Welcome to Shock Value, a semi-regular series about all things suspension. The entries will range from deep histories to surface-level tutorials. Today, we’re starting with the basics. First, there’s now a glossary of terms on The Radavist site that we will link to any time there’s a jargon-heavy article or product review. But the post you’re reading now is even more basic. It’s a brief summary of how we feel about suspension and why we think it deserves its own regular spotlight. We hope you’re looking forward to it as much as we are.
Shock Value is presented by RockShox
It’d be hard to pin down a singular theme for the stories we cover here at The Radavist. We just know it when we see it. Our Shop Visits highlight the places and people that serve their communities in inspiring new ways. The Events Reportage we create showcases cycling’s unique potential for connection. But it gets a little tricky trying to capture that same spirit in the products we cover. The latest high-tech gadgets may be interesting and newsworthy, but that alone isn’t enough. We like it when there’s a living soul inside the gear we talk about.
You probably know the vibe. Unique objects crafted with love that make your relationship with your bike feel more personal. More emotional. Forgive the ham-handed segue, but we think suspension also fits that description. Of course, most riders wouldn’t form an emotional connection with a black, round box full of pistons and o-rings. But out of all the components on our bikes, we’d argue that suspension feels the most interactive. The most alive. Nearly every one of us here at The Radavist owns a front- or full-suspension bike, and every one of us for a different combination of reasons.
That’s why we’re launching Shock Value, a semi-regular series of stories focused on all things bouncy. Some of the installments will serve as information resources, like the extensive glossary we just published. You can find it here if you want to beef up your vocabulary. Or you can just check it out next time you need to look behind the lingo in one of our product reviews. We’ll make sure a link to it is always in reach.
No jargon was too basic or too advanced to be included. In the future, we’re planning some user-friendly setup and maintenance guides, as well as some simple explainers on the pros and cons of various technologies and concepts. There will also be pieces on suspension’s fascinating but fading history and stories that we hope will clear up its often mixed messaging.
Cycling media, The Radavist included, often present suspension at the outermost edge of a bike’s capability. How fast it can go. How much it can take. How it allows gravel bikes to ride like mountain bikes, or mountain bikes to ride like motocross bikes. It’s exciting, but it’s a pretty small part of the story. Usually, suspension is not center-stage. It spends most of its time in a supportive role, doing some of its best work quietly in the background.
Perhaps the most underrated example of this is when suspension helps to improve traction. We usually think of traction in terms of tire and tread. But it’s also about weight and inertia. Whenever you make a turn, some of the weight on your tread shifts from vertical to lateral, which is why tires “want” to slide. Suspension helps the tire follow the ground’s changing contours, and therefore it keeps lateral forces from suddenly spiking.
Sudden spikes can be destabilizing. It’s like pouring ketchup by slapping the bottle instead of just holding it upside-down. Any sharp jolt might shake things loose. And there’s something similar going on while you apply the brakes. Even calm, careful braking creates a lateral force that makes a tire want to slide. But if the tire is allowed to track the ground and maintain friction, that friction stays more consistent and stopping will happen more quickly and calmly.
Some really fascinating stuff is going on inside our suspension to make all this possible. Stuff that we’d love an excuse to nerd out about. With very few exceptions, suspension isn’t just a metal spring or a pressurized tube. There are ingenious dampers orchestrating the whole operation behind a thin aluminum curtain.
Those dampers allow suspension to react differently to impacts of different speeds, and to recover differently from impacts of different sizes. There are multiple types of gasses, liquids, metals and composites. All are doing multiple things at multiple points in time. But when everything works as intended, you don’t notice any of it.
Sure, suspension does have its more interactive moments. You push against it when preloading to pop over a rock or root or roadkill. But usually, its goal is to keep you neutral. Suspended, to put a fine point on it. In that sense, it’s not about getting rad. It’s about getting comfortable.
This is where we might be tempted to lead you on a tangent about racing and about fatigue and about the evolving wisdom around how suspension impacts pedaling efficiency. But that’s a better subject for a future Shock Value installment. Here, we’re talking about comfort in its purest form.
It’s something we all can appreciate, both during and after our rides. Maybe you find it in those wool socks that will perform admirably in any temperature outside of a dryer. Or maybe in the saddle that you hope they never stop making. Or in the 27-inch-wide sleeping pad you pack, even though you could probably survive on something with a fraction of its weight and bulk.
There is a similar, literal comfort offered by suspension. But there’s also a figurative comfort that goes back to the traction and the calmness. You can loosen your grip, relax your shoulders, and just follow the lines in the dirt. And getting this type of comfort from your suspension isn’t quite as automatic as getting it from your socks or saddle or sleeping pad. That’s a big reason why we enjoy talking about it so much. The better you understand your suspension, the more equipped you’ll be to tune it to fit your needs. In that way, it’s a lot like any other component on your bike.
If your rear derailleur is overshifting on the downshift, that might mean it needs a quarter turn in on the barrel adjuster. Similarly, if your fork is diving too much while braking, you may need to add some air pressure. But in each case, you might find a better solution if you know where to look. Like, maybe your shifting woes are actually caused by a bent hanger. And maybe your suspension woes are caused by insufficient compression damping.
For every scenario you might encounter on a ride, there’s an adjustment that will help your bike react the way you want it to. And that’s another great thing about suspension. It can evolve as you evolve. It kinda has to. All that calm predictability might not endure after you make a permanent shift in equipment, locale, or riding style. The better you understand your suspension, the better you’ll know how to get what you want out of it. Both now and in the future, on this bike and the next.
That’s the goal behind Shock Value. To invite you along on deep or shallow dives into whatever aspect of suspension you want to know about. Or maybe even a few aspects you didn’t know you wanted to know about. Because suspension isn’t a black box, it’s a means to an end. Just like all the other pieces of gear we like talking about at The Radavist. It can make your rides easier, safer, longer, and better.
