Hybrid bike suspension?

[toby27]

Does anyone enjoy having a hybrid bike with front suspension?

Most of the forums I read advise against it as it's extra weight but does anyone have any positives about the benefits of having suspension on a hybrid for daily commute?

 

[redvision95]

It really depends what type of riding you are doing.
Generally, No. My hybrid is rigid. Lighter and a bit more fun.

 

[raleighnut]

Unless you're spending a lot of money on the fork itself they tend to be heavy and not very good.

 

[MikeW-71]

Commuting on-road, a suspension fork is a waste of time and weight. Softening the ride is what pneumatic tyres were invented for.

 

[toby27]

That would be a resounding no to suspension then. Ok so if that's true why do they have it on hybrids? is it just to provide newbies with a feature they think they want but don't need?

 

[vickster]

Because some people like the comfort. But it slows you down. Look at your routes, test ride a bunch of bikes and decide for yourself. If riding on roads and looking for speed avoid. If riding rougher stuff and wanting comfort, consider it

 

[raleighnut]

That would be a resounding no to suspension then. Ok so if that's true why do they have it on hybrids? is it just to provide newbies with a feature they think they want but don't need?

No it is just so they look more 'offroad', a decent set of forks would cost more than the bikes that have cheap ones fitted.

 

[Kajjal]

Bigger or lower pressure tyres work better than cheap suspension forks. Only when you go off road do quality suspension forks make a difference.

 

[rovers1875]

As everyone else has said, The forks add lots of weight and don't actually work that well. If you are going off road just put some bigger knobbly tyres on, they would give you the comfort / grip. If your basically riding on roads forget suspension.

 

[toby27]

Problem I have is the roads near me are terrible so less weight and more speed are not really the priority. Think suspension forks are way to go but that seems to be a whole other minefield to find ones which do the job

 

[vickster]

Get with lockout. Pay a bit more? C2W goes up to a grand

 

[Kajjal]

If the roads are that bad buy a mountain bike like the voodoo bizango, it is very good value for money. You can then fit thinner less knobbly tyres if needed. The downside is it would weight more than a similarly priced hybrid but be alot smoother and tougher due to being a real mountain bike.

 

[RichardB]

Problem I have is the roads near me are terrible so less weight and more speed are not really the priority. Think suspension forks are way to go but that seems to be a whole other minefield to find ones which do the job

My commute (13 miles, hilly) has some awful roads, but I still wouldn't bother with suspension. My electric bike has front suspension (RST, supposedly good quality) and I leave it on the softest setting, but I still get a jarring from the surface. My Dawes (steel frame, rigid forks) has a much comfier ride on the same roads. Seriously. Unless you are jumping over tree roots and hopping off rocks, I reckon suspension adds a lot of weight for very little benefit. If I replace the Wisper for the commute (I'm aiming for a non-assisted cycling life before too long) I wouldn't consider it. For the kind of riding I do (good roads, bad roads, trails and tracks), a decent steel frame is top of the list.

 

[mybike]

I ride the Grand Union Canal towpath between Watford and Tring. Some stretches of that path are very rough, as in lumps of concrete sticking up and mostly compressed large rounded stones. I also recently bought myself a hard tail bike, Claud Butler Explorer 300, to replace my Tesco Special MTB with full suspension. My backside really misses that suspension but the bike is lighter and more agile. Hopefully I'll toughen up but I think the choice of a hardtail was the right one.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Does anyone enjoy having a hybrid bike with front suspension?

Most of the forums I read advise against it as it's extra weight but does anyone have any positives about the benefits of having suspension on a hybrid for daily commute?

I do appreciate the front suspension, on my Hybrids, the one with a lockout front fork setup, is good for mixed surface rides. It's heavier and draggier than the road bikes, but does work well on a road, with the fork locked out. Having the fork 'open' is very good for stopping any moments, if something unexpected appears on a trail section.