Cycling with Suspension (27th February 2009)
Zoe offered to sell me her bicycle so I took it for a test ride.
Suspension
First thing I notice is that bicycle suspension definitely works. Roads which usually rattle me to pieces were merely bumpy. Bumpy roads are merely undulating.
What takes some getting used to is balancing on a machine which is flexing and shifting beneath you. In retrospec, it was much like riding a horse.
The balance problems were compounded by the saddle being far too low, the handlebars being a bit too high and the front wheel being warped. Hit a bump while signalling with one arm at the wrong part of my pedalling and very nearly fell off! Simply slowing to a stop had me wobbling over to the kerb like a total noob, too.
Replacing the saddle post with my custom one helped a lot. I could now balance and signal since more weight was being spread to my hands.
Transmission
Large wheels in the derailleur were present in Warren’s racing bike and that seemed like a good idea. This machine had them as well. As these are the smallest wheels in the transmission they spin the most. Making them bigger reduces their rate of spin, this reduces the friction.