Feb 25 2009
May the Force be With You – Suspension Forces
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No matter what characteristics an object has, as long as it is on this big rock we call earth, it will be governed by basic physical laws. These laws of physics therefore impact upon any object, movement involving these objects is also regulated by constant variables included within these rules, and so the way the object reacts to these rules can be anticipated. This is the concept that the DW Link suspension system relies upon to work. The DW link system balances out the forces created from the bikes movement resulting in arguably the best suspension system to date.
The rules that the DW Link is based upon are made up of simple physics:
1. Every rider has the same ‘centre of mass’ therefore weight distribution is constant
2. Laws of physics dictate that every action has an equal reaction. Therefore if a bicycle accelerates forward, the rider’s total mass is transferred backwards and so the ‘centre of mass’ shifts backwards. This is the main reason for suspension becoming locked out during braking and acceleration, the weight shift causes compression of the rear suspension and causes a bobbing motion. This causes ‘bob’
3. Pedalling causes forces on the drive chain which results in fluctuations of the chainstay lengths, these fluctuations are reflected by the amount of pedal feedback through the suspension, the less change in the chainstay length during pedalling, the less pedal bob.
4. Pedal bob is usually counteracted by extra dampening in suspension systems, this detracts from the efficiency and is usually only necessary for less sophisticated suspension, DW link suspension minimises the amount of dampening used and so the suspension is more reactive to minor deviations on the trail. This gives better traction on the terrain aiding in changing of direction and changing in speed.
For more information on DW link visit www.dw-link.com , do you own a DW link equipped bike, does this suspension system work, have any questions? Why not visit the Forums
