There's an App for That: Suspension Forks

Let me just make it clear at the beginning of this. I don't ride bikes with suspension. I know - heresy, right? The way I figure it, I'm one of the many, many people (the majority of cyclists, probably) who never rides in the kinds of conditions that make it necessary. And that for most of us, suspension is just a heavy complication.

Complication? Read enough on forums about mountain bike suspension, and you'll get the sense that proper suspension tuning is some surreal combination of art, science, and voodoo. And the ideal adjustment can change constantly, even during a single ride, depending on trail conditions.

Well, if any aspect of cycling screams out for computer-assisted intervention, I guess it's suspension tuning. And it looks like somebody is making that happen.

SussMyBike is just wrapping up a Kickstarter campaign (ends on Dec. 11) for a suspension fork setup tool that uses an electronic sensor and a smartphone app that analyzes suspension activity and recommends improved settings.

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The fork-mounted sensor has a spring-loaded tether line. Such sensor units are sometimes called "yoyo sensors."

The system consists of a box with a spring-loaded retractable tether cord - the box mounts on the lower fork stanchion, while the other end of the tether cord mounts to the upper part of the fork. Movement of the fork up and down causes the tether to pull or retract, which operates sensors in the box, where data signals are collected and sent via Bluetooth to the smartphone. Though the SussMyBike Kickstarter page never states it explicitly, some readers might recognize the fork sensor unit as something called a "string potentiometer" or more colloquially, a "yoyo sensor."

"Suspension has evolved!" shouts the SussMyBike ad. "We live in a world where (nearly) everything can be measured. We have an appetite for numbers and data. We want figures that will help us optimize results. Strava, MapMyRide . . . it's everywhere!"

Yes it is. It's everywhere. Like viruses. And when I get out on my bike, the last thing I want is more data. Riding is where I get away from it all.

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There's the yoyo sensor mounted on the fork stanchion, with a smartphone analyzing the data. (photos from SussMyBike)

So, why would somebody need all this technology to set up their fork? SussMyBike says: "The problem is that fine tuning your bike suspension for best results can take hours of trial and error and lots of head scratching. Ask your biking friends how to set up suspension and they will all give you a different answer! . . . They are not riding your bike and do not know how it is reacting. SussMyBike measures what actually happens so you do not need to be an expert rider to adjust your suspension." The crowdfunding ad goes on to cite professional mountain bike team mechanics, saying "Even professionals find this stuff hard!"

Actually, I have no problem believing any of that. But what it says to me is that I'm glad I don't bother with suspension.

I have no doubt that there are people who will find a suspension tuning app very useful. I'm just kind of happy not to be one of them.