[Laaz]

Sorry for asking, but i have done the serch, and didint find annything good.

Does annybody know of a site where different suspension designs are explaned and such! I need it for a school report, and i have litle time!

sorry for asking again!

I would write it on my own but i dont have time( it takes me more time, becaue i am not so fluent in english)


Help!

 

[ridiculous]

http://travel.howstuffworks.com/mountain-bike4.htm

 

[gmac]

What is the difference in the designs ?

How do they ride different ?

 

[DH_RACER21]

here is how DW-LINK works http://www.dw-link.com/ it is on all the iron horse bieks well the high end ones at least.

 

[binary visions]

Really, do a search. If you searched and didn't find anything, you didn't look hard enough, there have been dozens and dozens of discussions on it. Not trying to be rude, but "please explain to me all suspension designs" is a lousy way to start a thread, nobody is going to sit down and explain to you every suspension design, and what each design's traits are. I could spend an hour typing what I know and not cover half of the important information.

Especially if you need it for a school report, there's no way we can cover the amount of information you need in a short time.

gmac, really quickly: don't refer to the design as "faux bar" - a "4 bar" design covers an extremely wide range of suspension designs, and is simply a generic engineering term referring to 4 structural members in the suspension. Specialized absolutely bastardized the term by trying to make it seem like theirs was a "true" 4 bar design when others weren't.

Specialized's design is either FSR, or a Horst link. Kona's could be referred to as a walking-beam design, or a non-Horst 4 bar (which is still a technically poor name, since DW link is a 4 bar, VPP is a 4 bar, Canfield's is a 4 bar etc., but at least people will know what you're talking about, and it's not wrong), or a single pivot with a linkage actuated shock (that's a mouthful, eh?).

The difference between the two is very, very small. There is almost no ride difference between the two designs, the Horst link will brake a little better in certain situations, but not much else. Their axle paths are nearly identical.

 

[Ascentrek]

Specialized's design is either FSR, or a Horst link. Kona's could be referred to as a walking-beam design, or a non-Horst 4 bar (which is still a technically poor name, since DW link is a 4 bar, VPP is a 4 bar, Canfield's is a 4 bar etc., but at least people will know what you're talking about, and it's not wrong), or a single pivot with a linkage actuated shock (that's a mouthful, eh?).

There is some more information on Specialized's website about all the different types of suspensions (at least it used to be).

The Horst link patent covers the FSR type and the "trailing Link" (AKA what Kona uses).

VPP was developed by someone (AMP I think), and then SC bought it.

I did a Senior Engineering Project in College that covered the different suspension designs and bike materials. The important thing to focus on is the axle paths, Leverage Ratios, and Moment arms. (mostly Physics based fun). You can also expand into spring rates, dampening systems, and CG delta's. Bike Materials (what I put focus on) can be more fun by analyzing the compression/tension in the frame designs, including the Yeild/Ultimate strength attributes of 6061, 5051, 7075 AL's, Ti, 4130 (ChoMo), and carbon fiber. The most interesting material at the time was the ceramics (Metal Matrix composites, AKA=M2 and the now M4 and M5's.

Have fun, pick up Statics and Materials Science books.

 

[binary visions]

There is some more information on Specialized's website about all the different types of suspensions (at least it used to be).

A lot of the stuff that was on the Specialized website was B.S. The epitomy of the crap was the animated diagram that showed the Horst link as having a perfectly vertical axle path, when in reality, it has almost the same axle path as a low, rearward single pivot.

The Horst link patent covers the FSR type and the "trailing Link" (AKA what Kona uses).

Um, the Horst link patent relates to the placement of the pivot on the chainstay, not the seatstay like the Kona design.

There are certainly lots of cool things to learn about suspension designs & materials, though!

 

[dhpimp]

If you want a quick and dirty on Suspension designs i believe Cyclingnews.com had a review about 2 months ago - except they only did like 4 out of the 7 major designs.

 

[Chunky Munkey]

Binary Vision...

Seeing you ARE the scientist on the simpsons, "your avatar," ahuh, ahuh, and aaah yes, aaaah seeing you do seem to know your aaaah suspension aaah might I suggest ahuh ahuh, that you sit down and do the poor guys report and aaaah maybe send him a bill for the scientific research, ahuh ahuh, and aaaah it would aaah probably take you only an hour and you can hit him up for a hundred bucks! Complete with compression diagrams and some rebound bar charts...

a little Simpsons humor there not to be taken seriously...

Hey Ridiculous, good link on the article on the suspension dude!