Originally Posted by
Saale
Generally suspension improves ride comfort for occupants of any type of vehicle, and I know as a rule of thumb that in cars the less unsprung weight (wheel assemblies) there is, the less it'll upset the handling (important for building a sports car, hence why some people are obsessed with finding particularly light wheels).
The tire is the suspension.
The mass of the tire that deflects is the unsprung mass.
The remaining mass of the bicycle and load system is the sprung mass.