Originally Posted by
Kapusta
If one thinks of the frame as a spring, a spring does not dissipate energy. It stores energy (most of it, anyway). And in the case of a bike frame, releases that energy. Steel and aluminum are pretty efficient in terms of storing and releasing energy. I'm not sure about CF.
A damper dissipates energy.
A damper dissipates energy.
It's not a spring. It's mainly hysteric damping, the frame is its own damper. The same reason a steel beam returns to its original shape after the load is removed. You don't need a viscous damper to experience damping.