Commuting - Now I know why suspension forks were invented...

...and it wasn't for off-road riding. Commuted to work today via Blockbusters to drop of a movie and so for the first time rode in on local roads instead of pathways. Bl**dy hell! The state of the roads! Pot-holes, manhole covers, bad repair jobs, you name it. I was bouncing around in the seat far more than I do on the tracks. Add to that cars swinging across you with no indication and constant stops to switch lanes because of early morning traffic and it added up to a pretty miserable ride. I won't be doing that again in a hurry.

That's the challenge of commuting! Anybody can ride down a single track and know where to steer! The challenge of the open road (dodging potholes, manhole covers, bad repair cuts, traffic) while navigating quickly and efficiiently is what keeps me going! Trying to avoid these obstacles in the dark is even more fun! I do a little "guttering" now and then - steering onto the concrete gutter next to the curb (kerb in U.K.?) to avoid rough road surfaces.

OK, Pinerider, useful lesson in looking on the bright side! I'll remember that for next time, but I'll still prefer to use my time in the saddle for a bit of daydreaming - not an option when mixing it with the early morning traffic.

Rigid, I couldn't agree with you more. When I had a FS XC bike I used to joke that I only needed it to ride *to* the trails, whereupon a fully rigid bike would work fine!

I never thought it would come to this but I am having to put a (cheapo) suspension fork on my beater bike due to the abysmal road conditions. Unfortunately, the risk of theft goes up even though the fork is a P.O.S.

I'm with Pinerider. My ride is all well and good, but the grin really kicks in when I'm dodging traffic/potholes etc. :D

I do object when the bike-path is on the pavement (sidewalk) and really bumpy, with a lovely smooth road next to it. That happens at one point on my commute, and I just don't use the path.

Ellie

Oh and let's not forget those miserable construction areas with debris and patches of sand littering the road. I took a sideways slide past a construction zone last week where I must have caught some oil or mud or something unexpected. Nearly ate road dirt.

I love my suspension fork.

Originally posted by bikerider
Rigid, I couldn't agree with you more. When I had a FS XC bike I used to joke that I only needed it to ride *to* the trails, whereupon a fully rigid bike would work fine!

I never thought it would come to this but I am having to put a (cheapo) suspension fork on my beater bike due to the abysmal road conditions. Unfortunately, the risk of theft goes up even though the fork is a P.O.S.

I've been contemplating doing the same thing to my beater bike. I've seen suspension forks as cheap as $150 US. I'm just not sure if those forks would fit my bike.

PBW

They're even cheaper than $150 nowadays. I've seen some advertised for as low as $80.00. I'll do some looking around and if I find any, I'll post the link!

L8R

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
They're even cheaper than $150 nowadays. I've seen some advertised for as low as $80.00. I'll do some looking around and if I find any, I'll post the link!

L8R


Good deal... thanks.

Heck for that price it's worth it.... then just tack on a suspension seat post and I'll be set. :)

PBW