Suspension for road bikes – the future?

I’d buy a CX version.

You mean like this?

or am I missing the bit in that post where you address my points?

I love bicycle science, the more the merrier. Never rode a Pedersen but have long wished to.

I think that it would be the road bike mafia will laugh at this as they do many other innovations so people won’t feel able to make up their own minds

It is of course an evolution of what has gone before like the Trek and Spec’ bikes designed to absorb bumps

So long as it doesn’t sap too much of the awesome power through bobbing I don’t see the problem.

I suspect it will be killed by luddites who’ve never tried it because they fear it will do exactly this. Or it ruins the clean lines. Or the UCI find something to dislike about it. Or something.

I’m no further into Road than a slack, steel framed CX with 28’s as the skinniest tyres ever fitted, but I’d never let go of my disc brakes, and embrace the 135 rear, but don’t see the need for through axles. I certainly wouldn’t discount a bike that had them though.

Stiffness vs spring is a big issue in road circles, I think.

I have three road bikes, a steel framed one from the 80’s an aluminium framed one from 2003 and a carbon framed one from 2013.

Other than being lighter and stiffer the newer bikes are basically the same design and for many good reasons.

Those very good reasons being in the UCI rulebook, rather than practical ones.

Still got my full sus 1964 Moulton and this Dahon:

A small wheel bike can fairly fly along on a rough road with suspension, but they tend to pitch a bit under hard pedalling. The long wheelbase on the original Moultons helped avoid this.

I think suspension is redundant for large wheels on the road,. Grab a 29er ad use tyres like the 2.35″ Big Apples I’m using on my Scandal:

If you use back roads a lot, the Big Apples will swallow up almost anything and you don’t have the penalty of carrying all the weight of suspension, or any pedal bob.

I don’t know how people who ride for speed would get on with them, but it makes putting a 100 mile day in dead easy, or at least comfortable.