Sharon asks…
How much pedal energy is wasted on the rear suspension of a mountain bike?
I know that getting rear suspension on a mountain bike eats up some of the energy I use to pedal the bike, but can someone give me an idea of how much? How much will this effect me on a long bike ride?
Am I going to notice an increase in effort if I go from a hard tail to a full suspension bike?
adminsta answers:
The amount of energy wasted in a dual suspension bike depends on two things only… The suspension design and the damper being used.
Some designs like single pivots and horst links do nothing to counteract energy loss from the pedal stroke and would rely entirely on the damper to provide a pedaling ‘platform’, this is what refered to as platform damping. In this setup, the shock can be tuned to a specific application and has a permanent ‘hard’ spot in it’s damping range which coincides with the suspensions sag point, or the point in the suspension the damper would sit when you put your weight on the bike. Alternatively, dampers will incorporate variable platforms such as FOX’s popular ‘ProPedal’ or Marzocchi’s ‘TST’… Both accomplish essentially the same thing by allowing you to set the stiffness of the platform via a switch with positions varying from a minimal damping platform to full lock-out.
Other suspensions block energy loss by design. Designs like the VPP system used by Santa Cruz and Intense, the DW-Link found on Iron Horse, Turner, Pivot, and Ibis, Felt EquiLink, and Giant’s Maestro, among others, utilize different aspects of the suspension such as chain growth, instant center, variances in force input to counteract the potential for energy loss without the need for additional damping. Take, for example, the VPP system… It uses a very specific rate of chain growth to balance out pedaling forces and provide and active suspension that doenst waste energy when pedaling. As you mash the pedals, the downward motion of your weight wants to compress the suspension and grow the chain but your pedaling motion largely prevents this and the energy is directed into driving you forward. When terrain is encountered, there is nothing locking the suspension and the chain growth is designed to occur at a very specific point so that larger hits dont kick back into the cranks, keeping things active, plush, and efficient.
In general, a suspension designed to combat pedaling forces is always preferable. In downhill it makes the least amount of difference but it still holds true; there’s a reason the VPP bikes dominate right now and a reason that Sam Hill was killing it on a DW-Link bike last year but floundering this year on an FSR. A platform damping system solves the problems by throwing extra damping at it… Which means it basically limits your suspensions performance. A systems designed with those forces in mind can therefore remain more plush by using less damping.
No matter what you choose, you will notice a difference from riding a hardtail. How much of a difference is debateable and will depend on what bike you get but you will notice some difference no matter what. All in all, full suspension bikes are far superior in my opinion… Just way more fun to ride and way more forgiving on the rider.
Ruth asks…
Energy Suspension Body Bushing Bolts?
Where can I find bolts for Hyperflex Energy Suspension Body Bushings? Its is for a 1979 Chevy Malibu. I cant find them anywhere, please help me!
adminsta answers:
Hardware store grade 8 bolts.. Much cheaper and better.. Just take your stock bolts to ref the size you need
Mandy asks…
Does anybody have experience or have some advice on Energy suspension hyper flex poly bushes ride and install?
Civic ESI 93 (d16z6) salloon 110k miles
My suspension bushes is bust and i need new ones but Honda charges me a cars price for it.
I was thinking of just getting a full new Omni Coilover spring + damper + camber kit and get a full set of
Energy Suspenion hyper-flex poly-bush kit.
All of this is about the same price honda charges.
Im gona do all or most the work myself.
So how hard is it to install bushes / coil overs?
How is the ride quality of the polyurethane bushes, I read around and heard my dashboard gona rattle to hell ?
I Dont think my shocks has ever been changed so my overall quality should improve with new suspension.
Any comments, advice would be appreciated
adminsta answers:
Installing coil-over is not that hard.. But installing the PU bushes is do gonna make u frustrated.. But not that hard comparing too rubber bushes (never attemp to instal rubber bushes.. Is a nightmare!!)
David asks…
why doesnt my driver side energy suspension motor mount not fit my 1994 camaro z28 LT1 engines stock bracket.?
i felt my motor banging on the driver side motor mount so i decided to put energy suspension mounts in. through a lot of time i got the car up in the air and got the mount off. the mount was destroyed cracked like shattered glass lol. so i took it out cleaned the clamshell and replaced with the energy suspension mount that i bought. im certain its the right mount given the instructions. but it seems like the mount will not fit into the bracket. am i doing something wrong? is the design flawed? someone help me please. 1994 camaro z28 six speed LT1 engine. this is the part ( http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Energy-Suspension-Motor-Mount-Performance/1994-Chevrolet-Camaro/_/N-j0wbuZ93yrp?counter=3&filterByKeyWord=motor+mount&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=388134_516113_5934_ )
thanks for the tip. i will try and stretch this bracket to make room for the new mount. though im going through a lot of trouble doing that. i have no proper way to stretch this bracket. and its an absolute PITA to remove it. but i’v decided i will try and remove it. by disconnecting the steering column and removing drivers exaust manifold and plug wires. should be enough room to get in there and and unbolt the bracket. once out i’ll try and find a way to get this thing to stretch. question. can i use a hammer and hammer it into place with the bracket installed? i tried it wouldnt budge. maybe i have to be more violent idk. thanks for the tip though
got the bracket out. didnt even need a hammer. used both hands and down it went. with a lot of wiggiling i managed to get it in there. thanks man! you were right
adminsta answers:
If you’re talking about the bracket that long through bolt goes through you may have to spread bracket to open up some, use a hammer, the new mount is wider being new, When old one was tightened originally the bolt pulls bracket tight and narrows it. Hope this helps.
John asks…
A suspension of yeast supplied with glucose as its source of energy was transferred to an anaerobic?
environment. What would happen to the rate of glucose utilization and the rate of ethanol production after the transfer?
a. Glucose usage would decrease; ethanol production would increase
b. Glucose usage would increase; ethanol production would decrease
c. Both glucose usage and ethanol production would increase.
d. Both glucose usage and ethanol production would be unchanged.
e. Glucose usage would not change; ethanol production would increase
adminsta answers:
E
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