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Step 1: Select Suspension

COMFORT BIKE SUSPENSION

"Suspension" refers to devices using some kind of spring to protect the rider and/or the bicycle from the effects of riding on rough surfaces. In addition to adding to the comfort of the rider, suspension systems improve traction on bumpy surfaces, by keeping the tires in more constant contact with the surface. They also help protect the wheels from damage, by allowing them to spring out of the way when they hit something forcefully.

Front: These bikes have shock-absorbing suspension systems for the front wheels of the bike

Seat: Suspension system placed on the seat post directly under the seat to provide a more comfortable ride

SUSPENSION TYPES
Front+Seat
Front
Seat

		Front (14 bikes)
		Seat (10 bikes)
		Front and Seat (42 bikes)
		None (36 bikes)

Review and Compare Comfort Bikes

The original runaway popularity of mountain bikes was mainly related to their greater comfort for casual cyclists, compared to the drop-handlebar, skinny-tire sport-touring bikes that had been the predominant adult style through the '70s and early '80s.

As mountain-bike racing became more organized, mountain bike designs started to morph into a more competition-oriented riding position, with longer top tubes, lower handlebars, narrower saddles, shorter wheelbases and more upright frame angles.

By the late '90s, this trend had gone so far that many casual cyclists were finding mountain bikes uncomfortable.

In response, the industry came up with comfort bikes. Typical comfort bikes resemble mountain bikes in wheel size, brake and gear equipment, but also differ in several ways:

Shorter top tubes, for a more upright riding position
Taller, often adjustable, handlebar stems, also for a more upright riding position
Wider saddles with springs (and/or suspension seatposts)
Smooth, wide tires for quiet and comfort on smooth surfaces
Lower bottom brackets for easier mounting/dismounting

Comfort bikes are often seen as slower, stogier versions of hybrid bikes, and are targeted at pretty much the same market.