exwhyzed

Hi All,

Yes I'm one of those people who ride their bike on the sidewalk. But i live closer to the outskirts of my city so everyone drives a car, leaving virtually all of the sidewalks unused, yaay!

I'm looking for a good way to eliminate all of the little bumps that occur when riding over those sidewalk squares, uneven pavement blocks, and agitated and gnarled tarmac areas. I find that after a long bikeride, after i'm tired, small bumps tend to shake me to the very core!

This quest to eliminate bumps started after I dripped lube into my no-name mtb forks, they became super responsive, resulting in much longer bikerides since my body was less fatigued.
i've read that a thudbuster is good for absorbing body shocks. But i've seen a thudbuster short-travel and long-travel. Which would be better for consistently small bumps?

my current bike, CCM equator, (32.8 lbs)

Secondly tires. I'd actually like to get a 700C hybrid bike, but i'm afraid that those high air pressure tires
will again amplify all bumps. I had a specialized sirrus before with slick tires, and it was squirrely and slid around on sandy areas.

Will knobby 700c tires compensate and make for a more plush ride? Or will the high 700c air-pressure make for such a tight tire that its knobbiness will only add grip and no noticeable shock absorption? Will knobby tires make a bike less squirrely, or is this how 700C bikes naturally behave?

And finally forks...I came across a Trek 8.5 DS "Gary Fisher", looks like the year is 2012, and it has SR Suntour NEX or NRX with remote lockout. The current bid for this is $450. Is this a good 700C bike, tire, fork combo? And how much should a person bid on a bike like this such that it is still a good deal?

Thanks in advance for any insights, or hybrid bike suggestions. I was even thinking of getting another Sirrus and putting a suspension fork and thudbuster on it...but i'm really not sure what my best options are.

2702

I find 32mm-35mm tires to be the best fit for comfort and relative ease of speed. I would spend the extra cash on Continential tires, best riding road tires out there with Specialized next.

highrpm

I think that the hybrid will be faster overall, but your bike has the tall tires and a front suspension to absorb bumps. You will not get a smoother ride on a hybrid.

exwhyzed

Thanks for the info all!