Discussion on bicycle multi-link rear suspensions...

im fairly new to rear bicycle suspension tech, specifically multi-link designs such as dw and vpp, but the whole thing reminds of rear suspension design on cars. Before I begin, pardon me as some of my terminology (and even principles) may be off.

Thus far, I think designers try to achieve two things that mtb multi link suspensions try to do. 1) prevent brake squat and 2) minimize pedal bob with anti-squat. These two primarily, plus all the other things suspension is meant to do.

How is this anything like car suspension? from my experience with motor racing, I remember the following.

 

Ah, there it is...

 

About 20 years ago I spent an afternoon writing a paper on off-road bicycle suspension systems at a major US mfg. It quickly grew into a book. You can go down that rabbit hole as deep as you want. Suspension objectives are almost limitless and the possibilities for achieving them with a 4bar linkage are as well.

...which is why it sucks that the patent hogs have come along and hoovered up every one of those possibilities as their own. I mean $%^, DW strolled in what, a decade ago, and patented the very idea of a 4 bar linkage. So nevermind that 4bars go back to absolutely forever, but apparently he designed every possible suspension system into the future too, even the ones he had nothing to do with. That revolutionary system your kid is going to spend years designing decades from now? Yea, DW owns that.

It's a disastrous mess and it's hugely restrictive to progress. Grumble grumble grumble, bitch bitch bitch, nothing changes...

 

I think Horst got the first 4 bar linkage patent and sold it to Specialized. DW came along later with a different 4 bar linkage design. Specialized has probably sued more companies out of existence than DW so there is plenty of bad Karma to go around.

 

This is VPP.

 

Now if you look at both, which are very similar to the others as well, I'm really surprised that Horst, VPP and DW got patents at all. Aren't these all h-arm suspensions with designed anti-squat? That said, these are common designs. Hotrodders and race car designers have been using them for decades.

I was intrigued by Breezer's new design as well. Its the same chit, he just moved a lower pivot to the middle of the chain stay instead of the front like VPP or the back like FSR. And don't even get started with Knollys redundant link.

The exception being DW's split pivot with an eccentric cam on their DH bike and GT's new Idrive design to be quite original though. Duhno how they work, but those surely have a reason to get patented.

Sorry for the piece meal posts. Typing on an iPad while traveling.

 

Devinci's Wilson reminds me off F1 front suspension design .

 

In the split pivot design above, the link functions are inverted allowing the chain stay to float the brake and prevent brake jack, which I think is ingenious as far as design goes.
If you compare this to other multi link designs, almost nobody places the brake caliper on the chain stay.

i think you just said what I was trying to think almost none of these suspension designs are truly original ideas and the patents are just plain restrictive.

happy to see I'm not totally crazy for thinking this.

 

If you enlarge the dw links below to 8 or so inches long, and reduce the size of the rear triangle, you'll get the breezer.

 

Soooo, probably not optimal for towing my daughters trailer?

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2

 

Single pivot!!!!

 

Good stuff!

 

How do you change maestro to a CVA? Run the lower link under the bb instead of the top!

 

Interesting.

 

Let's cut to the chase - at the end of what will be a 6-page STR diatribe of physics, magic, folklore and supposition, what you will all discover is....

...the need for an extra linkage on a standard FSR Horst Link design! We'll call it 4x4!

 

Just find yourself a nice 2006 iron horse mk.3. De-badge that and put it next to a modern turner 5.5 spot and I challenge you to find me a significant difference.

At this point nearly all rear suspension designs are really damn good. That breezer one looks pretty needlessly complex though.

 

I really like the split pivot on the new 2014 Salsa Spearfish and Horsethief. The Devinci Dixon split pivot caught my eye 1st. DW made a great design with the split pivot.

 

Yet the reviews on the Troy aren't very good...

Here's one - http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Devinci-Troy-Carbon-SL-Reviewed-2014.html