Author Topic: Fully suspended  (Read 4699 times)


Che

Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #1 on: 04 September, 2008, 02:32:02 am »
Whilst I remain to be seduced by the Dark Side, I understand firstly that the inability to lift oneself from the saddle makes suspension more valuable on a road bent than a road upright, and secondly that the geometry means that the suspension doesn't suck energy out of the drive system as it can on an upright or, as important, alter the feel in the indefinable and really annoying way.

Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #2 on: 04 September, 2008, 09:47:13 am »
i think there claim that their's is the first fully supended  folding trike is wrong as a few years ago i was trundleing round on a trike called the gnat . this was built in small numbers in east anglia and folded  . the frount suspention was clever consisting of straps simmalar to the ones used on lorrys for suqureing loads , the rear suspention was a elastimer . the main body of the machine was carbon fiber made with ordenrey resin so it looked good but as qute heavy. it had joystick steering and as far as i know d tek still has it  :)
the slower you go the more you see

clarion

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Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #3 on: 04 September, 2008, 09:51:58 am »
The Gnat was designed in Calderdale, but I've never seen one, I'm afraid.  And yes, it was fully suspended
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easyracer

Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #5 on: 05 September, 2008, 07:45:07 am »
i think there claim that their's is the first fully supended  folding trike is wrong as a few years ago i was trundleing round on a trike called the gnat...

I think they also overlooked, both the Thorax Sinus trike from Germany, and the Optima Rhino FS (Full Suspension).
Though, if they want to be the first, they can be the first. Who's going to know :)

Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #6 on: 05 September, 2008, 09:22:31 am »
Asking as a non, as yet, trike rider and interested in touring and camping, not speed.
What does the suspension do that fat, low pressure tyres doesn't? Besides add weight, of course.
Never knowingly under caffeinated

Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #7 on: 05 September, 2008, 02:57:19 pm »
the gnats suspention system was very light even though the trike was heavier then it could have been .
it gave a very smooth ride on rough roads and proved quite a talking point  :).
i f eel rear suspension is well worth haveing on a trike as it takes the vibration away from your back on rough roads but front suspension is not as effective . a good set of tyres are just as good :)
if you want to see what the gnat looked like try mikes trike links via google    :thumbsup:
the slower you go the more you see

Jacomus

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Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #8 on: 05 September, 2008, 04:33:25 pm »
Well, suspension helps the tyres track the road, by letting the wheels move up and down semi-independently of the rest of the bike. This helps to keep the contact patch of the tyres more constant than if the tyres are deforming to do the same job.

This makes a suspended bike hold the road better, and return greater rolling efficiency than than rigid. However this comes with a downside (a bit like cake!) in that the action of pedaling will cause the suspension to react, which decreases the transfer of energy from the rider to the road.

Well set up suspension on an upright bike will still suffer these inefficiency losses, though they are minimised by seperating high and low speed damping a la Fox's Propedal, and Specialized The Brain systems - they are still more inefficient than rigid though.

On a recumbum, pedaling force is pretty much horizontal, and the suspension acts in the vertical plane, meaning that as the two forces are separated, the rider doesn't lose energy throught the reactionary oscillation (?) of the suspension - as they barely create any! 
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Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #9 on: 09 September, 2008, 10:33:14 am »

I think they also overlooked, both the Thorax Sinus trike from Germany, and the Optima Rhino FS (Full Suspension).
Though, if they want to be the first, they can be the first. Who's going to know :)
[/quote]

The Rhino doesn't fold though, and is also seriously heavy. I think the new Scorpion looks great, though it'll cost more than an ICE I would think

Mr Larrington

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Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #10 on: 09 September, 2008, 01:42:23 pm »
Apparently ICE have a retro-fittable front suspension kit on the cards for their trikes, which adds but a pound in weight.
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Sigurd Mudtracker

Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #11 on: 09 September, 2008, 07:18:33 pm »
Apparently ICE have a retro-fittable front suspension kit on the cards for their trikes, which adds but a pound in weight.

... add Borealis fairing for Quest on the cheap!

I think I'm going to have a few sleepless nights.

easyracer

Re: Fully suspended
« Reply #12 on: 09 September, 2008, 07:36:35 pm »

Quote
I think they also overlooked, both the Thorax Sinus trike from Germany, and the Optima Rhino FS (Full Suspension).
Though, if they want to be the first, they can be the first. Who's going to know :)

The Rhino doesn't fold though, and is also seriously heavy. I think the new Scorpion looks great, though it'll cost more than an ICE I would think

Oops! :-[
I totally missed the word "folding" in the description.
That'll teach me...