Front suspension on hybrid pros and cons?

[Devonhills]

More questions I’m afraid as I try to narrow down on the spec I’m looking to get in a bike.
I hired a couple of hybrids recently. One with front suspension forks and one without. I did like the one with the suspension. It smoothed out a lot of the buzz and bumps from the road. I was left thinking that it had to be better for my wrists, elbows, shoulders etc. A generally more comfortable ride.
Are there any downsides to front suspension other than the added weight?
I do plenty of climbing in my rides here in Devon so it’s not flat terrain but some of the roads and country lanes are quite rough and chewed up in places.

 

[Cycleops]

I suspect the general consensus here will be don't bother with them as they just add weight without adding much in terms of comfort but if you feel there is an advantage go for it.
Lowering tyre pressure will do much the same thing. The extra weight won't help your climbing which is where you'll feel it most.

 

[All uphill]

Suspension forks are heavy, require maintenance and can absorb pedalling power and may, just may, add some comfort (though I doubt it on a bike used on road).

Bigger, better tyres are , imo, the way to go, along with a riding position that doesn't put a lot of weight on your hands and wrists.

 

[Brandane]

As with bikes themselves, there are many varied types of suspension fork. The budget forks as fitted to budget bikes are built to a price and are there more as a gimmick than to add any comfort to your ride. They are the ones which add weight and not much else. As with many things in life, you will get what you pay for with suspension forks. Not being a real MTB'er I am unable to advise on specific forks which might be a good compromise between price and quality.

 

[Cycleops]

That's right budget suspension forks are little more than a tube with a spring. It's not until you move up the price range you get any sort of damping. Even so I'd say on the road there's very little advantage even with more sophistication and damping.
Perhaps some users of hybrids with a suspension fork could comment.

 

[Kajjal]

It’s really personal preference and where you plan to ride. My mountain bikes all have suspension and without it you would take a pounding off road on anything but smooth tracks. I also have a diverge with front suspension which works well on and off road. The problems come from cheap, heavy , poorly design suspension forks which are more like unstable pogo sticks and normally have little dampen or adjustment.

 

[MichaelW2]

In addition to hybrid sus forks generally being bad forks, the people who make mudguards do not design pairs for the common sus hybris style of bike. Pairs are either both traditional superior bolt on, or both suspension compatible strap-on/rubber band/velcro style.

 

[Vantage]

Unlike rear suspension, suspension forks don't really sap energy on an uphill due to pogoing. There's no enough weight on them to cause that.
The technology in forks has come a long way since the 90s and perfectly good forks can be had for about a hundred quid. I know because I have a pair...although I no longer use them...decathlon branded and completely serviceable...which is almost unheard of in cheap forks.
Suspension forks aren't there to aid comfort. Their use is to aid traction and therefore control. Hit a particularly big pothole on your climb and potentially, the bike could stop dead in its tracks. A suspension fork designed and built properly soaks up that shock and allows the bike to continue moving forward...all things being equal.
Most people will be sufficiently capable of seeing that pothole coming up and just avoid it or have the skill to keep the bike moving.
There have been cases of injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome developing as a result of excessive vibration through the handlebars and the suspension fork is an easy way of avoiding that. A cheaper way is simply to have the bike set up correctly so there's isn't too much weight on your hands.
Unless the bike is significantly more expensive because it has a suspension fork, that fork will have lead to costs being cut in other areas of the bike. Cheaper tyres, brakes, bottom bracket etc.
Whether or not you choose to have your bike suspended is completely your choice. I would however say that if there is alot of off-road cycling on your rides, a bouncy fork I think would be advantageous for you. If you're more road orientated, it's cons may be too punitive.
Take a few more rest rides and do what makes you feel happier

 

[MidnightRider]

Many suspension forks have a 'lock out' switch which means you can effectively make them rigid on surfaces where non-suspension would benefit you.

Suspension forks are handy for going up kerbs/edges etc and coping with poor road surfaces, at this point I can only see our roads continuing to deteriorate and at a much faster rate. It said in the paper the other day many councils are openly saying they still have no central funding to fix pot holes smaller than around 8 or 10 inches in diameter and even then they have to be around or more than 1.5 inches deep. Local road to me is covered in pot holes but only a few are marked for repair, even next to each other.

If you remain undecided, its easier to buy a ridgid bike and later buy a suitable suspension fork for it (they all have various amounts of travel and angle, so you would need to look into this, not just buy any random suspension as it could mess up your bike geometery). Its quite difficult in comparison to move from a suspension fork to a rigid one, only because there is quite limited choice on the market of fixed forks and also the colours they come in. Colour matching is traditionally a bit less 'important' in off road forks/frames for those who value visual appeal. You may be relaxed about such things or like a contrast. Perhaps look at a range that has a ridgid bike and also suspension forks on higher priced bikes using the same basic frame? Then you will have some idea that an upgrade is viable if you choose to later on. Maybe make a note of the forks they are using on the suspended bikes for later reference. It will be written on the forks or on the bike specs.

Mudguards are available specifically for suspension forks, though they tend to be shorter, giving less coverage / protection to rider. The ones I have used fitted into the bottom of the head tube /under the fork crown. An expanding plug system that the mudguard then snaps into. I found it was best to store or transport the bike with these front mudguards taken off, as the ones I had seem designed to break away (not usable again) if knocked hard or entangled in something, I presume for safety reasons given its intended for off road use. There may be better mudguard designs by now as its a few years since I bought one. Guards at the back end tend to be more robust, I have never had to replace one.

 

[MidnightRider]

Most people will be sufficiently capable of seeing that pothole coming up and just avoid it

Traditionally, yes. On many of the roads I drive its now impossible to avoid major holes even in the car, esp at night - the car I use has very good lights and I am talking of driving between 30 and 40mph not speeding (60 mph limit), looking for potholes I know are somewhere in various sectors of road, there are too many now to remember where all of them exactly are. The local roads on a bike at night are becoming a nightmare as more and more road structure degrades.

There are just so many potholes, they are now so close together that to swerve away from one is to land in another, if on a bike or in a car.
Nothing will improve until the big business transport companies with lorries start kicking up more fuss.
We are only at the start of much much worse road deterioration.

I used to wonder why the wonderful Roman roads in this country got destroyed as they must have been very beneficial to everyone even after the Romans left. Now I understand, sadly.

 

[Vantage]

Yebbut....the op was asking about riding a bike up a hill. Not driving a car at 30-40mph. Reaction times at uphill cycling speeds are a little more forgiving.

 

[Cycleops]

You guys don't know what potholes are. You should try driving down here

 

[Devonhills]

Thanks for the replies and good advice. I took a couple bikes on a test ride from my local bike shop. One with decent carbon forks and one with a set of front suspension forks.
I was surprised at how well the buzz and small bumps were taken out by the carbon forks. On the short test I couldn’t really feel much difference in comfort between the two.
When I got out of the saddle up a hill the suspension forks did start that pogo action which definitely caused a loss of power and some speed.
Now those suspension forks probably weren’t set up right for me or weren’t the best performers but it has probably swayed me towards a bike with carbon forks.
The state of the roads is definitely something to think about though.

 

[Vantage]

I can see the appeal of carbon fibre forks. How many times have specialized recalled their forks? I've lost count.

 

[Cycleops]

The 'pogoing' can be taken out with the lockout that most have but then you're back to a rigid fork. I'm glad you tried them and found the carbon comfortable.
Sure carbon forks can fail but the failure rate is infinitesimal. Even steel can fail not to mention aluminum