You should do a video about suspension setup for aggressive hardtails because I think it might be quite different to full suspension bikes due to the lack of balance in grip front to rear. I'm also sure there's many other factors to consider that will make them different as well
Very informative. Fantastic information about suspension you won't find anywhere else. Learnt an unbelievable amount about my suspension. Keep the videos coming.
As a mechanical engineer and avid mountain bike enthusiast I really appreciate this level of detail and explanation of forces. As you said, these videos aren’t meant to be a process of suspension setup, but understanding the factors in play sure make it clear to me what knobs, including rider input, will change grip. I love these videos, nice job. At what point does too much front bias weight transfer goes beyond maximum grip and results in a loos of lateral friction on a flat or off camber turn? Or is that even possible? I would be interested in seeing an analysis of this. Again. Enjoy these types of videos. Keep them coming.
You can spend a lifetime and never account for all the variables. Like any top tier athlete what separates the greats is their ability to make split second decisions in real time to account for those variables and do truly spectacular things.
oh, sir, 4:02 how come you have the same area under the red with the flattening at zero on the curve? I get the idea, but the flat portion at zero should make it not equal. or am I missing something
Average grip over the time interval is the same for both springs. But the instantaneous grip differs over the time interval. Each spring graph is a function. The are under each function is the integral of the function. The value of the integral is the same for each function over the interval but when each function is evaluated at an instant in time they differ. Here's a similar situation that is easier to envision. 2 cars are driving from point a to point b and they leave at the same time. The distance of A to B is 100 miles. The first car drives 25 mph or an hour then drives 50 MPH for 1 hour then 25 mph for an hour and reaches point B in 3 hours. The second car drives 75 MPH for one hour then drives 12.5 MPH for 2 hours. It also reaches point B in 3 hours. Both cars traveled at an average speed of 33.3 MPH even though they traveled at different speeds on their way there.
Technically correct, the areas aren't quite identical if the wheel leaves the ground, but if it only *just* momentarily reached zero load for essentially zero time then it'd be the same. The point here though is that the mean load can be the same but the minimum load (and thus the available grip) varies.
There seem to be some engineering to filter out high frequencies : Srams buttercups (elastomer cup , 4mm of travel, said to reduce 20% of fatigue) and Time Aktiv forks (mass damper inside road going bike)
Really interesting thank you. Although it not a magic formula it gives me some info to start playing a bit more with compression damping. Is that "snap" that the likes of Loic and Danny are doing to try and engage the compression damping forces before the spring has compressed enough to give them the force? And would it be low speed or high speed that they are engaging?
Steve great video. The reach ratio to front wheel bias/control makes sense. Now the question I would like to know is how to set up my fork in relation to the extra reach. A firmer fork (pro-level) gets to be hard work for a weaker enthusiast like myself. Could you follow up with a video on the best way to accommodate modern reach with fork setup.
I have a little bit of experience in 4-wheeled vehicle dynamics, and I know there load sensitivity of the tires is a pretty large effect. You seem to ignore it in your videos, is that because it is a much smaller effect with the tires we're using, or, like rally cars, the dominant friction effects are at a different order of magnitude so those sort of tire models don't really make sense for these surfaces and interactions?
You should do a video about suspension setup for aggressive hardtails because I think it might be quite different to full suspension bikes due to the lack of balance in grip front to rear. I'm also sure there's many other factors to consider that will make them different as well
Oh yeah, I'm so glad you started making videos again, big fan 🤙🏻
I love seeing this stuff explained sensibly with real understanding. You can't fake it with force diagrams and graphs...
Yes! That's the kind of discussions I love! Keep 'em coming, great work and good stuff to think about.
Very informative. Fantastic information about suspension you won't find anywhere else. Learnt an unbelievable amount about my suspension. Keep the videos coming.
Great videos. I like the regular automotive references.
As a mechanical engineer and avid mountain bike enthusiast I really appreciate this level of detail and explanation of forces. As you said, these videos aren’t meant to be a process of suspension setup, but understanding the factors in play sure make it clear to me what knobs, including rider input, will change grip. I love these videos, nice job.
At what point does too much front bias weight transfer goes beyond maximum grip and results in a loos of lateral friction on a flat or off camber turn? Or is that even possible? I would be interested in seeing an analysis of this. Again. Enjoy these types of videos. Keep them coming.
Awesome work! Love the details
Thank you for doing this! Really interesting info!
You can spend a lifetime and never account for all the variables. Like any top tier athlete what separates the greats is their ability to make split second decisions in real time to account for those variables and do truly spectacular things.
The biggest thing I learned in this video is the real world considerations for the grip lag.
great stuff
,thanks !
oh, sir, 4:02 how come you have the same area under the red with the flattening at zero on the curve? I get the idea, but the flat portion at zero should make it not equal. or am I missing something
Average grip over the time interval is the same for both springs. But the instantaneous grip differs over the time interval. Each spring graph is a function. The are under each function is the integral of the function. The value of the integral is the same for each function over the interval but when each function is evaluated at an instant in time they differ. Here's a similar situation that is easier to envision. 2 cars are driving from point a to point b and they leave at the same time. The distance of A to B is 100 miles. The first car drives 25 mph or an hour then drives 50 MPH for 1 hour then 25 mph for an hour and reaches point B in 3 hours. The second car drives 75 MPH for one hour then drives 12.5 MPH for 2 hours. It also reaches point B in 3 hours. Both cars traveled at an average speed of 33.3 MPH even though they traveled at different speeds on their way there.
Technically correct, the areas aren't quite identical if the wheel leaves the ground, but if it only *just* momentarily reached zero load for essentially zero time then it'd be the same. The point here though is that the mean load can be the same but the minimum load (and thus the available grip) varies.
There seem to be some engineering to filter out high frequencies :
Srams buttercups (elastomer cup , 4mm of travel, said to reduce 20% of fatigue)
and
Time Aktiv forks (mass damper inside road going bike)
Really interesting thank you. Although it not a magic formula it gives me some info to start playing a bit more with compression damping. Is that "snap" that the likes of Loic and Danny are doing to try and engage the compression damping forces before the spring has compressed enough to give them the force? And would it be low speed or high speed that they are engaging?
Steve great video. The reach ratio to front wheel bias/control makes sense. Now the question I would like to know is how to set up my fork in relation to the extra reach. A firmer fork (pro-level) gets to be hard work for a weaker enthusiast like myself. Could you follow up with a video on the best way to accommodate modern reach with fork setup.
Often the answer if you're looking for support AND bump compliance is softer fork + higher bars, especially if you're quite tall.
Vorsprung Suspension: thanks Steve. 185 isn’t that tall 😂.
SCIENCE!!
Hi Steve,
do you have a good definition for "Grip"?
I have a little bit of experience in 4-wheeled vehicle dynamics, and I know there load sensitivity of the tires is a pretty large effect. You seem to ignore it in your videos, is that because it is a much smaller effect with the tires we're using, or, like rally cars, the dominant friction effects are at a different order of magnitude so those sort of tire models don't really make sense for these surfaces and interactions?
the center of mass, is a BMW......
No, that's the centre of the universe... 😂