Sick vid. Thanks for the background. I don't particularly care to ride a bike with springs, but given the diversity I see on other components, I was curious on why this was not commonly used.
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Suspension
I'll probably get flamed for this, but why aren't bikes with suspension used on hardcourt? Has anyone personally played with a front fork with springs? Dual suspension?
I can think of a few times where hopping around in MTB fashion would have been advantageous on the court. I ask because I'm wondering if this is more of a technical (i.e. - Spring suck) or cultural (i.e. -game started by bike couriers on road/track bike) thing.
Just curious for a history lesson.
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I played for almost a year on a bike with a suspension fork, very squishy with no way to lock it out. The turning wasn't bad but unpredictable in tighter situations, and if the shock compressed too much I would pedal clip. The biggest trouble is that when you go to accelerate quickly you sink down in the front end, losing power. I think I would actually lose a lot of my ability to hop effectively with shocks, between added weight and delay when coming back up after hitting the ground. A good pair of clipless pedals, or skill with flat pedals will suit you there.
hmm ... let's see- slack head angle with a long fork to give you that nice wheel barrel handling. Longer wheel base so no more turning on a dime (thank god because I hate being super maneuverable) Add extra pounds of frame and shock weight to make it nice and sluggish.
All these points topped off with the fact that when you break something, it's going to wind up costing you more money!
Shoot I don't know why that hasn't caught on!
You don't need suspension to hop around- Just skill..