Does suspension make street riding safer???

[Ken M]

This is getting ridiculous. Keep narrowing down the question, to more limited circumstances and the answer will still be the same. If your wheels are on the ground instead of bouncing around, you are safer taking a turn and your breaking distance will be shorter...THEREFOR YOU ARE SAFER. What part of that doesn't make sense to you? I am done here.

My question was "Does suspension make street riding safer???

I honestly didn't change the context. I understand it's at minimum subjective even if there isn't any way to quantify control levels on the street with and without suspension.

I'm sure you would at least agree that OEM bike manufacturers want as many customers as possible to believe that they need a full suspension ebike even if only urban street riding ... more upfront cost and more downstream serviced costs. I just wonder if there is a tangible safey difference because the argument seems to go back and forth from safety driven to comfort driven. I'm not trying to upset anyone.

I've been hammered on this forum for suggesting 20mph assist limits are too slow for practical urban mobility.

 

[BBassett]

I did limit this to road riding safety impact of a suspension vs rigid. I do agree that handling is improved if the surface is rough enough that the tires loose contact with the road but probably pretty rare.

It is sad that ebike companies put so much effort into schemes to make their ebike systems proprietary instead of innovating. Chalk that up to bean counters running the show.

The guy I picked up off the ground thought the same thing, I think we all do until we are the one hopefully being helped up after the physics lesson. Isn't it better to be prepared and not need it rather than on the ground?

It's not just ebike it's all businesses. All Hail money! Sell, sell, sell... manipulate, lie, and do anything to have more. The greed of humans will be our collective downfall.

Ride safe.

 

[marcparnes]

I just started riding a Superdelite with full suspension. My bike up till now has been a Moots road bike with upright bars and a bit of suspension in the rear. I've been riding the same routes on the SD as I was on the Moots which are primarily paved bike paths and city streets. There is no doubt whatsoever in my short experience that the SD is way more stable and planted than the Moots ever was. Certainly the SD easily weighs double the Moots but hitting the occasional city pothole or debris on the beach path while in a corner and not have the bike veer off course like the Moots would has an awful lot to do with the bike absorbing the hit rather than deflecting off of it. In addition, I've been riding motorcycles continuously since 1964 including old Harley hardtails up to my current BMW with dynamic suspension and the difference in stability which directly translates into safety as the suspension got more effective over the years has been phenomenal.


Marc

 

[Nova Haibike]

I voted no, basing my answer on the typical consumer bike. Suspension on most budget bikes is pretty crude and are too unsophisticated to provide active control. The really cheap suspension units are actually worse; there is too much play in the sliders or pivots, and the units wobble.

I see a lot of suspension forks that have either stopped working due to corrosion, or are falling apart. Many consumers are better off with a rigid fork, IMO. Unfortunately, the marketplace is such that manufacturers are compelled to spec suspension in order to compete.

 

[Weaselander]

While I agree that if people have properly set up their high speed compression damping, a suspension system can offer some levels of safety. But how many people have done that (if their suspension even offers that adjustment)? If they haven't, they have just added more weight to their bike, making it harder to control or maneuver quickly.

I would love for someone with a high speed camera to run over an object or hit a pot hole (safely) while changing the settings of their front fork to show the differences (even lock it out). That would probably answer all of the questions with a great big DEPENDS.

 

[Ken M]

This is getting ridiculous. Keep narrowing down the question, to more limited circumstances and the answer will still be the same. If your wheels are on the ground instead of bouncing around, you are safer taking a turn and your breaking distance will be shorter...THEREFOR YOU ARE SAFER. What part of that doesn't make sense to you? I am done here.

The original question was "safer" for street riding. I added that assume a top speed of 55kph / 35mph because it seems everyone wanted to make this out to be the equivalent to a motorcycle which most can do well over 100mph. Obviously most urban ebike riders will rarely exceed 55kph / 35mph so I did't feel it was really narrowing the question.

Obviously some were says if you more comfortable riding a suspension ebike they that makes you safer which seems like a stretch.

My main interest is trying to understand why most urban ebikes sold in Europe do not have forks and most here in the US do. I was told my an industry veteran of 25 years is because EU riders are simple more bike smart. He said the manufacturers almost always put a front fork on street bikes in the US because the vast majority are convinced they need at minimum a front suspension.

I do believe that a full suspension ebike can be a bit safer at the higher speeds but the common configuration of a front suspension fork only does not improve safety, it just provides a warm and fuzzy for some US buyers.

 

[Theguvna]

The original question was "safer" for street riding. I added that assume a top speed of 55kph / 35mph because it seems everyone wanted to make this out to be the equivalent to a motorcycle which most can do well over 100mph. Obviously most urban ebike riders will rarely exceed 55kph / 35mph so I did't feel it was really narrowing the question.

Obviously some were says if you more comfortable riding a suspension ebike they that makes you safer which seems like a stretch.

My main interest is trying to understand why most urban ebikes sold in Europe do not have forks and most here in the US do. I was told my an industry veteran of 25 years is because EU riders are simple more bike smart. He said the manufacturers almost always put a front fork on street bikes in the US because the vast majority are convinced they need at minimum a front suspension.

I do believe that a full suspension ebike can be a bit safer at the higher speeds but the common configuration of a front suspension fork only does not improve safety, it just provides a warm and fuzzy for some US buyers.

“Obviously some were says if you more comfortable riding a suspension ebike they that makes you safer which seems like a stretch.”

More comfort = less fatigue = safer

“I was told my an industry veteran of 25 years is because EU riders are simple more bike smart.“

This isn’t factual imo. European riders have the infrastructure in place for bike riders of all ages whereas N.A. does not. A majority of riders in Europe also drive vehicles so there is a “respect” for cyclists so to me “bike smart” is not a valid point. An educated consumer will research what their needs are and purchase based off of findings. In Copenhagen every child has to take a bike test to ride so again respect is taught at an early age. (My wife and I spent some time in Copenhagen 2 years ago so this may have changed)


“I'm sure you would at least agree that OEM bike manufacturers want as many customers as possible to believe that they need a full suspension ebike even if only urban street riding ... more upfront cost and more downstream serviced costs.”

Aren’t manufacturers in business to make profits? Shouldn’t this be where your LBS gives you advice and you process that advice if FS is needed?

Anyways, in my very limited knowledge I would much rather have a FS e-bike over a non FS e-bike just for that one possible time when a motorist doesn’t see me and I need to make a split second decision. Whether it be a warm and fuzzy feeling or an educated purchase the FS gives me confidence about jumping a curb if the need arises. Sorry if I’ve repeated what others have already said but to me this isn’t about being bike smart, it’s about being part of the bigger picture which is to get more people out of their cars and onto bikes....fully suspended or not.