Biff asked me the other day why i wanted to look into suspension. I havent consistently ridden a bike with suspension for oooooooo, 2 1/2 years or so?
What sort of rider am i?
What sort of person am i?
For the last 4-5 years i have been chasing good performances at endurance races. Solo 24, 100km, 100 mile and trying to piece together kit and fitness consistent enough to get into multi day events. All on a singlespeed with rigid forks because that's what i like riding.
The question i have been asking myself after the last 2 races is: am i at my ceiling in terms of finishing well with a rigid fork?
Sounds a little like a "bad workman" and i know there are a few super humans out there that win despite handicapping themselves, but when i get tired, i get sloppy and i get very bashed around. It becomes exponentially more tiring and i get punctures and crash occasionally. This is not how you win.
Some suspension would mitigate that. Its not how i would ideally choose to do it, but it looks like i may need to compromise my self assessment a little. Gears? nope. cant do the wear and tear and issues during events.
The alternative is to do as well as i can with what i have already chosen to ride.
The issue is going around in my brain a lot at the moment. Top plan so far is a tIF with a lefty. Either 1.5" headtube, or a 1 1/8 and a project 321 converter. Not sure. But i have been doing some research and i am becoming more convinced that *if* i decide to get a suspension fork, it will be a lefty. If anyone is interested, i can produce a screed of links and discussions regarding this.
Off to ponder more...
1 comment:
Having a Reba and using all of it, I must say, "Cheers to you and your thoughts."
Now watch some supercross and get your "plush" on.
Time with the rigid will make you pick better lines, suspension will let you make mistakes and point and shoot. Braaaaaaap!!
Good luck and enjoy the ride.
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