Locking front shocks
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Locking front shocks
Why do I want to lock the front shocks when riding on smooth roads? So I have to pull over and unlock if I want to ride on uneven terrain or the road gets bumpy?
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+1. Every shock I use has a lever on the top of the fork that is easy to flip open. Some even have remote cable mounts on the handlebars.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#4
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I never lock out my shock, no loss of power, better for rough roads.
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I don't have much experience with front shocks. I had front shocks on a MTB that didnt have the option to lock out/in/on. The bike I have now doesn't have front shocks.
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It's the energy loss. You'll notice the losses from bobbing more if you're a stand and pedal type rider. Suspension damping and blow-off thresholds can help to minimize the bobbing. Do what feels best on the bike you're riding given how you are riding it.
#10
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Some people get an annoying amount of front-end suspension bob if they don't lock their forks. If you don't get lots of bobbing, then it might be reasonable for you to never lock out the fork. Do what works for you.
You shouldn't need to pull over.
The lockout is usually a lever at the top of a fork stanchion. You should be able to reach it while riding, if your bike fits.
So I have to pull over and unlock if I want to ride on uneven terrain or the road gets bumpy?
The lockout is usually a lever at the top of a fork stanchion. You should be able to reach it while riding, if your bike fits.
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If you're riding on pavement there is no need to activate the fork. It's just a flick of a switch on my handlebars while riding along. On another bike my old sid hydro airs were pumped up enough that a lockout wouldn't need required...some give but otherwise firm. On cheap old and new bikes the rebound is so crappy the fork just behaves like a spring robbing you of control and pedaling efficiency...full squish cheapos are even worse.
#13
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You have to spend more money on a bike to have a fork lock out, at all ..
and a bit more to have a remote lock out control lever.. on the handlebars
My Cane Creek thudbuster does not have any lock out,
you choose the elastomer density according to your body weight..
...
and a bit more to have a remote lock out control lever.. on the handlebars
So same for the shock on the seat?
you choose the elastomer density according to your body weight..
...
Last edited by fietsbob; 08-11-18 at 11:58 AM.
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I definitely notice the power loss on climbs, out of saddle; if I don't have my front shock locked I'll tire so much quicker from the bobbing it's pathetic, that's even with the pre-load adjusted to the stiffest setting and I'm not even that heavy! Ihave to pull over to engage it, but that's a rare occasion these days; I'm certainly getting a solid fork on my next bike.
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I definitely notice the power loss on climbs, out of saddle; if I don't have my front shock locked I'll tire so much quicker from the bobbing it's pathetic, that's even with the pre-load adjusted to the stiffest setting and I'm not even that heavy! Ihave to pull over to engage it, but that's a rare occasion these days; I'm certainly getting a solid fork on my next bike.
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I definitely notice the power loss on climbs, out of saddle; if I don't have my front shock locked I'll tire so much quicker from the bobbing it's pathetic, that's even with the pre-load adjusted to the stiffest setting and I'm not even that heavy! Ihave to pull over to engage it, but that's a rare occasion these days; I'm certainly getting a solid fork on my next bike.
Is there nothing that can be done to reduce that energy sapping bounce if you don't have a lock-out???
#17
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does anyone know how much these shock absorber forks weigh compared to non shock forks.
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Lets see, I "upgraded" the fork from the basic shock to rigid in 2009 from parts bought on bikeisland... Once I had both forks in my hands the weight difference was obvious. If I had been less thrifty, I might've gone with lighter shock absorbers or even a lighter carbon fork, but I'm a cheap ba$tard...
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Rigid forks from one to two and a half pounds.
#21
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My Rockshox Revelation have a sub-lockout (called Threshold) which is like lockout but will still cushion a heavy impact.
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I don't notice any difference leaving it open. I'm light and the bikes not too old and I'm not hammering too hard.
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For many years I rode a rigid bike even on singletrack, which where I live is mostly smooth enough for just some wide tires and low pressures. I did cave in and go back to suspension for the sake of my back. Because getting old's a bummer! I still often grab the rigid bike though, and always do so for anything involving pavement or gravel or doubletrack.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!