ryanmm

Bikesdirect has the Fuji Sunfire 3.0 for $300 as a BF deal. It has a front suspension fork that can be locked
out. Bike would be a general use exercise/transport bike, will never be ridden on dirt trails. So I would keep
the fork permanently locked out. Would the expected life of a locked out fork be substantially less than
a rigid fork? It's a cheap Suntour fork if it matters. Rest of the bike looks decent.

I'm gonna wait till tomorrow to see if the local shops have any interesting deals.

Happy Thanksgiving also I've stuffed at the moment glad I got my ride in this morning.

fietsbob

A few steps up your price ladder and Bike companies
begin offering a lock out fork feature,

you can buy a fork like that, just you are buying 1..

Where a factory buys thousands.. so you pay more, .. per unit.

But It sounds like you just want a simple rigid fork ..
ask about that..
'suspension corrected' means the blades are longer so head tube won't drop..
and negatively change the steering geometry..




...

ctxcrossx

I'm jealous! I don't think I'll get a chance to get in a workout today. With such an inexpensive bike, I wouldn't expect any longevity on the fork/components at all. I don't think locked out vs. not locked out would matter. Considering the type of riding you're doing, I'd be looking at maybe a hybrid that has a rigid fork instead. It'll have better tires for pavement, have more appropriate gearing, and likely would be lighter overall for the same price.

Troul 

as much as i'd liked to have been using a rigid fork up until this point, the road conditions around by me just would just increase the pinch flat or a taco exponentially more. The "energy" lost in the rebound effect is fine by me. I just leave mine set on firm, not locked out.

Leukybear 

A fork that is locked out will actually last longer!
Less movement = less wear and tear!

And yes, a moving suspension fork will cause you to lose some efficiency. You'll have better power transfer with it locked.
For day to day use, definitely have it locked if you're going uphill. Perhaps unlock it for a stretch of bad road.

subgrade

This is not so straight forward. Hitting bad bumps can damage a locked out suspension fork; only higher end forks will have a safety valve which prevents them from getting damaged in such an event.
Also, a locked out fork, is not fully stationary, it still has a few mm travel; and a cheap fork also will probably develop some play in the stanchions over time. So to answer OP's question, I'd say yes, a permanently locked out fork won't probably last as long as fully rigid fork. Plus it weighs 2-3 times more.
However, if you buy the bike and want to replace the suspension fork with rigid one, be prepared that
a) a nice rigid fork may cost quite a bit more than a cheap suspension fork;
b) to not mess up the bike's geometry (which is critical to handling), you'll have to look for "suspension corrected" rigid fork, which has (roughly) the same axle-to-crown length - which might not be so easy to come by.

Speedway2

OP, if you're looking for opinions.....at your price point and for your intended use get yourself a rigid hybrid and keep your tires properly inflated.

Kedosto

Leukybear 

Valid points but it's not likely that OP will encounter such a bad bump riding primarily on-road though.

And yes, a rigid fork is the best choice for OP's planned riding style.

Ironfish653

Yes, the life of a locked out suspension fork will be substantilally less than the life span of a rigid fork, which is pretty much infinite, particularly on a $300 bike.

Depending totally on the design of the lockout, riding 'permanently locked out' will / can / may cause premature failure of the fork internals, since any big bumps (like curb crossings) will be borne entirely by the lockout mechanism, instead of the springs, which are there specifically to absorb impacts.

The Fuji you're linked to has a 50mm travel fork, which is really really short, especially by modern standards. It also appears to spec an adjustable preload. By increasing the preload, you can basically increase the threshold that the fork will start to respond to. That means it won't bob up and down for every little thing, but will still be able to react on the big bumps.

I find that most recreational riders have their forks set way too soft, which is where a lot of the "Suspension is too Mushy" sentiment comes from.
There's also a lot of road-bike bias here at BF (no offense) and a penchant to classify all bike suspension as either cheap Walm*rt junk, or by the standards of current-gen long-travel trail-monster MTBs.

freeranger

Occasionally, I'll take my (heavy) mtn.bike out for a road ride (for a workout). Got to say I enjoy having the suspension fork (set to firm). I think if you set your fork to firm, you'll like it better than locked out, and you won't lose any great deal of efficiency. Try it, you may find you like it! And just my opinion, but I think the fork may last longer than if locked out (less jarring to the bushings,etc.)

Kapusta

ryanmm

In the end that's what I did, Nashbar had a deal on some old-stock Breezer hybrids.

BrocLuno

I like lock forks. Dual air weighs very little. Being able to flick teh lever for bad roads and baike paths with heaved pavement is nice. If climbing where you can't let the energy go into fork movement, sure lock them. Otherwise, they are not a big downside. Keep the compression pressure up and they have little sag, but will still flex for big bumps

Speedway2

Good choice! Nashbar has some nice deals on Breezers....

subgrade

50/63mm travel, which seems to be the standard for hybrid bikes, is enough for the riding they are intended for, given the fork isn't set too soft.

Ironfish653

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ironfish653
The Fuji you're linked to has a 50mm travel fork, which is really really short, especially by modern standards.
Quote:
There's also a lot of road-bike bias here at BF (no offense) and a penchant to classify all bike suspension as either cheap Walm*rt junk, or by the standards of current-gen long-travel trail-monster MTBs.

Exactly. For mixed use, a well set-up fork can make a bike not only more comfortable, but marginally 'faster' than a similar rigid bike. I raced XC in the early '90s when a Mag-21 was state-of-the-art and remember the difference those early short-travel forks made.

My commuter bike is my retired (last) race bike, a Cannondale F-1000 with an 80mm air fork. It gives up 5~6 mph in top speed to my road bikes, due to the gearing and 26" wheels, but my average (moving) speed is within 0.2 mph on all three bikes over the 12-mile route. My fastest time is on that bike, too. The fork takes away the effort of dealing with terrain / obstacles / surface changes, so I can put my effort in to making the thing go.

freeranger

I think you'll be happier with the Breezer with a rigid fork. Looked up Nashbar and they do have some good deals. Enjoy!!

MAK

Not said above (or missed it), if you can find a rigid fork bike you like, you'll save a few pounds. I moved from a cheap suspension fork on a $700 bike to a rigid fork and saved 4 lbs.