My Friend raised this question to me earlier in the week. I don't know the answer. I say its a coil over shock, he says its a strut. e-suggestions?
Is a rear shock a shock, or a strut?
- Thread starter BigMike
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i thought that a strut flexed...so like a carbon "pivot" like a canondale has would be a strut...or is that just a flex point...oh hell now i'm really messed up. Hardtails are better!
a strut is a spring/damper which is a structural part of the suspension, like a MacPhearson strut. The Lefty would be considered a strut, not sure about normal forks tho.
I'm not exactly sure, but I think a strut is a combination shock/structural frame member, like the shock on the Maverick and Klein bikes.
i'm thinking it would make it plural, and maybe a fork could be considered as 'struts' as well. And i think the shaft itself on a damper could be called a strut in relation to the damper only.Toshi said:
I think technically they would be struts. Like someone said a strut is an integrated spring and dampening system. Most rear shocks would be coilovers.
I don't think so, since there's not actually any sideloading on it (in either plane); it's a two-force member.zedro said:
You should re-read the above posts.. That's not what they said.SDminitrucker said:
what a silly technicality. tell your friend to stop being so pedantic.
This is funny.
Except all those pesky air shocks.SDminitrucker said:
A strut pivots at one end only and a shock pivots at both. Whether the damper uses a coil-spring wrapped around it or beside it or not at all (air/notrogen) doesn't make a difference, ie; a coil-over can be a strut or a shock...
Like others have said, bikes like some K2's and AMP's use struts but most bikes use shocks...
Like others have said, bikes like some K2's and AMP's use struts but most bikes use shocks...
hmm, then how do you explain some aircraft landing gear...those are considered struts no?punkassean said:
Not sure about plane landing gear but in automotive applications that is how suspension is described so I'd assume it's the same...
Nothing like healthy confusion 
The point is that a strut is a shock but a shock isn't necessarily a strut (kinda like the whole square / rectangle thing...). Here's a better defintion...
Strut: A special kind of oversized shock absorber that's used as part of the vehicle's suspension. When used on the front suspension, it replaces the upper control arm and ball joint. Some struts have coil springs around them while others do not. Some struts have replaceable internal components that can be repaired by dropping in a new cartridge."
In car terms this means that the upper mount is fixed (typically via three bolts spread around a large diameter) and the lower mount is a standard pivoting eye mount (fixed with one large bolt). This is as compared to a basic shock which has a pivoting eye mount at both ends. As you can see from the description above the need for a pivoting upper control arm (Rocker-link in bicycle terms) is eliminated.
I think that pretty well clears up any confusion...
Strut: A special kind of oversized shock absorber that's used as part of the vehicle's suspension. When used on the front suspension, it replaces the upper control arm and ball joint. Some struts have coil springs around them while others do not. Some struts have replaceable internal components that can be repaired by dropping in a new cartridge."
In car terms this means that the upper mount is fixed (typically via three bolts spread around a large diameter) and the lower mount is a standard pivoting eye mount (fixed with one large bolt). This is as compared to a basic shock which has a pivoting eye mount at both ends. As you can see from the description above the need for a pivoting upper control arm (Rocker-link in bicycle terms) is eliminated.
I think that pretty well clears up any confusion...
okay here is what it is in car terms. any stock suspension that comes on a vehical is a strut. meaning there isnt really anything special about it except it compresses and makes the car ride nice. no adjusment features or notin. it is basically a simple suspension system for the averatge car buyer.
a shock on the other hand is an afftermarket part. granted we call struts shock but they are two different things. also a shock provides tunning features and performance upgrades with it. which means the car or truck will performe better. so in this sense we have shocks on our bikes becasuse there are adjusment upgrades and performance upgrades that have been done or can be done to them. and also like punkassenen said a shock piviots at both ends which also increases performance.
a shock on the other hand is an afftermarket part. granted we call struts shock but they are two different things. also a shock provides tunning features and performance upgrades with it. which means the car or truck will performe better. so in this sense we have shocks on our bikes becasuse there are adjusment upgrades and performance upgrades that have been done or can be done to them. and also like punkassenen said a shock piviots at both ends which also increases performance.
uhh...nome89 said:
I don't know where you came up with that 
is there an emoticon that shows one pulling something out of their ass?punkassean said:I don't know where you came up with that
No but there should be.
zedro said:
will the Goatse do?
