The internet is a wild place, and I came across the creations of Erin Badaracco from Oregon, who has cooked up a pretty unique leaf-spring suspension design for full-suspension mountain bikes unlike anything I’ve seen before. It sure is an interesting approach to frame design that made me pause and want to learn a bit more about the reason behind it.
I came across this new approach to suspension design after finding Erin Badaracco’s YouTube channel and was immediately intrigued. Badaracco has been hard at work shooting and uploading videos to YouTube to enthusiastically showcase his design.
Although there are inherent flaws in using a leaf spring for this application, the passion behind the project is apparent. As the design sits now, there is virtually no way to tune rebound or compression throughout the system. I don’t know if it will ever really catch on, but points awarded for going for it.
These leaf spring-equipped bikes are just a prototype at this point, and Erin’s website states that he’s currently looking for a manufacturer to make these publicly available for those curious about the concept. On the website, Erin writes: “It is the only suspension design in history that does not require rebound damping, delivering a simple, durable, and maintenance-free suspension system. No pedal feedback with the axle moving rearward during compression, making all high-pivot designs obsolete.”
Erin Badaracco
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Traditional mountain bike suspension seems to be pretty well figured out these days, but innovation is constant, and seeing someone put out a homebrew offering like this is nothing if not interesting, regardless of whether it catches on.
To dive a little deeper, head over to bbgbashguard.com/frames or check out Erin Badaracco’s YouTube Channel.