Durability aside, Daniel Hopkins' original suspension fork MUni was a
sweet, sweet ride. Like driving a Cadillac down the trail or something,
with it's gushy suspension and gel/air/whatever seat. I wouldn't mind
taking a ride on another one sometime...
Also, though suspension posts have their drawbacks, some designs can
work well. The Thudbuster:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=273
has only the drawback of the height of the thing, limiting the riders
who can fit one. I'm not aware of them falling apart under the rigors of
MUni.
The $25 Pyramid:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=274
lasted me a whole year before wearing out, and that was only after Steve
Dressler "learned to ride stairs" with it. It was his first experience
with a proper MUni and I think he put a lot of wear & tear on. The main
drawback of this post is the length. It was a tad too long for me, and
I'm 6' tall. But for $25 it's well worth experimenting with, long as
you're tall enough.
The Rock Shox post:
http://www.unicycle.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=275
is probably more of a risk due to the higher price. It will probably
last longer than the Pyramid, but I think it's the same length, meaning
it has the same rider-height problem.
These posts cannot be cut down, because the suspension mechanism runs
the length of the inside. On the Pyramid, the pre-load adjustment is a
threaded screw in the bottom of the post. I cut part of this off, taking
away some of the seats cushiness in exchange for a little bit lower
seat.
Suspension is best for cruising on long, bumpy trails. It's not useful
for Trials or really technical riding, only for when you're seated and
cruising. It would probably also be nice for road riders as well.
--
johnfoss - More Moab Fun
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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