Suspension or not?

[Al Downie]

For a month long tour on roads mostly like this, would you use a suspension fork or not?

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=243405019&size=o

[freddered]

Yes I would or you'll be rattled to bits.

Don't take my word for it, check Andy Blance's South American ride report in ARRIVEE magazine.  He has front suspension and he designs Thorn Bikes.

[stutho]

I don't have any experience in this kind of touring but I would definitely want to be using suspension if touring on roads like these.  (Nice photo by the way.)

[jawj]

Or go rigid but with tyres as phat as the ones the geezer in the photo has on his cart... (horse optional)

[sloe]

If that's as bad as it gets ( nice photo ) then no.

The biggest phattest Schwalbe Marathon XR ***CAN*** (ie you shouldn't but can) be dropped to 20psi. I've done it, I weigh 80Kg, bike (no suss) plus stuff weighs 35Kg, distibuted front and back. I actually felt a rim puncture moment, a distinct thunk going over a drainage culvert, coming down the north side of Mount Hope into Glen Tanar, but all held up. This was a ROUGH ride, arse in the air most of the way and skipping alongside the rest.

In fact, if that photo is as bad as it gets you'd be a wooos to fit suss. AND you couldn't then fit luggage upfront.

These XR tyres are great for gravel - crap in mud.

[jcabuckley]

YES!

[Bill]

If that is the worst road you expect to encounter, you can get by without suspension.

Tubus makes a rack for suspension forks, so if you do opt for suspension, you can still use front panniers.

[Al Downie]

Thanks all.

I think the photo (not mine by the way) shows what *most* of the road will be like - I'm expecting some sections much worse than that and probably some tarmac too. I'd definitely prefer to go without suspension because it's one less thing to worry about, and my instinct is to take a chance with rigid forks and big knobbly tyres, but I'm thinking that after a few days of battering I might regret that choice...

[sloe]

Carbon bars and a sprung saddle?

Never tried carbon bars myself but folk do seem to like their damping properties.

The sprung saddle helps for those bumps that take you unawares - suss seat post would too.

Anyway, what's a few regrets?

[jawj]

Carbon bars aren't too great at ironing out rutts and bumps as they don't actually provide any suspension: they're more suited to smoothing away 'road buzz' (that is, small but fatiguing, high-frequency vibrations).

Suspenion seatpost is low-maintenance and, as Sloe says, good at stopping you (no offence, but the biggest mass on your bike...) from being flung skywards if your rear wheel hits an unexpected lump.

A well thought out riding position, decent grips (that also perhaps support your palm, e.g. Ergon, Specialized), peeled eye-balls to see what's coming and a little bit of riding finesse are all more important than springs up front.

[freddered]

The only way to be sure is to find some similar road in UK and see how it feels.

No need to get huge downhill forks, something with 60mm travel will stop your fillings from falling out.  A bone dry dirt track may give you an idea (South Downs Way after a dry spell?)

I have rigid MTB and hard-tail MTB.  I'd never ride the rigid MTB along dry tracks, too hard on the hands and arms after more than an hour, you get tired and make mistakes.

Try it and see...only way to know for sure how you, personally, cope.