Perhaps because front suspension has been easier to implement and more readily adopted, it is often assumed that a bicycle with rear suspension has full suspension. Mountain bike technology has made great advances since first appearing in the early 1990s.
Early full suspension frames were heavy and tended to bounce up and down while a rider pedaled. This movement was called pedal bob, kickback, or monkey motion and took power out of a rider's pedal stroke — especially during climbs up steep hills. Input from hard braking efforts (known as brake jack) also negatively affected early full suspension designs. When a rider hit the brakes, these early suspensions compressed into their travel and lost some of their ability to absorb bumps. This happened in situations where the rear suspension was needed most.(...)
