Back to mountain bikes, Full susp w/Lockout sounds cool!

[lendaddy]

Spending my nights in the Hospital reading MB magazines got me educated on the new "lockout" trend on suspension bikes. To me, this is fantastic! Road work can be precise and enjoy trails to downhill with one bike. I am very much thinking this route as opposed to a hardtail now.

Any experiences/advice? I am thinking of picking up a used bike as well, so comments/advice there also welcome. Around a grand used is the budget.

[einreb]

I have the lockout suspension shock on my Santa Cruz Superlight. In hindsight, I should have gone without it and saved the $50.

My thought was that I'd use the lockout when doing long climbs or fire road traverses. I found the lockout mode provided enough movement of the rear suspesnsion that it got annoying. I think it was a combination of the shock still providing a bit of movement along with the flex from the rear linkages. So I pretty much leave the rear suspension free to do its thing. I've been pleasantly suprised at how the rear suspension aids in climbing. Not as bouncy, maintain contact for grip, easier on the body for fatigue, et cetera.

For comparison, I rented a Specialized FSR for a 2 day hell trip in Moab (White Rim Trail). The FSR has a valve that automaticly locks out the rear suspension when over smooth ground. It worked pretty well, but there was still significant frame flex with all the linkages and the shock locked out.

As a note... I also have a single speed hardtail/rigid fork for when I want to lose the suspension. Its two extremes, but seems to work for me.