Originally Posted by
Skipjacks
How "Off road"
If it's not lots of bumps and tree roots and rocks....skip the front suspension. If it's just hard pack dirt without a lot of hard impacts...still skip the front suspension. If it's a seriously rocky trail with large drops that truly needs a front suspension....the spring shocks on the 3 bikes you have picked will be woefully underpowered and relatively useless.
Originally Posted by
davei1980
+1 to Skipjack's comments - suspension is only good for absorbing "big hits" …. running wider, suppler tires at lower pressures is more efficient at dampening small (and some big) bumps in the road or trail. Also, the wider tires will keep you more comfortable over your longer rides.
By "off road" I'm definitely not talking about full-on trails
. Mainly gravel paths, really badly chipped up roads & sidewalks (daily), and woodland over tree roots and the like. I haven't ridden a
real bike (non BSO) without front suspension, so I don't know how comfortable it is (I tried a BSO without front suspension and it was horrible - that bike ride ended within a matter of minutes).
A test ride is probably the easiest way for me to figure out whether I'd benefit from front susp or not
