i have a hardtail bike that i put slick tires on to ride in the city. i have heard that if you do not need the suspension in the city, you should lock them out and ride with the fork stiff, for speed. is this true? why would the stiff fork be faster? do i lose pedaling power when the fork squishes? it certainly does squish when i stand up and pedal hard. would i go faster if i lock it out?
2007-05-06 10:52:09 · 4 answers · asked by martin 2 in Sports ➔ Cycling
I would and do. It's not just the annoying 'bounce', but you lose quite a bit of energy, especially when you get out of the saddle.
You also lose a significantly amount when seated and putting power to the pedals. You might not feel like you are bouncing much, but the energy loss becomes significant over time. A good analogy is running your tire inflation too low. It might not slow you down much in the short term, but it will tire you out much quicker over time.
So it's not that you can go faster, but you can sustain a higher speed longer, so you get where your going quicker and feel fresher at the end.
2007-05-07 05:31:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
i only lock out my fork when i sprint. other than that, it doesnt really matter if the fork is open or or closed. when you stand up, if the fork id open, the movement of the fork robs energy from you and you poop out faster without getting very far. if the fork is locked you have an huge increase in efficiency. its really up to you. some forks will stay locked out even when you hit a bump, thats not too comfortable. my fork has an adjustable Floodgate-when i hit a bump, the lockout overrides and opens the fork, then locks out again. i absolutely love that feature.
2007-05-07 07:19:06 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
A lot of people do this because they prefer the feeling of a rigid fork on the road. If you stand up on smooth pavement, they prefer their energy going into moving the bike forward rather than compressing a fork for no reason.
2007-05-06 15:15:53 · answer #3 · answered by Jay P 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You can if you want. The only time I ever notice mine squishing is when I'm standing to accelerate or climb a hill. In normal seated riding, I can't tell a difference.
Not sure it makes any speed difference, it just feels a bit odd. I can see how it would bug someone.
2007-05-06 14:01:54 · answer #4 · answered by scott.braden 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋