Varieties Of Mountain Bike Front Suspension On The Market
The Range Of MTB Suspension Forks Available to Buy
The front forks of bikes have changed massively since the introduction of the mountain bike. Due to the introduction a requirement developed for cushioning the impact of rough ground. A requirement that simply had not cropped up in the past.
Generally on mountain bikes these days you will tend to find that the forks at the front of the bike have an integrated set of shocks, with the blades being made from upper and lower extendable cylinders, called ‘legs’. These telescopic tubes allow the impact of the rocky surface under the wheel to be reduced, thereby making the bike much easier to ride in rough conditions.
The characteristics for MTB Forks can change massively, with the forks travel and handling characteristics setup to a specific style of riding. For example, a cross country rider will require a different setup to a downhill mountain bike racer, who will have a different setup again to a freeride rider. XC bikes don’t need as much suspension travel, typically near 80 to 100 mm and can be made from lighter material when compared to the suspension forks used on a DH mountain bike. This is essentially because they don’t get as much punishment as they might during cross country riding.
When suspension was first introduced into mountain biking, a travel length of the 80 to 100 mm was typical. Now though, downhill forks offer typically around one hundred and fifty to 200 millimetres of travel. There are some DH mountain bike forks though which can offer anywhere up to 300 millimetres of travel for the most harsh conditions!
Some mountain bike suspension forks may also enable the rider to change the suspension travel to fit particular sections of terrain. A higher travel for DH and extreme terrain, and less travel for the not so extreme XC or up hill sections. The rider may even want to totally eradicate suspension travel all together which would be advantageous on a smooth concrete road for example. This lockout capability may even be used remotely from the handle bars making use of a trigger.
Whichever style of mountain biking you do, it pays to pick your mountain bike front suspension forks wisely because when you pick the correct ones you will benefit from a significant change in performance.