What is a Horst Link?
The “Horst Link” is a term for a four-bar rear suspension which attaches the rear axle to the seatstay instead of the swingarm. Horst Leitner, the link’s namesake, discovered that this design separates braking and pedaling forces from the rear suspension. Instead of chain tension and braking, causing “brake jack” or pedal “kick back”, the Horst link allows the wheel to move freely in a vertical path. In fact, the Horst link will cycle up and down with the rear tire locked nearly as well as it will when it is rolling, because the axle is on the seatstay and the seatstay is “decoupled” from the suspension. A Horst link design is often referred to as a “fully active” system, meaning it’s free to compress and rebound at all times, both when the rider is in the saddle and standing up. Not only is the suspension independent from chain forces under pedaling loads, but it allows you to maintain an efficient pedal stroke since the suspension action has no effect on it.
