Exercise R Us

Question:

(snipped class boredom) >…I started >wondering about how using a softride stem affects how you do >things like >bunnyhopping where you preload the wheel before you pull up??   >Does it >take a while to get used to jumping with a softride stem?? >thanks, >Quin

My experience has been that hopping is greatly enhanced (I have a beam bike w/stem). It didn’t take long to figure out that a little loading took me a long way. Jimmy/Santa Fe

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Just a note:  After 2 years my chro-mo softride stem broke, and to their credit, softride sent down replacement parts to the bike shop where I bought it at no charge. $10 labor to the bike shop and I’m back in the saddle.  Took a week. Thumbs up on service. -Tom

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>I’m planning to buy a fork soon, and I’m not really looking at >the Softride stem, but I do have a question.  Wouldn’t the way >the stem bounces around actually affect the geometry of the bike >relative to the rider, kind of like changing to a stem with a >different rise or length, but during a ride?  With a fork the >rider is always in the same position relative to 95% of the bike. >Just curious,

The geometry (and subsequent ride) of the bike doesn’t reside in the stem, but in the head angle and trail.  That was one of the complaints with early forks, that the head angle steepened as the fork compressed.  (This may be anecdotal, as I haven’t heard much on this score recently and suspension forks still compress the same way  :-) You’re right about the rider position changing in relation to the bike frame (with a sus stem) but that doesn’t change the way the bike steers. Brian Lee               |  "Eschew Obfuscation"                         |

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> The bottom line is that most people aren’t going to pay > attention to stem height, rake, and trail while > bboouunncciinngg oovveerr aa lloott ooff bbuummppss. > Get the stem if money and weight are an issue.  Get the fork if > style is a concern.

I’ve had the new 95 aluminum Softride for about a year and it still puts up with a hell of a lot of pounding!  The only maintenence that I have done so far is replace the bushings (thats the only shitty part…squeeky!) I love my Softride and I’d never go back to Rock Shox’s Mags ever! ‘later Jason go to my mountian biking home page at http://www.netaccess.on.ca/~jdulberg You can have your trick mountain bike posted on it and have it called the coolest bike o da Net!

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>I currently thinking of purchasing a softride suspension stem for my >bike.  How is the performace of the suspension stem different from that >of regular suspesion(Rock Shox, ect…)? >Is it worth the money or is the money better spent on purchasing a >suspension fork?

The Softride stem is a killer choice, I recommend it highly and I have one for sale, Interested? In fact I have a whole Softride Bike w/beam and stem for sale…doesn’t fit me right. Stem $175- Aluminum w/ custom spring/bumper combo…not ridden much(ask my friends), never raced. Frame $550- American Aluminum w/ stiff beam and Kinesis fork, XT HS — Be afraid, be very afraid!

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>I’m planning to buy a fork soon, and I’m not really looking at >the Softride stem, but I do have a question.  Wouldn’t the way >the stem bounces around actually affect the geometry of the bike >relative to the rider, kind of like changing to a stem with a >different rise or length, but during a ride?  With a fork the >rider is always in the same position relative to 95% of the bike.

Actually, it’s the fork that affect geometry of the bike and not the stem.  The softride will change as the front wheel rides over bumps, but your momentum will keep your position relative to your trajectory (the ground) constant. A fork will affect every important geometry component of the ride – Wheelbase, rake, trail, and bottom bracket height. I currently ride a Suspension fork after using a softride for more than 2 years.  I wouldn’t mind having the stem back for most rides.   The bottom line is that most people aren’t going to pay attention to stem height, rake, and trail while bboouunncciinngg oovveerr aa lloott ooff bbuummppss. Get the stem if money and weight are an issue.  Get the fork if style is a concern. Mark Johnson-Barbier http://linus.cs.ohiou.edu/~johnsonm/index.html

Response:

I’m planning to buy a fork soon, and I’m not really looking at the Softride stem, but I do have a question.  Wouldn’t the way the stem bounces around actually affect the geometry of the bike relative to the rider, kind of like changing to a stem with a different rise or length, but during a ride?  With a fork the rider is always in the same position relative to 95% of the bike. Just curious, Billy

Response:

I currently thinking of purchasing a softride suspension stem for my bike.  How is the performace of the suspension stem different from that of regular suspesion(Rock Shox, ect…)? Is it worth the money or is the money better spent on purchasing a suspension fork?

Response:

>I currently thinking of purchasing a softride suspension stem for my >bike.  How is the performace of the suspension stem different from that >of regular suspesion(Rock Shox, ect…)? >Is it worth the money or is the money better spent on purchasing a >suspension fork?

Check out Jim Gourgoutis’ home page.  Got a great faq in there about suspension, including pros & cons about suspension stems: http://www.pitt.edu/~skoop/Bikestuff/bike-page.html My personal opinion, I use a softride stem and it’s great. Brian Lee               |  "Eschew Obfuscation"                         |

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