Suspension Lockout

[jethro10]

Hi,
I can't afford multiple bikes and dont have space for them anyhow.

I live in the lake district and my journeys, purley for pleasure, are a mix of on road, sightseeing with many off road bits also.

THe offroad bits would certainly benefit from rear suspension but that will kill on-road bits really.

Can you get bikes with rear suspension lockouts (like front ones) for the on road bits so I end up with a better compromise?

Plan B is a hard tail and go slower off road

Jeff

 

[punkypossum]

Plan B!

 

[addictfreak]

I think depending on how rough your off road sections are, then a hard tail is the best choice. Its all down to budget of course. I have a carbon scott scale with a lockout front fork. It will absorb the rough stuff and it absolutely flys on the road.

 

[jethro10]

Plan B!

lol, well looks like I've invented a new market segment. Ok, possibly with only one customer.....

J

 

[marzjennings]

You can get them, but they're not cheap.

Specialized make the Stumpjumper with the 'Brain'. Locks out nicely when you hit smooth trails or the road.

 

[kewb]

cant you just adjust the rear sus till its solid ?

heavy bikes usually compared to hardtails and road bikes though

 

[GilesM]

The Scott Genius range have three settings for the rear shock, full lock out, traction control (same as Fox pro pedal) and full suspension, this is all operated by a lever on the bars, I cycle a fair bit with a friend who has a Scott Genius, my only dislike of the bike is that the rear shock just picks up every bit of shite due to its postion, but it works well. It's not a really heavy bike for a good full sus.

http://www.kudubikes.co.uk/cgi-bin/trolleyed_public.cgi?action=showprod_SCOTTGENIUS602010

 

[Stephenite]

Hmmm... If it helps.. I've got a Scott Scale (not the carbon tho , but i do have a SID World Cup ) and i think its a great bike for mixing road, gravel track, and can usually cope with most of the off-road my skills allow (tricky, rooty, stony bits, but no big drop-offs). Had to put on some Maxxis Flyweights to lower the weight and decrease rolling resistance on tarmac. Makes a big difference.

And it does fly with these tyres on... or so i thought, until i got myself a cyclo-cross bike (Kona Jake The Snake). Now, that does fly (in comparison). Haven't used it much off-road yet, because of sciatica. Today, tho, i managed to get up the 100 metres of twisty-turny-rooty stuff just outside work - only to have to put my foot down at the very end into a puddle, and in front of everyone eating lunch . I can tell it isnt built for tricky sections but should be able to carve up a lot of miles, and quickly, on road and track. Will have to wait a few months before i can give it a full, honest review tho. A bonus here is that you can also put a bike-rack on, for light-weight touring.

Another option is a lightweight full-sussy like Scott Spark. Light weight (as said) with full-lockout front and rear. Havent ridden one of these but i quite like the look of them. Rear suss allows you to go downhill off-road faster, and that is only a good thing! I think you'll have to put your hand deeper in your pocket tho.

So, the way i see it... 3 options - 1. Cross-country HT; 2. Cyclo-cross (with holes for rack); 3. Lightweight full suspension.

My advice is to use a few weeks looking on the 2nd-hand market first. If you cant find any good deals go for option 1. Generally, use the reviews on MBUK, Bikeradar, etc. And ask on here what people think of such-n-such a bike. Anyway, good luck. And, if you've read all this can you recommend any good online ESOL courses?

 

[jethro10]

Thanks for all this folks.
J

 

[jethro10]

And, if you've read all this can you recommend any good online ESOL courses?

I'm sorry, I can't. But are you sure you need it?

J