..or should we say “where the marketing craze got real”.
Seeing more and more of those on household bikes led me to seriously question if the customer really wants those, or if the sales man / brands / distributor pushed them onto unsuspecting individuals.
Hear me out.
The advent of reliable suspension in forks for bikes were and are a revolution, of the good kind!
For downhill. To keep the front end on the ground as much as possible, so higher speeds can be managed on the descent.
They are heavy, but that does not matter in the scenario they are built for.
They are expensive, and need to be maintained and parts replaced. Then they can do wonders for their riders.
Fast forward a couple of years, and it feels like each and every bike for the commoner like us, city slickers, commuters, tarmac tarzans and janes, was blessed with a suspension fork.
Why.
They dive down when you pedal along, costing forward motion.
They were made cheap. So cheap, maintenance is impossible.
And after a little bit of time, and rain, they would dive rough, or stop altogether.
And then, you are left with a heavy, solid, non-suspended fork, riding through your city.
And what benefit was there?
I see NONE. Enlighten me.
If you just go up and down curbs without lifting your wheels, you will stress your wheels beyond spec, suspension fork or no.
If you want a more cushionned ride, then get wide tires, and ride them soft. Job done.
Point is, the woman with the child seat in the back, riding her bike to the grocery store at 14km/h through her city, does. not. need. suspension. She could probably do with a less heavy bike though.