I took my first ride today (63 degrees in N. Virginia!) on the new Pantour trailing link suspension hub. It was built into a 406 wheel with a Velocity Razor rim, 32 straight spokes, radial laced, with a Continental Grand Prix tire. I ran it on my personal Barcroft Virginia GT, which normally has a wheel with Razor rim, radial laced double-butted spokes, and Conti tire. The hub worked fine in the narrow, lightweight Barcroft aluminum fork used on Virginias. The standard Tektro mini-V brakes worked well, too. The pads needed to be moved slightly to accommodate the hub movement, but ordinary brakes on a standard rim performed just as they should. The computer wheel speed sensor functioned properly. 
 
Based on a ten-mile ride over my usual route, the hub seems to perform just as advertised. It provides about half an inch of travel, which is enough to smooth out small, irritating road imperfections. That's not enough travel, of course, to handle big bumps and potholes, but for most people on road bikes it could be just what's needed. When the wheel hits a bump, the wheel is forced back and up in an arc in typical trailing link fashion. 
 
Suspension, after all, is less about comfort and more about control. At high speeds down a hill on a rough surface, suspension makes a big difference. The Pantour seems to improve high speed stability and handling. I hit about 32 mph on a hill and the bike seemed more stable than with a regular hub. 
 
The hub is not very heavy. My Pantour hub, wheel, and tire weighs 2.2 pounds. My regular wheel (which has double-butted spokes) weighs 2.0 pounds. 
 
My preliminary impression is that the Pantour hub, though somewhat expensive (see current pricing here), is a genuine improvement that many will wish to investigate. I will continue riding with it to see how it goes. Details at http://www.pantourhub.com
 
 
Bill Cook, Barcroft Cycles, 703-750-1945
Low, Fast, Comfortable, Elegant recumbent bikes
Falls Church, VA USA  http://www.barcroftcycles.com