Mountain Bike Rear Suspension Pds

Mountain Bike Rear Suspension PDS While there have been many different types of rear suspensions in the mountain bike industry over the years, a few specific formats have stood out as most successful. These formats contain either a strut and damper system or a spring shock system, or a combination of both. Given the proven success and reliability of these systems, it would be advisable to begin to take a look at a fairly conventional yet proven design for the rear suspension system to be developed.

Over the past decade, as these systems have been developed and become part of the design landscape, the materials chosen for them have changed as well. This is to say that lighter, stringer, and longer-lasting materials have been successfully incorporated into these designs. One final factor that is important to consider is cost. Not just upfront cost, but the cost of maintaining and possibly remedying a warrantee replacement or repair.

Certainly the company should try to keep both up front manufacturing and installation costs down as well as try to keep related and future costs low as well. This also goes for the rider or owner of the bicycle, since the company's reputation could very well hinge on the quality and longevity of their components and bicycles.

Depending on the geometry of the bike frame itself and where the weight of the rider and the force of the shock to be absorbed is concentrated, rear suspension systems can have a greater or lesser effect of dampening the shock. Starting with material, certain types of suspension components have to be manufactured from certain materials for reasons of practicality, cost, and functionality.

The types of suspensions can vary, and it is thought that the parameters influencing the performance of the rear suspension system are 1) the length of the side link, 2) the length of the connecting rod, and 3) the pivot position of the absorber and the frame (Xiang, et. al., 2008). These three factors can be taken into consideration when designing a rear suspension system just as much as the geometry of the bike and the rider themselves.

This is to say that there are many more variables and influential factors to consider beyond just the design of the system itself when implementing the rear suspension system on a mountain bike. Company Sales and Marketing Discretion and Rear Suspension Adjustability From an engineering perspective, as soon as one variable within a system is changed, the performance or outcome of the system's function changes as well. This is to say that the suspension system will function differently in different conditions and with different riders.

It is therefore important to take into consideration the fact that the bike company selling these bikes should try to advise their customers as to the best possible solution for them. Each suspension system serves a specific group of riders so it would be beneficial to create an adjustable system that could help to conform to different riding styles and rider specifications. Environment The product's environment has as much to do with its design as the intended use and other variables do.

This means that the way in which it is to be used affects how it will be designed. This also affects the lifespan of the product as well as the maintenance and cost schedules. The typical mountain biking environment is full of dirt, water, and other contaminants that can put much stress on the components and suspension system.

For this reason, most manufacturers have gravitated towards an enclosed strut style shock system and/or a simple spring that coils and uncoils as it absorbs the shock and vibrations associated with riding. The system also has to undergo thousands of cycles and vibrations and needs to be able to stand up to the same reliability standards as the rest of the components on the bike.

Conventional and Proven Rear Suspension Designs Given all of the previously mentioned considerations, the design itself is important in making sure the rider and the manufacturer are getting the most out of the system. The Fox Racing Homepage (2011) has some excellent examples of both the strut style rear suspension as well as the shock with spring and strut combination system. The latter is typically reserved for use on higher-end advanced bikes since these systems are costlier and requires more maintenance.

To be more specific, the Van RC product represents the higher-end strut and spring combination while the Float design is a basic, oil dampened design for use on more entry-level designs. The Van RC model is also an excellent example of a model that can be adjusted by hand for different rider weights and conditions. The spring can be compressed or decompressed using a screw-on/screw-off style actuator ring. Another brand of rear suspension shock is DT Swiss.

These shocks are similar to the Fox Racing products in that they incorporate an air and spring combination, but the DT Swiss shocks are fully enclosed and can only be adjusted manually through a spring compressing screw at the top of the strut. This keeps contaminants out while allowing for an easier adjustment by the rider at home. These struts incorporate similar designs as the Fox Racing ones do but do not allow for the same level of adjustability or customization since the internal air pressure cannot be adjusted.

The DT Swiss XR Carbon and the M. 210 are the low and high-end designs, respectively, and both incorporate an easy to maintain and adjust design. Maintenance and Cost The maintenance of a rear suspension system depends on the use and the complexity.