.

Anonymous

So what does pedal best? And is multi link better?

supersonic

A hardtail ;-)

Anonymous

Yeah right. :roll:

supersonic

The conclusion is probably what you expected...

Anonymous

I'll have to buy it.
But you only prefer hardtails because you're poor though, eh?

supersonic

hehe