Full Raw Metal: a peek at the science of squish
Back when I was in my early teens, I would fill notebooks with drawings of suspension linkages. Not having the money or connections to actually experience much that was out there, I was left to imagine how all of the pieces would work together, and imagine I did. Unsurprisingly, considering my age, I was especially fond of designs that involved lots of arms and maybe even some sliding members à la Mert Lawwill. Over the years though, I found my way away from those designs and spent many years not thinking much of making my own full-suspension bikes. It didn't take a long time working in bike shops to develop a strong distaste for full-suspension bikes since what I saw of them was blown-up shocks, chunky pivot bearings, and poor pedaling performance. In recent years though, my interest has again be piqued, and that's what this is about. Sometime in mid 2019, I decided that the time had come to get bouncy. I had left a job of 4 years the year before where full-rigid bikes