4" or 5" how much do I really need in honesty

DTM12

I am not new to cycling, (I have been riding road bikes competetively for nearly 10 years) but I am relatively newish to Mountain bikes and I am keen to learn more.

My question is about travel, how much travel do I need on my new bike. I do almost exclusively trail riding around North Wales where I live, mostly on the Gwydyr, llandegla and Penmachno trails with the odd trip to CYB which is as extreme terrain as I ever ride on really. I dont hit anything too extreme like drops or jumps and tend to try and keep the bike on the deck as much as possible, however I do enjoy to ride the downhills with a reasonable pace and moderate aggression within my confidence boudaries.
Most of the bikes I am looking at are 4 - 4.5" travel, is this enough for my riding ? A lot of people are telling me that I need 5" nowadays and that proper trail bikes are all 5", however when visiting a bike shop the other day a sales man seemed to suggest that 4" is more than adequete for what I truly need.
I know that people all used to ride hardtails round these trails, so I understand that anything is possible, however I am intrigued as to what people would think would make the most sense for me.

Dr_Death

Given what you say about your riding style I'd suggest 4" would be plenty. When I recently converted to full sus I had the same dilemma, I opted for 5 but then I like to try and fly more than you by the sounds of it....

dirtbiker100

Hard for me to answer that as i had a marin with adjustable travel from 4 to 6 and have now put all the parts on a hardtail! But as I ride Cwmcarn and Afan often I'd have thought that 4" would be fine for the type of riding you're doing.

RideTheLakes

You'll probably get a whole range of answers but my view is 5 inch is the way to go. More travel = more fun! And you're riding trail centres which can be quite hardcore in places.

All IMO of course!

Stu 74

I too had the same dilemna. In the end I decided to go for a 4" travel full sus (2006 Marin Rift Zone). I ride Llandegla regularly, fairly aggresively and I'm also partial to a bit of air. The bike soaks it up no problem! I have never ridden a 5" bike so I have nothing to compare with but I certainly don't feel like I need 5".

My understanding is that shorter travel bikes tend to be lighter and faster than their longer travel cousins but I'm not sure that this is always the case. Perhaps someone else can give you more info on this.

Stu

clarkson

id say 5 inch. go for a nice specialized stumpjumper. but no seriously, they allow you to climb efficiently, but also to give it some on the way down.

ddoogie

Going by the amount of travel is really quite misleading at the moment. You can buy 100mm freeride machines and 170mm "xc" bikes. What you should be more interested in are a fairly relaxed head angle, around 69-70 degrees for stability at speed, and something thats also lightweight enough to climb all day. There are a lot of bikes that fit nicely into that category as well. Stumpy FSRs, Trek Fuel Exs, Giant Trance etc.

Father Faff

I had the same problem and test rode a Giant Trance, Scott MCsomething and a Commencal Meta 5.5.2. I didn't like the Scott. I found the Giant very competent but I managed to bottom it out quite easily (perhaps poor technique) and nearly lost it on a relatively small 2ft or so drop whereas the Meta went down the same route without even noticing. If you can it is worth trying to get some test rides and riding it on the hardest terrain you are likely to want to do. Of course if you do get a longer travel bike it just encourages you onto even harder terrain!

The new 2008 Trance is apparently lighter, has 5 inch travel and is already getting excellent reviews (see the latest MountainBikingUK) so I'd put that on your shortlist. The Meta 5 is another obvious one to try. Specialised of course. Orange 5. Santa Cruz Heckler. etc. etc.

dawnophile

Very much down to the bike, but i'd say get a 4" if you're interested in XC or endurance racing as the'll likely be lighter and a touch faster. If you're in it for fun, go for 5". You'll have a bit more comfort, more of a safety net to get you out of sticky situations and you'll likely to be able to bomb downwards a bit quicker. Something like an Orange 5, new Trance or, if you have deep pockets, a Pace RC405 or Turner spot frame. All of which can be made relatively light with a healthy wallet.

However, I ride a hardtail, so what do I know.