Originally Posted by
Wanderer
Yes, they do make the ride more pleasant, and take shock away from wrists, shoulders, backs............. Yes, the lockouts do work well for when you are climbing or are on a really smooth road. Yes, they may make it possible to keep riding longer.
No they are not all junk, and maintenance has been zero for the last 5 years. No, it doesn't wiggle, shake rattle or roll. No, I don't notice the weight, as my bike is pretty utilitarian almost always with rack, fenders, tail trunk, panniers, lights, pump, various tools and locks, etc. It ain't a lightweight. But it will do almost anything I ask of it.
If you want it, don't be afraid of it. Almost all name brands are really decent trekking suspension forks. I ride 6,000 - 9,000 miles per year.
+1
This is true.
However, unless you have some kinda medical condition, or you're mtbiking, or riding the war-torn streets of Beirut, you don't really need a suspension fork.
Of course, they most assuredly can add to the comfort of a cyclist. However, if speed is of primary concern, a suspended fork will impede it. A suspended fork will assist a cyclist in rebounding from an uneven surface and it will dampen most road vibrations, but it's weight and irrelevant movements will absorb valuable forward energy output in the process of performing these functions. Energy output that would normally go towards producing speed. That's one reason that we never see suspension forks on road racing, or touring bikes. It's because with road racing bikes, speed is the primary objective. On touring bikes, efficient coverage of distance is the objective. Tourers can't afford the wasted energy presented by a suspended fork.