Bumpy bike paths, tree roots etc. Front suspension only or Dual ?

[mbemerson]

Hi, I have been cycling the Moonee Ponds bike trail, on my Merida "Non Suspension" bike, but suffered such a pounding from the bumpy bitumen that i lost a rear light, my carrier came loose etc not to mention my sore tail bone (and yes the fittings were all well tightly attached).
So, time for an upgrade. Front suspension only, or dual suspension? That is the question. Obviously a price difference, but does the dual suspension offer a better ride in that situation?

Any advice appreciated. Thanks

[bychosis]

What wheels and tyres are you currently running?

A rigid bike with bigger tyres at a lower pressure should take out some of the pounding for a path ride even if a bit bumpy.

[Usernoname]

$100+ to service forks. $200ish to service rear shock, minimum $3000 for a decent dual sus bike or just get a rigid with 2.8' tires. Your choice.

[Mububban]

And forget the tyre pressure labels on the sidewall of the tyre. My MTB tyres say "30-60psi" so I used to run them in the middle at 45psi, but since beginning proper off road trail riding, the advice is ~23 front/25 rear.

Even my road bike is 70/75psi. But I am also only 68kg.

[uart]

It's not even clear what type of bike that the op is currently riding. We're talking about paved trails, so for all we know (s)he might might currently be riding 23c at 115 psi.

mbemerson, post the details of your current ride and maybe then someone can offer some real help. Generally speaking however the answer is no, you generally wouldn't need dual suspension to ride bitumen paved trails.