A full suspension mountain bike is often referred to as adual suspension off-road bike as it is equipped with shock absorbers for both wheels. This is in contrast to the hardtail mountain bike which has a shock absorber for the front wheel. Both sorts of mountain bikes have their own uses. The hardtail bike is easier to pedal and is faster than the full suspension bike on smooth terrain. However the latter kind can run faster on rough terrain because the shock absorber permits more traction by absorbing the effects of obstructions. Except for offering the rider a more comfy ride, the bicycle suspension also enhances efficiency and safety.

Kinds of bike Suspension

The suspension system can be implemented thru a suspension stem, suspension front fork, rear suspension, suspension seat post, or suspension hub. A mix of these techniques might also be applied. It should be spotted the suspension stem is no longer popular.

The front suspension is generally made possible by trying two shock absorbers for the front fork. The shock absorber is sometimes made of a spring and a damper. The spring could be a coil spring, compressed air, or elastomer. The damper is usually offered by letting oil pass thru shim stacks or small openings.

Types of Rear Suspension

Rear suspension is often regarded to mean full suspension because trail bicycles with single suspension often apply a front suspension technology. The sorts of rear suspension include the single pivot, soft tail, Horst link and four bar suspensions, unified rear triangle, Virtual Pivot Point, FSR system, DW-link, Equilink, Monolink, and split pivot.

The single pivot is the most simple kind and is also the least expensive. Various bike manufacturers have implemented their own designs for rear suspension and each design has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is up to the purchaser to establish which of the features are most crucial to him.

Buying a Full Suspension mountain bike

When planning to purchase a full suspension off-road bike itis important to ask if you’re actually serious about having the ability to ride across rough terrain. A good hardtail trail bicycle will be faster than the least dear full suspension bike because the latter is usually heavier aside from being laden with the intrinsic downsides of a rear suspension.

The amount of suspension travel is also important when buying this sort of mountain bike. For uphill or cross country racing, suspension travel should be less than 4.5 inches. These are lighter as the less suspension travel, the lighter the bike.

However for those who wish to do some jumping or free riding, the extra weight is not a primary concern. Thus, this sort of mountain bike will typically need six to eight inches of suspension travel. And in between these two is the trail bike, which needs up to 6.5 inches of suspension travel.

Top Selling Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

• GT Marathon Carbon Expert 2010
• GT Force 2.0 2010
• GT Sensor 2.0 2010
• Felt Compulsion 2 2010
• BMC Fourstroke FS03
• Felt Virtue 3 2009
• Felt Virtue 3 2010
• Felt Redemption 3 2010
• Rocky Mountain Element 50 2009
• BMC Trailfox TF02

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