Originally Posted by
sehsuan
given the experience of my Ultimate 5 on my mountain bike with a Fox R80RLT... i tend to lock out the fork because the bobbing effect is probably compounded from the long lever arm if i consider the distance and weight on the handlebar bag from the rear hubs. this wasn't exactly what i liked - i'd rather some comfort with the fork unlocked.
all in all, given a choice i'd most likely choose the OMM lower-legs mounted solutions, instead of having the load laden "sprung" - i guess i'd need to further increase the air pressure in the fork to cut the excessive sag... more hassle!
i'm using a tubus rear rack, however i personally feel the Swing would kill my fork faster by causing more fork dive upon especially unseen potholes. i'm trying to marry from my current short-haul touring experience (read: limited!) and mountain biking. of course, if i'm a dimwit to go into a pothole with a sprung OR unsprung front end, i'll be asking for trouble... heck, i'd be in BIG trouble going into a pothole even without a front load! LOL
It's my understanding (which has been wrong before) is that a suspension fork functions by extending into a "pothole", then dampening the impact when one hits the other side and (hopefully) emerges from it. It keeps one's front tire more in contact with the ground so one gets the considerable advantage of the tire's traction. I think I can see it both ways, but it seems to me that a greater mass moving rapidly up and down at the end of the fork would be more stressful than if the suspension were allowed to operate unimpeded. I'm sure that that's what Tubus would argue anyway.
OTOH, those in my GDMBR party who rode rigids did fine also. Big front tires, not inflated to the max, with front panniers that helped the fork to flex. They're forks were lighter too.
I bought mine at thetouringstore.com. Talk to Wayne if you have any questions about fit.