So now I've pulled out the July 1994 issue of Petersen's Bicycle Guide, where the main article is 'Special section: Suspension Bikes for Roadies!'. And another one: Prototype peek: Paris Roubaix spy camera shots, Duclos-Lasalle's Lemond. And more: Riding impressions: Team Motorola Eddy Merckx/RockShox.
Sigh .... OK, I'm gonna post some excerpts from those articles later.
What I remember form the top off my head, is that they just took a normal steel frame and stuck a RockShox contration, which is obviously a lot longer. Now I may be over-sensitive, but that would alter geometry and handling quite a bit! And not in the right directyion I assume.
Freek Faro Rotterdam Netherlands
2009/9/26 ternst <ternst1@cox.net>
> I was thinking about the shock forks.
> I also remember the guys saying that they didn't work real well, too
> awkward to adjust, and too much power loss on hills and when out of seat.
> I also remember them being blocked out and not used.
> All of you should remember that bike riders are lemmings, and the pros the
> worst. Like a heard of buffalo the indians drove over the cliff.
> The "peloton" thinking D-L/S had this secret weapon and therefore won, had
> to have it.
> It seemed to die a natural death after that.
> Remember also we're talking a long time ago and the equipment was nowhere
> near today's technology.
> Keep in mind also that if weight offsets results the guys would be using it
> exclusively today.
> It obviously doesn't meet muster and is not part of today's equipment
> package for those guys
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marie Autrey" <
> ridingrabbit@earthlink.net>
> To: "classicrendezvous" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2009 2:31 AM
> Subject: [CR] duclos-lasalle and RockShox
>
>
> I'm far away from my magazine archive, so somebody else will have to
>> verify (or disprove) this.
>>
>> I recall an interview with Duclos-LaSalle in Winning shortly after his
>> second P-R win, in which he said that riding the sprung forks was a nod to
>> one of LeMond's many sponsors, and that he rode with the 'boing' locked out.
>>
>> That might explain why they disappeared after two years. Legislation may
>> have had nothing to do with it
>>
>> Marie Autrey
>> Water Island, US VIrgin Islands, where only an optimist goes in hurricane
>> season