A full suspension mountain bike is sometimes called a twin suspension mountain bike as it is equipped with shock absorbers for both wheels. This is in opposition to the hardtail mountain bicycle which has a shock absorber for the front wheel. Both kinds of trail bikes have their own uses. The hardtail bike is easier to pedal and is faster than the full suspension bike on smooth terrain. However the second kind can run faster on rough terrain because the shock absorber authorizes more traction by absorbing the results of obstructions. Apart from offering the rider a more content ride, the bicycle suspension also augments efficiency and safety.

Types of bike Suspension

The suspension system can be implemented thru a suspension stem, suspension front fork, rear suspension, suspension seat post, or suspension hub. A mix of these systems could also be applied. It should be observed that the suspension stem is no longer preferred.

The front suspension is mostly made possible by trying a pair of shock absorbers for the front fork. The shock absorber is often made from a spring and a damper. The spring could be a coil spring, compressed air, or elastomer. The damper is generally offered by letting oil pass through shim stacks or small openings.

Types of Rear Suspension

Rear suspension is commonly regarded to mean full suspension because trail bicycles with single suspension often apply a front suspension technology. The sorts of rear suspension include the single pivot, soft tail, Horst link and 4 bar suspensions, unified rear triangle, Virtual Pivot Point, FSR system, DW-link, Equilink, Monolink, and split pivot.

The single pivot is the most simple kind and is also the cheapest. Various bike manufacturers have implemented their own designs for rear suspension and each design has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is up to the buyer to determine which of the features are most critical to him.

Buying a Full Suspension off-road bike

When planning to get a full suspension trail bike itis important to ask if you're really serious about being able to ride across coarse terrain. A good hardtail mountain bike will be faster than the least costly full suspension bike because the latter is generally heavier apart from being laden with the intrinsic disadvantages of a rear suspension.

The quantity of suspension travel is also significant when buying this sort of mountain bike. For uphill or cross country racing, suspension travel should be less than 4.5 inches. These are lighter as the less suspension travel, the lighter the bike.

However for those that want to do some jumping or free riding, the extra weight is not a primary concern. So, this kind of off-road bike will sometimes need six to 8 inches of suspension travel. And between these 2 is the trail bike, which needs up to 6.5 inches of suspension travel.

Top Selling Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

• Mongoose Teocali Comp 2010
• GT Sensor 1.0 2010
• Focus First 2010
• Felt Compulsion 1 2010
• GT Force Carbon Sport 2010
• Felt Redemption 2 2010
• Iron Horse Bootleg 1.0
• Mongoose Teocali Super 2009
• Felt Compulsion 3 2010
• Felt Redemption 3 2010