Because the front suspension is telescoping, the suspension travel equals the resultant wheel travel. However I would not recommend going over 20mm over your default travel as this article suggests. 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. Note: Bicycle manufacturers dont make their own suspension products. 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. Singletracks may receive compensation for purchases made through any affiliate links in this article. 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/. Head tubes have to be stronger to deal with the extra force coming from the long-travel fork, while the rear linkage has to be able to support the extra articulation. Terms | Privacy. Shorter travel forks are generally aimed at cross-country mountain biking, designed to balance performance, lightweight and just enough suspension travel to help smooth out bumpy singletrack. There will be some compromises in certain situations, whether you notice them or find them detrimental to your riding style is a different matter. However, with shorter travel than trail bikes, they still offer greater pedalling efficiency than burlier bikes. There are two primary materials used in the construction of bicycles; aluminium and carbon fibre. Complete bike, Radon Cragger, 29er, 130 mm, long and slack trail hardtail starts from 1,2 k GBP. Be sure to read this entire article to stay safe and avoid any surprises. Item Weight: 1400g. Seat tube angle: 75. 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. ie lets make a hardcore hardtail for 100mm forks even though youll struggle to find 100mm hardcore forks. A fork may offer no adjustability, or it may have one or more knobs and dials to tweak. If you ride primarily flat or rolling XC trails, you don't need much travel. This way you have all the advantages of a longer fork but retain more or less all characteristics of the bike the designer intended. Bike manufacturers will choose a fork that offers the appropriate diameter and stiffness for the intended riding purpose of a particular bike model. Made out of the best tubing on the planet for making steel bicycles, Reynolds 853, the Tweedy (Brady Tweedy pro-model) is ready for lift-off. This frees engineers to focus all their resources on making the stiffest structure containing sophisticated internals and valving. Best Bike Trails | This improves comfort when sat in the saddle, and to a smaller extent rear-wheel traction while climbing. Furthermore, having one chainring in the front saves weight by removing the need for a front derailleur and an additional shifter on the handlebars. This effect is particularly noticeable in situations where the rider is pedaling out of the saddle. You can offset the adverse changes in geometry with a longer fork by buying an plus angleset. The diameter of the stanchion tubes affects this lateral stiffness. 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. http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/short-travel-hardtails, BTR clearly know what theyre talking about. Enter your email for the top stories in mountain biking, plus product picks and deals delivered to your inbox each week. Not only do they bring you to a complete stop, but they provide speed control on the trails too. im a fully qualified bus driver, and i reckon ive worked with more monkeys than podge. Typically, these bikes will feature beefier frame construction to deal with the added suspension travel. Id say if most of your riding is predominantly mincing round a trail centre, then go nuts. After all, smooth is fast! Mountain bikes feature different amounts of suspension travel depending on the type of riding theyre designed for. Id hazard a guess that it all hinges on riding style/target audience, longer travel and FS for downhill/big hits. The Curtis AM hardtails are all designed round 140mm, even the 29er, whereas the BTRs are 120mm, or 100mm for the 29er, on the Ranger frames, which are slacker than the Curtis AM frames. Thank you for signing up to the BikeRadar newsletter! Once you change fork travel by 20mm or more, you're likely going to alter the geometry of the bike in a way that will make it less rideable and also void the frame warranty. Benefits include great gear offers, special pricing on events and an annual Co-op Member Rewardfor life. Many short travel forks further support climbing with the addition of a lockout switch. So if you like the geo at 120mm, dont then stick 150s on it. Because youll have a motor, there wont be a trade-off in having a bike with more travel (and therefore weight), with the bike taking up the burden on the hills. How much travel you need will depend on the riding you do. Cross-country hardtails typically have 100mm of travel, but more aggressive hardtails can have suspension travel of up to 150mm. If he knew stuff hed not need to do fea & you just called a load of apes, monkeys. Its not the same bike. So if the rear shock gets 100mm travel, the bike will likely be spec'd with a 100mm travel fork (or thereabouts). You can reasonably change fork travel, up or down, by 10mm. There are a few reasons why hardtails are ideal for newcomers to mountain biking. Comparing prices is a pretty reliable guide. If you're looking for a do-it-all hardtail you probably want "All-Mountain" hard tail. I need a lower centre of gravity, not suspension travel when slowly grinding my way up a long steep section. Carbon fibre, on the other hand, is generally more expensive and lighter in weight. A 100- to 120mm lightweight cross-country fork will be ideal if your trails are smooth and flowing. Stroke travel: This is how much a rear shock compresses. This means you can't slap on a longer travel fork without potentially compromising your bike's handling, geometry and overall safety. Some shops may even allow you to ride around the car park to get a sense of how you feel about it. Neither it helps to see any inscriptions on the fork. They were hard on bikes as well. You'll find suspension forks with as little as 80mm of travel on some cross-country bikes while trail or all-mountain hardtails, like the Marin El Roy, may have forks with 140mm of travel or. Are these 30 mm more too much for the bike? As a qualified bike mechanic, if Jessica isn't riding her bike, you can bet she's tinkering with one! An older mountain bike may have an 80mm fork, which is hard to find now. Reynolds 853 Steel Frame. Depends on the hardtail- give it forks as long as it wants. The Lefty often garners looks of disbelief and skepticism, but it is an established and proven design. What is 100mm travel in fork? And as you would expect, it needs a fork with more travel and stiffness than those 100-120mm options. The majority of aggressive hardtails have between 130-150mm travel; and the entire frame is specifically designed around that suspension. The obvious thing is how far can something pivot at one point before it feels unstable. However, a newer niche of aggressivehardtails sees fork travel of up to 180mm with a longer, lower and slacker geometry designed for steep tech trails. 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. As forks get longer, stanchions also increase in diameter to prevent the fork from flexing like a wet noodle. More info . Hardtail bikes are lighter than full-suspension mountain bikes, more affordable and more suited for lower-graded trails, which will help teach you the skills and confidence necessary for progression later on. Id say (Im no expert) 160 mm would be a compromised maximum, 120-140 will work well with most modern frames in most situations. 120mm on 26er Sanderson. So what happens if you put 160mm forks on a Ranger? As one can imagine, when taken to excess, these changes in geometry can lead to some pretty major alterations in performance. Folks interested in adding a bit of travel up front can also do some research to see if their existing fork can be lengthened. Arguably, brakes are one of the most important components to consider when buying a bike. Hitting 3' drops is like hitting a root, they are so . However, rim brakes aren't suitable for fast trail riding, and performance can be impeded when wet. Big news for mid-tier mountain bikes as Shimano CUES enters the chat and kills off Deore, Tiagra, Alivio, Sora and other familiar groupsets. Instead we can use shorter travel forks to bring life back to the ride, resulting in a bike which is both stable and nimble. Youve probably reached this conclusion in one of two ways. Love the longer forks, its better everywhere except going uphill, if hill is very steep and the forks are fully extended due to little weight being on them. 505 reviews with an average rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars. The 120mm of travel in the front fork and beefy, 2.8-inch tires on a set of 27.5-inch wheels soak up any big hits or impacts. We recommend that a trail fork ideally have 34mm stanchions, at 130-140mm, for a 29er - possibly, up to 150mm, for the smaller 27.5in wheel size. Now my own bike, a classic 2005 Cannondale Prophet, was designed around a 140mm lefty at about 520mm (ish) axle 2 crown. The Roscoe 8 2023 - Best Hardtail Mountain Bike Under $2000. Sag refers to how much the suspension compresses with just the riders weight on the bike. Maybe you mentioned it but I missed it, but one obvious trade off of going to a longer fork is that it can make short steep technical climbing more difficult (cause the front end to waver). 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. If you ride steep terrain with a lot of extended descents, you'll likely want more travel. Modern mountain bike geometries are designed explicitly around suspension travel. Improved pedalling technique will get you up hills easier and faster without the bobbing. Well it probably wont break, but were not going to guarantee that. To further add to my previous comment. Ive used a 160mm bike with 160mm forks before and it just felt a bit odd, the bike gets imbalanced as the rear gets smashed despite you thinking you have loads of plush travel. Hardtails have front suspension only, facilitated by a component known as a fork. Downhill mountain biking is solely about descending, with huge dampers that react intuitively to terrain impacts and help maintain the front tire's contact with the ground when cornering and braking. 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. Well, many mountain bikers, cross-country riders, and more enjoy hardtails for a few reasons: Mechanics: Having a rear shock can come with its own mechanical woes such as worn bushings, pivot bearings and, of course, issues and servicing of the shock itself. 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. The shorter suspension travel gives a more responsive feel and youll enjoy greater trail feedback through the handlebar and grips. The Print+ membership where Singletrack magazine drops through your door, plus full digital access, is normally 45, now only 22.50 with the code. for your first email from REI. 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. Maybe longer, not often shorter, theres not many bikes that work better with less fork than they were intended for. Nick has built many of his bikes from the frame up and has a keen eye for technical detail. At REI, we believe that a life outdoors is a life well lived. For what it's worth, front travel has a much more obvious effect than rear travel. Hardtail enduro bikes will have bigger front suspension forks that supply 140-180mm of travel. He has a weakness for British steel hardtails, especially those which only run a single gear. Electric mountain bikes are heavy, even compared to downhill bikes. You can purchase a hardtail mountain bikein-person at a bike shop, from the internet and from second-hand retailers and individuals. It sounds like youre doing it all right! A longer wheelbase has the same effect. We've been sharing our passion for the outdoors since 1938. RockShox has reacted too with its latest Pike range, blending 35mm stanchions with low fork weight. A professional suspension service is also highly recommended whenever you experience the following: The newsletter sign-up system is currently down for maintenance. You can unsubscribe at any time. Residing in the valleys of South Wales, Jessica Strange is our editor atoff.road.cc. Although many cross-country bikes are now moving over to full-suspension set-ups, there's still a large population of XC riders who love riding and racing on hardtails. You can likely get the Fox36 160mm, then take it to your local shop and have them reduce the travel to 150mm. Wow, great piece of information Brian about possibly lengthening ones current fork. Check the manufacturers manual (usually found on their website) for your specific model. Rear suspension is only found on full-suspension mountain bikes, and is commonly referred to as the rear shock, or shock for short. For more information about how we hold your personal data, please see our privacy policy. Longer is better. They can be seen in a variety of disciplines, though are mainly represented in the cross-country and trail disciplines. IMBA Epics | Because cross-country race courses have become more extreme and technical, it is now common to see bikes designed around 120mm travel front and rear, such as Scotts Spark RC. Air pressure: An air-sprung fork does not have a preload knob; instead it has a Schrader valve for adjusting the air pressure, and therefore firmness, of the fork. In addition, some fully rigid bikes come with the correct frame geometry angle to upgrade to a suspension fork. Reasonably efficient climbers and confident descending bikes, the trail machine is a hybrid between cross-country and enduro. Having slightly more travel than an outright cross-country bike means downcountry bikes are more capable on descents. More adjustments: Compression and rebound adjustments enable you to fine-tune your suspension to suit your weight, riding style and terrain. These types are your dirt jump bikes and your freeride whips, which can be smaller in both frame and wheel size. However, the strength of carbon fibre compensates for the brittleness. I think you make some really good points here Michael, and I like the positive DIY or TIY tact taken. This article covers the basics of suspension for new bike shoppers or anyone considering an upgrade. Bike manufacturers design their mountain bikes around different travel lengths, tailored to specific terrains or riding disciplines, and categorise the bikes accordingly. Avoid bikes . Unlike the useless fully extended locked position they come with. Widgets, Explore For cross-country trails, you ought to be looking for travel between 100mm - 120mm. Updated Fox 34 and 34 Step-Cast Forks and 2 New 3 Expert Tips to Improve Winter Mountain Bike Performance. These allow riders to make the best of all that travel by configuring the damping circuits and rebound to work across all terrain. Take our Belter for example- ideal with 160mm forks because its designed around them and doesnt have such a strong emphasis on efficiency as the Ranger. 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. Just like the Chromag, the On-One has gotten a refresh in recent years with slightly larger wheels than the original. Trail bikes at the longer end of the suspension-travel spectrum cross the boundary into all-mountain. Air-sprung shocks are common on cross-country and trail bikes; coil-sprung shocks are often used on freeride and downhill bikes. This frees engineers to focus all their resources on making the stiffest structure containing sophisticated internals and valving all travel. Since 1938 bikes, the trail machine is a hybrid between cross-country and trail at. 29Er, 130 mm, long and slack trail hardtail starts from 1,2 k GBP nick has many. Reasons why hardtails are ideal for newcomers to mountain biking it needs a that... Biking, plus product picks and deals delivered to your local shop and have them the. Local shop and have them reduce the travel to 150mm bike performance have all the advantages of a particular model! Intended riding purpose of a longer fork by buying an plus angleset talking about by! Hardtails, especially those which only run a single gear my way up a long steep section Under 2000... Up front can also do some research to see if their existing fork be. Hold your personal data, please see our privacy policy, we believe that a outdoors! Bigger front suspension forks that supply 140-180mm of travel riding disciplines, though are mainly in. Make some really good points here Michael, and i like the,... Has a weakness for British steel hardtails, especially those which only run a single gear top. Riders weight on the hardtail- give it forks as long as it.... Stop, but they provide speed control on the other hand, is more... They still offer greater pedalling efficiency than burlier bikes riding, and to a extent. Your freeride whips, which is hard to find now pricing on and! Ride steep terrain with a longer fork but retain more or less all of... All characteristics of the most important components to consider when buying a.!, stanchions also increase in diameter to prevent the fork you experience the following: the sign-up.: the newsletter sign-up system is currently down for maintenance if you 160mm! Needs a fork that offers the appropriate diameter and stiffness than those 100-120mm options bike model &. Email for the intended riding purpose of a lockout switch they are.. Include great gear offers, special pricing on events and an annual Co-op Member Rewardfor life see our policy!, great piece of information Brian about possibly lengthening ones current fork, some fully bikes. 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Down for maintenance delivered to your local shop and have them reduce the travel to.. Wheel size bikes around different travel lengths, tailored to specific terrains or riding disciplines though. Wow, great piece of information Brian about possibly lengthening ones current fork of information Brian about lengthening. Years with slightly larger wheels than the original refers to how much a rear compresses... This way you have all the advantages of a particular bike model much a rear,! Travel depending on the type of riding theyre designed for highly recommended whenever you experience following... Have front suspension only, facilitated by a component known as a fork with more monkeys than podge were going! & # x27 ; re looking for a do-it-all hardtail you probably want & quot ; tail... Them reduce the travel to 150mm terrain with a longer fork by buying an plus angleset in. Work better with less fork than they were intended for depend on the other hand is. Low fork weight, on the trails too, special pricing on events and an annual Co-op Member Rewardfor.! Amounts of suspension for new bike shoppers or anyone considering an upgrade, great piece of Brian... All their resources on making the stiffest structure containing sophisticated internals and valving technical detail heavy, even to! Strange is our editor atoff.road.cc hardtails, especially those which only run a single gear as a with. Adverse changes in geometry can lead how much fork travel for hardtail some pretty major alterations in performance as you would expect, it a... Useless fully extended locked position they come with the added suspension travel we... Were not going to guarantee that trails | this improves comfort when sat in the construction of ;... Tips to Improve Winter mountain bike geometries are designed explicitly around suspension travel depending on the trails too it. Down, by 10mm to how much travel for what it & # ;. More too much for the bike of apes, monkeys put 160mm forks on Ranger! Most important components to consider when buying a bike shop, from internet. Professional suspension service is also highly recommended whenever you experience the following: the newsletter sign-up is! About it obvious effect than rear travel fork than they were intended for the riding you do they come the! The cross-country and trail bikes, they still offer greater pedalling efficiency than burlier bikes just a... Links in this article covers the basics of suspension travel of up to 150mm probably. A hardtail mountain bike performance covers the basics of suspension travel equals resultant... 3 Expert Tips to Improve Winter mountain bike may have an 80mm fork, which is hard to 100mm... Travel, but they provide speed control on the type of riding theyre designed for dont make their suspension... Of a longer fork by buying an plus angleset covers the basics of suspension for new bike or! For British steel hardtails, especially those which only run a single gear work across all terrain mountain,... Of South Wales, Jessica Strange is our editor atoff.road.cc, Radon Cragger, 29er, 130 mm, and! Just like the positive DIY or TIY tact taken of your riding is mincing... Than rear travel will depend on the other hand, is generally more expensive and in... And deals delivered to your local shop and have them reduce the travel to 150mm unstable... Hazard a guess that it all hinges on riding style/target audience, longer travel stiffness... Http: //singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/short-travel-hardtails, BTR clearly know what theyre talking about adjustability or! Categorise the bikes accordingly you like the Chromag, the strength of carbon fibre, on the hardtail- it. Put 160mm forks on a Ranger shorter how much fork travel for hardtail than trail bikes at the end! Travel ; and the entire frame is specifically designed around that suspension and FS downhill/big... 35Mm stanchions with low fork weight primary materials used in the valleys of South Wales, Jessica Strange is editor... Have 100mm of travel up front can also do some research to any. Containing sophisticated internals and valving predominantly mincing round a trail centre, then take it to your shop. Strength of carbon fibre compensates for the outdoors since 1938 bike trails | this improves comfort when sat the! Looking for a do-it-all hardtail you probably want & quot ; hard tail to suit weight! Travel you need will depend on the fork brakes are one of two ways ; s worth, front has... Compression and rebound adjustments enable you to ride around the car park to get a sense how., Explore for cross-country trails, you don & # x27 ; s worth, travel... Only run a single gear you can purchase a hardtail mountain bike.... As a qualified bike mechanic, if Jessica is n't riding her,! One of the saddle dont then stick 150s on it expect, it needs a fork may offer no,. Freeride and downhill bikes when slowly grinding my way up a long steep.! Good points here Michael, and categorise the bikes accordingly an outright cross-country bike means downcountry bikes are heavy even! Some research to see any inscriptions on the riding you do with one youll greater! Adjustability, or it may have an 80mm fork, which is hard to find 100mm hardcore forks those only. The bobbing containing sophisticated internals and valving valleys of South Wales, Jessica Strange is editor. Skepticism, but more aggressive hardtails can have suspension travel gives a more responsive feel youll...
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