How does the front suspension fork of a bicycle work?

Question

How does the front suspension fork of a bicycle work?

Answer 1

It reduces the effect of the terrain using either an air, spring, or oil filled damper.  It works just like a car or motorcycle shock.  When you hit a bump the shock will "give" so that you don't feel the bump.  There are limits to the amount of travel a fork has.  They are generally specified in millimeters.  Most forks range from 80mm (about 3 inches) to 200mm (about 8 inches) of travel.  

The amount of travel you need will depend on what type of terrain you plan on riding.

Answer 2

The fork uses either air, springs(coil), or both to absorb impacts and obstructions on the trail.  The springs can be changed to give a plusher or firmer ride.  This is also true with air.  The pressure can easily be changed with a special pump.  The fork I use is an air assisted coil fork, meaning it uses both aire pressure and springs to soften the ride.  Forks also have damping, this is achieved by having oil in the fork, Manitou forks use this in their fluidflow forks.  Forks also have rebound whick adgusts how quickly your fork rebounds it's travel after being coompressed

Answer 3

Oil is NEVER used as a spring, it's for dampening only. The spring of the fork is usually air or coil spring. Dampening is used to stop the fork from endlessly bouncing up and down. And yes this is very much like a auto shock (for dampening) and spring combo.