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SQUISHY BIKES RULE

Wondering if you should take the leap to Full suspension?

In one word: YES.

Just as long as you're shopping at a decent specialty bike shop (like, um, Gord's) and you understand that there's a price to pay to get into proper full suspension (around $1600)... As long as you abide by those simple guidelines then it's a no-brainer. And if you do take the leap, chances are you're in for quite a treat.

One caveat here, though: the suspension design itself is critical in determining the extent to which these potential benefits are realized. Comfort is a no-brainer, it's inherent to rear suspension itself. The rear suspension absorbs shock so your lower back and legs don't have to. Control is an issue where things get a bit more complicated. Take a look at how we manage the speed and direction of a bike - it's through the traction of tires on the ground. A suspension bike significantly increases the percentage of time your tires are in contact with the ground. More contact means more traction. More traction means more control. This control is critical in any riding situation where traction is compromised - descending, climbing, turning. Efficiency isn't something you automatically gain from a full-suspension bike. Some designs, in fact, can rob efficiency. We chose to stay far, far away from those designs. An efficient design (like the ones found on Jamis, Rocky Mountain and Specialized bikes) is one that allows you stay seated through rough terrain and ride "through" bumps rather than "into and over" them.

"I am all about the full-suspension. I first started racing dual suspension on selected rough courses in 1994. Since then the bikes have gotten lighter and the suspension more efficient so since 1997 I have raced exclusively on full suspension. There are occasional courses where it's not a benefit so I just lock out the suspension. I find full suspension makes me faster and more efficient on rough climbs. I can stay in the saddle longer, which saves energy. On the downhill sections it's faster because your wheels are following the contour of the ground so you get better traction in the corners and while braking. Overall your body absorbs less shock so you're fresher at the end of long races and you recover quicker after the race. It is important to know how to set up your suspension so that it is active without being inefficient"
-Racing legend Ned Overend

Here at Gord's we're unashamed to say that we're all-out full-suspension supporters. Unfortunately it seems that wherever you look on the web, it's one FS basher after another... All clinging to their hardtails like musicians to their violins as the Titanic sunk. Yes, Hard Tails are here to stay... too many people just can't bring themselves to embrace the technology... or more to the point won't PAY for the technology. Yes, you must pay more for a similarly equipped full suspension bike... But where in all of creation did anyone equate an XT equipped hard-tail bike to be "more bike" than a good LX equipped full-suspension bike?

The main problem with Full suspension is that manufacturers impatiently put FS bikes on the market many years ago before the idea was perfection Ned... Bike weenies, always at the forefront of technology, jumped on the concept... only to deservedly realize the concept was flawed... and they exposed full suspension bikes then for what they were: Squishy bikes.

But times have changed. Full suspension technology is now a beautiful thing. The leader in mass-market full suspension is arguably Specialized, here's a blurb from their website regarding a few of their new FS products:
Specialized engineers began working with suspension guru Horst Leitner more than a decade ago to create the technological breakthrough that became the patented FSR four-bar linkage suspension system. Since that time, FSR has become the most successful system in bicycle suspension history...so much so that more than a dozen of our competitors now license it for use on their own bikes. About the only disadvantage to FSR was that the system sometimes (although rarely) responded when you didn't want it to...specifically when pedaling out of the saddle on smooth surfaces.

New suspension (shocks and forks) have adressed that this year with a plethora of sexy new technologies like Manitou's SPV or Fox'a Pro Pedal.
If you haven't tried Full suspension bikes yet, DO. If you've tried full suspension bikes in the past and found them to be less than perfect, try one again... You'll be surprised!

Many companies are claiming to have cracked the secret code of proper full suspension technology. Fox and Manitou are leading the way with ant-bob shocks that make even the worst suspension designs work better that ever. We've done lots of homework and much product testing... And we've put our money where or mouths are: We think Specialized, Jamis and Rocky Mountain have the best designs out there right now... and that's why we have them for you to sample. That's why WE ride them. and we would NEVER go back to hard tails, despite whatever propaganda the League of Conservative Bike Weenies may proclaim. Our bikes climb like the space shuttle and weight within a few pounds of the lightest hard tail bikes... AND we smile a heck of a lot more after a long ride than we ever did before.

And here's a testimonial from a happy rider... new to the FS thing: "Now, not only do my wrists and shoulders no longer ache, but my maturing rear and lower back are being properly pampered. Gravelly washboard roads no longer shake me to my bones. On top of that, I can bomb the downhills better than ever."

Here's another testimonial bootlegged off the net: "While in the saddle bombing down the trail at light speed I never once felt squirrelly or out of control. I also did some high speed panic stops to see how the suspension would respond- very fast stopping and once again good control. Ordinarily I like to ride up steep technically challenging single tracks so I was very anxious to see how this bike would perform. When I hit the technical part of the run I didn’t know what to expect. The bike was unbelievable (I’m running out of adjectives). Instead of hitting obstacles while out of the saddle and trying to maneuver the bike on the front wheel while waiting for the rear to come back to earth I scooted back on the seat and just flowed over whatever was in my way. The rear suspension ate up everything and I was in complete control riding faster than on the hardtail."

He continues: "Full suspension allowed me to ride faster and in more control and in comfort. There were three hardtails on this ride and I waited almost five minutes at the bottom before they showed up- not because I was a better rider but because the full suspension allowed me to ride faster and in more control and in comfort. I went into this ride thinking my new full suspension bike would have to knock my socks off to make the switch from hardtail worthwhile -and it DID."

So maybe Full-Suspension bikes DON'T make your hair fall out, as a few die-hards would like us to believe.

Even for racing, cross country courses are getting more demanding and most of the pros are now leaning towards full suspension bikes. Where you would have previously had to worry about carrying around the extra weight of a full-suspension frame, a lot of manufacturers have come out with lightweight bikes with full-suspension that can be adjusted for or locked out completely for those brutal climbs. Of course there are always a few purists who swear by the tradition of a hardtail, but if you're keen to try out having some love under your butt, you might just feel the difference that has convinced so many pros to make the switch.

As you can see, we LOVE to talk about full-suspension. We've but scratched the surface of the technology here but nothing brings out the facts like a good dialogue, so always feel free to e-mail us, call us, or come by and visit if you have questions about any of the designs out there