Do you really need suspension?

novice said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails? Also, i noticed that department stores sell
aluminum frame bikes for under 300 dollars. Is their a catch or have
aluminum frames come down in price?

Trust me, you DON'T NEED a $300 department store bike with any suspension,
front or rear.

They're generally undamped pogo sticks.

Mike

--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

novice said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails? Also, i noticed that department stores sell
aluminum frame bikes for under 300 dollars. Is their a catch or have
aluminum frames come down in price?

Sniff... sniff... I think I smell something under the bridge.

Google Wallyworld or Walgoose for this newsgroup and you'll get your answer.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

novice said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails? Also, i noticed that department stores sell
aluminum frame bikes for under 300 dollars. Is their a catch or have
aluminum frames come down in price?

Suspension is not necessary but most people like the comfort aspects of
it. A rigid fork on a quality (even used) frame would be better than
anything on a department store bike. Those things don't ride well, break
easily, and are hard (and unpleasant) to work on.

Matt

MattB said:

novice said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails? Also, i noticed that department stores sell
aluminum frame bikes for under 300 dollars. Is their a catch or have
aluminum frames come down in price?

Suspension is not necessary but most people like the comfort aspects
of it. A rigid fork on a quality (even used) frame would be better
than anything on a department store bike. Those things don't ride
well, break easily, and are hard (and unpleasant) to work on.

Work on? Generally the best tool for those is a car... to drive it over to
the local Goodwill or Salvation Army.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Phil said:

MattB said:

novice said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails? Also, i noticed that department stores sell
aluminum frame bikes for under 300 dollars. Is their a catch or have
aluminum frames come down in price?

Suspension is not necessary but most people like the comfort aspects
of it. A rigid fork on a quality (even used) frame would be better
than anything on a department store bike. Those things don't ride
well, break easily, and are hard (and unpleasant) to work on.

Work on? Generally the best tool for those is a car... to drive it over to
the local Goodwill or Salvation Army.

I would only disagree to suggest a steamroller.

Matt

On 13 Apr 2006 01:59:37 -0700, "novice" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails?

Gary Fisher and his friends rode trails without it for years before
the first suspension forks were sold, so the answer should be obvious.
Does a decent suspension fork make riding easier and more enjoyable?
In my opinion, yes.

Quoted message said:

Also, i noticed that department stores sell
aluminum frame bikes for under 300 dollars. Is their a catch or have
aluminum frames come down in price?

A Walgoose is just a Walgoose, but a Santa Cruz is a Bicycle. You
gets what you pays for.

<mode="Forrest_Gump">
Department store bicycles are like a box of chocolates. You never
know what kind you're going to get.
</mode>
Of course, with WallyWorld and their ilk, there's one thing you can be
sure of: No matter how good the chocolate shell looks, the inside's
going to be nougat. Pfui.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Phil said:

MattB said:

novice said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails? Also, i noticed that department stores sell
aluminum frame bikes for under 300 dollars. Is their a catch or have
aluminum frames come down in price?

Suspension is not necessary but most people like the comfort aspects
of it. A rigid fork on a quality (even used) frame would be better
than anything on a department store bike. Those things don't ride
well, break easily, and are hard (and unpleasant) to work on.

Work on? Generally the best tool for those is a car... to drive it over to
the local Goodwill or Salvation Army.

or to run it over with. while novice is riding it.

Werehatrack said:

On 13 Apr 2006 01:59:37 -0700, "novice" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails?

Gary Fisher and his friends rode trails without it for years before
the first suspension forks were sold, so the answer should be obvious.
Does a decent suspension fork make riding easier and more enjoyable?
In my opinion, yes.

Not a friend of Gary Fisher, don't even know the guy. But I was also
riding the same (okay, similar) trails before springy bike parts were
invented. Although with some trails, the operative phrase is "trying to
ride."

I've pretty much decided to go for a hard tail this season. I won't be
paying $300, either.

--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the
trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view,
the most insidious of traitors."
George H.W. Bush, April 16, 1999,

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006 21:36:08 -0600, Raptor <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Werehatrack said:

On 13 Apr 2006 01:59:37 -0700, "novice" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Im talking front suspension. Is it necessary for beginner and
intermediate trails?

Gary Fisher and his friends rode trails without it for years before
the first suspension forks were sold, so the answer should be obvious.
Does a decent suspension fork make riding easier and more enjoyable?
In my opinion, yes.

Not a friend of Gary Fisher, don't even know the guy.

Me neither, but...

http://www.fisherbikes.com/history/

Quoted message said:

But I was also
riding the same (okay, similar) trails before springy bike parts were
invented. Although with some trails, the operative phrase is "trying to
ride."

Oddly enough, some of us were beating through the boonies on old
Schwinns (or whatever we had, for that matter) back in the '60s; we
didn't have any mountains in my area (for that matter, we didn't have
any *hills*), but that wasn't much of an impediment to the fun.

Quoted message said:

I've pretty much decided to go for a hard tail this season. I won't be
paying $300, either.

Good kit has no fixed price or location.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.