The STR is still “rider suspension”, not “bike suspension”. This is the same discussion we had decades ago during the infancy of MTB suspension development.
The Diverge STR Futureshock front is “suspending the rider”, not the bike since the point of separation is ABOVE the frame in an overly simplistic view. Compare that to the gravel suspension forks that have the spring suspended element UNDER the frame (again overly simplified).
- Like anything, there are pros/cons of each concept that we don’t have to dive into now.
Jump to the rear end here, and the rear tire in particular is still mounted rigidly to the main frame. The rider is “suspended” via what is effectively a leaf spring that flexes in a very rearward biased arc. That direction of movement is from the location of support and degree of freedom of the seattube to bend rearwards. This is just an extreme version of what Trek offers with their rear IsoSpeed.
Essentially, this STR is a rider suspension, not what we consider “full suspension” that is more like what Niner offers in their MCR 9 RDO gravel bike. That is more like “real suspension” that is typically seen in the MTB world.
