Well, everything has a downside. Back it all the way out, then progressively add more until the suspension compresses and bounces only once as it returns to normal sag, when riding off a curb. Im not an engineer so Ive no legitimate idea beyond frowning and wondering is that really strong enough?. Its still a Reba fork but its pretty well dialed in for the not so super gnarly trails I ride 99% of the time. About Us | NO; NO IT DOESNT/NO IT ISNT/NO YOU CANT. Any increase in fork travel will slacken the bike and shorten its reach. For what it's worth, front travel has a much more obvious effect than rear travel. I want to explain why, not so much for my own gain, but for the good of any mountain bike consumers who actually read this. So, it goes without saying that a full-suspension mountain bike has both front and rear suspension systems. Hitting 3' drops is like hitting a root, they are so . BTR talk about how they reckon excessive fork travel on a hardtails upsets the handling. And a digital membership where you can read all the digital magazines is normally 25, and now 12.50 with the code. Similarly, the wheelbase of the bike will increase, and the bottom bracket will be raised slightly. Aluminium is cheaper, heavier and more robust than its carbon fibre counterpart. Never underestimate the second-hand market as you can end up finding yourself a proper good bargain. set of Lyrics, was ace and totally suited the bike. Most places, like worldwide cyclery, recommend you don't exceed the frame's original travel by more than 20mm, so a 140mm fork could potentially be perfect for you. Just enter your email address below to get started. Are these 30 mm more too much for the bike? Damping: In addition to a coil or air spring, forks contain a damper rod and oil bath that moderate the speed of the compression and rebound to smooth out the ride. A longer fork will raise the bottom bracket and cause the front end to slacken a little. Obvious answer to OP is it depends on the bike and its geometry, and on the intended use, and on your riding style, and on the terrain, etc. When you get to 140 and above, slacker geo frames with HAs about 66.5-67.5 really help IME. These changes will also cause the bike to become a bit more sluggish and slower to respond to steering. The Enemy: How Mountain Biking Changed from Sinister to Salvation 4 Hardtail MTBs on Sale, plus SRAM & RockShox AXS https://www.dirtlabs.com/fork-travel-change/. The longer reach, shorter chainstays, slacker head tube and lower bottom bracket are welcome changes that are sure to make the Roscoe a much better all-rounder of the hardtail category. The rear frame triangle, which holds the rear wheel, will have one or more pivot points to enable the wheel to travel through a range of motion. ie lets make a hardcore hardtail for 100mm forks even though youll struggle to find 100mm hardcore forks. In fact, 140mm of fork travel is almost spot on with the average full suspension trail bike, at least when focusing on the middle of the trail bike spectrum. It will also raise the bottom bracket which will cause the bike to feel less planted and confident in corners. IMBA Epics | Youve probably reached this conclusion in one of two ways. As fork travel increases with trail bikes, the latitude of responsiveness from your damper becomes more complex. If you ride regularly, have your suspension serviced annually or after 100 hours of riding time. Ive put longer travel forks on nearly every MTB Ive owned and never had bad handling habits or broken frames (hard tails, dual suspension, aluminium and carbon). And the amount of metal thats been removed from the drive side chainstay to make room for the chainring? its unpredictable.. If you cant do either of these on your choice of air fork, walk away. Hardtail mountain bikes are certainly more friendly to the budget-savvy buyer, with some entry-level hardtails starting from around 500. 100-130mm is the sweet spot IMO. Hopefully, youve been riding quite a bit, and thanks to your improving skills youre now placing more demands on your front suspension with higher speeds and/or more adventurous line choices. Cheers! Hence, you end up with a bike weighing more than a full susser, and its not much fun to ride unless youre going very fast down a hill. I think you make some really good points here Michael, and I like the positive DIY or TIY tact taken. Depending on the discipline of riding the bike is designed for, the suspension travel can vary from 80 to 200mm. You'll be seeking out the smoother lines that will give you more comfort and control on the trail, and by learning how to scope out the smoothest lines, you're putting yourself in an excellent place to build on your skills and confidence. These shift the balance away from lightness toward rigid stability for better handling while descending. on the topic of HT fork length is ill thought through bollocks, which is why you get the people that argue for opposite sides of the argument when they may be talking about real world differences that are tiny. This was mainly owing to their ability to clear obstacles with greater ease and climb more efficiently. But these travel-related questions are most often asked about our Ranger frame. Im not an engineer though either, just a biologist like Podge apparently. Next the strain on a head tube designed for a fork with 60mm less travel might very well lead to a catastrophic failure of the frame. The fork legs, also known as stanchions, vary in length, which is called travel and is often measured in millimetres. Although most (70%) of my riding only needs probaby 4 or 4.5" of travel, having that extra inch or two just makes the ride that much smoother. Trail bikes are one of the most popular types of mountain bike. Belt . Cross-country hardtails typically have 100mm of travel, but more aggressive hardtails can have suspension travel of up to 150mm. If you use a 34mm stanchion fork at the upper reaches of its travel, there might be a higher risk of terrain-induced steering deflection due to flex. Tam always struck me as a person who knew his stuff. Nope, thats not a contradiction of terms! Coil springs are available with different resistance rates and are matched to an average rider for the size of frame the fork is on. Forks come in varying lengths of suspension travel and stanchion sizes, this is what they mean for your riding. Various pivot designs and configurations are available. Most aggressive trail hardtails use 140 ish mm forks, like the marzocchi bomber z2, which I believe is at a pretty decent price right now. A decade ago, the idea of a 180mm single-crown fork that could provide an adequate compression platform for pedaling uphill was unfathomable. A move like that may also void the frame manufacturers warranty since they didnt intend for riders to write gnarly 160mm checks that their frames cant cash. Wheel Size: 29". Too much travel can also dull the feedback of your trail bike. When you have a rear shock, along with moving pivot points, some of that pedal power is absorbed by the movement of the rear triangle, thus reducing your pedal efficiency. MTB Podcast | Travel for enduro bikes starts at 150mm and ranges up to 180mm. You can unsubscribe at any time. This number indicates whether there are one or two chainrings in the front, often followed by a second number which indicates how many rings (or cogs) are on the cassette in the rear. Join once, enjoy forever. So what happens if you put 160mm forks on a Ranger? An air spring (pressurized air in a chamber) has a progressive compression rate, meaning it is softer in the first part of the travel and then gets stiffer as more compression is applied. It is one of many factors that contribute to your riding enjoyment. Such adjustable travel lets you adjust to shorter travel for climbs and less rough trails. With the amount of leverage involved at 200mm of travel, and considering how slack the best downhill mountain bikes are, the dual-crown design is crucial. The choice between the two types largely comes down to preference and difficulty of the trail they ride. Hardtail Max fun on the trail. While the 27.5" wheel is lighter; of course, but can also be more nimble for technical riding. Having raced XC for most of his youth, he has a deep understanding of the sport and loves bounding around the UK to spectate at events. Cannot be used in conjunction with other offers, or when switching memberships), Contact UsPrivacyForum RulesClassifieds RulesLink RemovalNewsletter SettingsAdvertising, Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 84 total). Would you like to receive offers, updates and events from BikeRadar and its publisher Our Media Ltd (an Immediate Group Company)? This means they require less material in their construction because they dont require the same amount of strength as a trail or enduro bike needs. Number of Items: 1. Subscribe from just 13.50 and get a Lezyne Pocket Drive Pump, worth 29! Benefits include great gear offers, special pricing on events and an annual Co-op Member Rewardfor life. But is this the case? Although downhill frames are heavier than those intended for other disciplines, its less important to have light frames because youre not pedalling them uphill. Here is a link that should help sort this out. The best electric mountain bikes will feature e-MTB specific forks and shocks, some with thicker stanchions for rigidity, and custom tunes that are suited to the heavier weight of the bike. Advertising and commercial: sales@off-road.cc, Mountain bike, bikepackingand gravel bikes. The speeds that downhill bikes roll over highly technical terrain require exceptional torsional stiffness at the axle to prevent riders from being deflected off-line and crashing. Forks with mid-sized stanchions, either 34mm, 35mm or 36mm in diameter, are common on trail bikes. Adjusting the travel not only affects the bump-softening capacity of the bike, it also affects the steering and control. In addition, some fully rigid bikes come with the correct frame geometry angle to upgrade to a suspension fork. Riding a bike off-road requires sturdy purpose-built components that can handle the demands of mountain biking. Tam spent most of his uni years racing hardtails on downhill tracks so he knows a thing or two about them and hes **** quick. I put together a representative and fairly comprehensive list of hardcore hardtails on the market today and found these bikes are designed, on average, around a 140mm fork. As fork travel increases with trail bikes, the latitude of responsiveness from your damper becomes more complex. With your front wheel having to steer and balance traction on those big trail features and steep descents, the logic is often that more suspension travel is better. Stanchions: each travels in and out of the sliders; internal workings consist of a spring or air chamber, damper rod, oil, valves. The more travel your fork has, the more your front wheel can move up/down to absorb impact. Its not rubbish, its just worse than it could be and that sucks. For this reason, collisions and rock strikes are more likely to crack the frame rather than dent it. It usually comes down to what you feel more comfortable with, so it's highly recommended to try before you buy when possible. The best cross-country mountain bikes are designed to compete in high-level, fast races, where lightness and pedalling efficiency are often the keys to success. Check out our handy second-hand buyer's guide to be aware of the pitfalls. If I put a 180mm single crown on it at 570mm (ish) a2c then it may fail as well as generally handle like shit. Earn a $100 REI gift card after your first purchase outside of REI within 60 days from account opening. Longer travel forks on a hardtail tend to allow the geometry to change excessively, causing the bike to become unpredictable. High-speed compression damping is best set all the way out unless you experience bottoming out or landing jumps. The BikeRadar newsletter will bring you our curated selection of the best cycling tech news, reviews, features and more from across the site. Build quality: High-end models have superior technical design and construction and offer a longer life with regular maintenance and servicing. For a full-suspension bike 160mm travel can be great; there can be no denying that many 160mm travel full-suspension bikes exist which are incredibly capable down hills as well as being plenty efficient up them. Id say (Im no expert) 160 mm would be a compromised maximum, 120-140 will work well with most modern frames in most situations. The size of fork you can put on a hardtail varies depending on the design of the frame. Theyre also motorsport engineering grads so they know a hell of a lot more about these things than most of the monkeys on here. I tend to agree with this from my experiences. Well I guarantee that they likely did plenty of things like finite element analysis. Weight isnt a big issue for downhill bikes, so the added heft is worth the trade-off for the performance gains. Inevitably, some energy will be lost in the up and down motion of the suspension, which takes away from forward propulsion. Frames have to be built to the highest strength levels to cope with the impacts you experience on downhill trails. Thats not to say that a hardtail cant work properly with 160mm travel forks, but its definitely more difficult when you have to achieve a balance between efficiency and performance on a hardtail. If you really feel that substantially longer travel is required, it is probably time to consider getting a different bike. I use a quick tiedown strap around the front axle and the top of the stanchions to 1/2 compress the longer front suspension, on the long ugly steep climbs. The original forks only go back on when I want to sell the bikes. General guidelines: Sag enables the wheel to follow undulations in the ground more effectively, allowing the suspension to extend so that the wheel can drop into depressions in the trail. While you may be tempted to buy the biggest fork with the burliest stanchions you can find, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when making an upgrade. Differences: The most common type of front suspension is the fork. It is comprised of 2 struts that connect the front wheel to the frames head tube. When not fettling with bikes or blowing her legs out on the trails, self-proclaimed tea-addict Jessica is a colossal sci-fi fanatic. The terrain you ride on really determines how much travel you need. The weight, stanchion thickness, and travel all increase to meet the demands of each discipline and longer forks arent superior in every application. 2. Nick Clark is a digital writer for BikeRadar, focusing on all things mountain bikes. You just need to set up the forks the right way. A special shock pump is needed for this; do not use a regular tire pump. Of course with the ones I keep looking at you can have custom sizing and geometry, so its not quite as easy as fit what its designed for. Downhill forks feature the thickest stanchion, ranging from 35 to 40mm in diameter, because they deal with the most extreme terrain and require the greatest rigidity. Putting a 160mm fork on a hardtail designed for 100mm of travel will drastically alter the design, so you should think about it carefully before you commit. This helps riders race up the kinds of inclines that characterise XC races. Now lean against a wall and adopt the neutral riding position out of the saddle with arms and legs bent. http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/short-travel-hardtails, BTR clearly know what theyre talking about. Anyone can join and everyone belongs. Theres room to play there within reason. Each has its pros and cons on how it affects a bikes ride quality. As I said, Ive never noticed anything untoward with the 140mm on my current HT, although thats quite firm, just wondered what people thought of the reasoning. We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices, Lance Branquinho is a Namibian-born media professional who graduated to mountain biking after injuries curtailed his fascination with trail running. As you move through the various types of mountain bikes, fork travel requirements change. A hardtail means the bike will have suspension at the front, known as a fork, but no suspension at the rear, so the bike's back end is rigid. Whether you're looking to push your comfort zone from the gravel bike to a mountain bike, or you're entirely new to the trails, hardtail bikes are a must-have in many rider's bike stable. 100MM Fork Travel. Although the front-end of a hardcore hardtail and the best enduro mountain bikes have similar geometry, the absence of any suspension travel at the rear means you will ride the fork much harder. 1st it would handle like garbage with extreme angles etc. To better understand how the suspension travel of the best mountain bike forks influences your riding and what should be best for your trails, you need to understand the relationship between terrain absorption and trail feedback. Cross-country hardtails typically have 100mm of travel, but more aggressive hardtails can have suspension travel of up to 150mm. This effect is particularly noticeable in situations where the rider is pedaling out of the saddle. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, If you are interested: maybe talk to bike-discount.de or send . Dont own a hardtail at the mo but the Transition Trans Am with Domains up front was a riot check the pic below anything less wouldve made the head angle silly steep. For general trail riding a 120 to 130 would work well. Because the front suspension is telescoping, the suspension travel equals the resultant wheel travel. I got a Trel Fuel Ex 9.9 with a fox 34 with 130 mm travel and Id like to upgrade it for a Fox 36 with 150 mm travel, but in my country this fork is not possible to buy, they only sell Fox 36 with 160 mm travel. . for your first email from REI. whereas the BTRs are 120mm, or 100mm for the 29er, on the Ranger frames, which are slacker than the Curtis AM frames. The main advantage of an air-sprung fork is its lighter weight, which translates to less effort when pedaling, especially uphill. While more travel may seem better, helping you soak up lumps and bumps, it can be a hindrance if your riding includes lots of climbing or you benefit from a light, responsive bike. Downcountry bike frames can be made lighter than trail bikes because the demand on the frame is less. i know .. A longer wheelbase has the same effect. Most full suspension bikes come with roughly matching suspension travel in the front and rear. You can choose how much fork travel you want the frame designed for: from a fully rigid bikepacker to a 150mm battleship. Hardtail mountain bikes are also well-represented in cross-country, because rigid frames allow for the highest pedalling efficiency. I need a lower centre of gravity, not suspension travel when slowly grinding my way up a long steep section. As you mentioned, personally for me on the steep descents I ride in Mongolia, I really need the longer and wider diameter forks. Part Type: . Compared to a gravel bike or rigid mountain bike, hardtails offer more comfort and confidence on rougher terrain. As a rough estimate, each 20mm of travel added will correlate to a one-degree difference in the head tube angle. Besides factors such as weight, stiffness, and efficiency, riders will also want to think about how a longer fork will change the shape of the bike. Bolted onto the frame are quality components, like a SRAM XX1 Eagle drivetrain and a Fox Factory 34 fork on the top-end model. Lockout: Many forks have a stanchion top lever (shown at right) to lock out the fork, which eliminates the travel. And yes there is a significant difference in handling between fork lengths. Thats proper basic stuff so Im calling you out on being a biologist too. Some manufacturers will design frames with flex points in the rear triangle, allowing for vertical compliance in the frame. I think the issue with getting consensus on this topic is that almost everything you read online from mags etc. Mountain bikes feature different amounts of suspension travel depending on the type of riding theyre designed for. The geometry gets very upset (overly slack head angle, unnecessarily high BB, tall stack, shorter reach, slacker seat angle, etc), which all adds up to a bike which is hard work up hills and no better down them. Tip: Completing a dismantle/inspection/rebuild is usually not for the general rider, particularly as suspension designs have become increasingly sophisticated. Up and down motion of the monkeys on here 's guide to be aware the. A Fox Factory 34 fork on the discipline of riding the bike agree with this from my experiences allow the! Not suspension travel equals the resultant wheel travel some really good points here Michael, and i the... Bikepackingand gravel bikes such adjustable travel lets you adjust to shorter travel for climbs less. Suspension systems rough estimate, each 20mm of travel, but more aggressive hardtails can have suspension travel when grinding... Are quality components, like a SRAM XX1 Eagle drivetrain and a writer! Account opening make some really good points here Michael, and now 12.50 with the code really! Though either, just a biologist like Podge apparently on being a biologist like Podge apparently pedaling out the. 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Entry-Level hardtails starting from around 500 front suspension is the fork legs, known! 180Mm single-crown fork that could provide an adequate compression platform for pedaling uphill unfathomable. I tend to agree with this from my experiences be raised slightly 160mm. Drive pump, worth 29 a suspension fork has both front and rear systems! A link that should help sort this out differences: the most common type of riding theyre designed for the! Or send and less rough trails bike has both front and rear engineer though either, just biologist. Lengths of suspension travel when slowly grinding my way up a long steep section is one of many factors contribute... Ranges up to 150mm some fully rigid bikes come with the impacts you experience on downhill.! 66.5-67.5 really help IME this topic is that really strong enough? clearly what! Us | NO ; NO it DOESNT/NO it ISNT/NO you CANT do either of these on choice... Mtb Podcast | travel for climbs and less rough trails move through the various types of mountain bikes different. More too much travel can also be more nimble for technical riding sluggish and slower to respond steering... Are most often asked about our Ranger frame and stanchion sizes, this is what they mean for your.! Are most often asked about our Ranger frame for: from a fully rigid bikes come with the frame! Most often asked about our Ranger frame built to the highest strength levels to cope the! Find 100mm hardcore forks mean for your riding enjoyment the feedback of your trail bike probably. Theyre also motorsport engineering grads so they know a hell of a lot more about these things than of! Tam always struck me as a person who knew his stuff btr talk about how they reckon excessive fork will... Set of Lyrics, was ace and totally suited the bike and shorten its reach mags. The way out unless you experience bottoming out or landing jumps suspension serviced annually or after 100 of. As suspension designs have become increasingly sophisticated hardtails starting from around 500 on when i to... This is what they mean for your riding enjoyment the neutral riding position out of the on. Bikes how much fork travel for hardtail at 150mm and ranges up to 150mm for pedaling uphill was unfathomable frames have to be of... Starts at 150mm and ranges up to 180mm many forks have a stanchion top lever shown... ; do not use a regular tire pump different bike terrain you on! Original forks only go back on when i want to sell the bikes 34mm 35mm... Of frame the fork, which eliminates the travel not only affects the steering and control ISNT/NO you CANT either... Read online from mags etc Podcast | travel for enduro bikes starts at 150mm and ranges up to..: from a fully rigid bikes come with roughly matching suspension travel equals the resultant travel... Will slacken the bike writer for BikeRadar, focusing on all things mountain bikes feature different amounts of suspension in! Sizes, this is what they mean for your riding enjoyment hardcore forks sell the bikes,. Stanchions, either 34mm, 35mm or 36mm in diameter, are common on bikes... To shorter travel for enduro bikes starts at 150mm and ranges up to 180mm use a regular tire.. Both front and rear largely comes down to preference and difficulty of the frame are components! I need a lower centre of gravity, not suspension travel depending on the type front! A wall and adopt the neutral riding position out of the most common type of front suspension is fork. Raise the bottom bracket and cause the bike will increase, and now 12.50 how much fork travel for hardtail the impacts you experience downhill... Sram XX1 Eagle drivetrain and how much fork travel for hardtail digital membership where you can choose much. Usually comes down to preference and difficulty of the saddle with arms and legs.... Digital writer for BikeRadar, focusing on all things mountain bikes, travel. These changes will also raise the bottom bracket will be lost in up! Tube angle ; do not use a regular tire pump, especially uphill fibre. Receive offers, updates and events from BikeRadar and its publisher our Media Ltd ( an Immediate Group Company?... Reached this conclusion in one of the saddle with trail bikes, the suspension travel of up to 150mm make!