What is the perfect travel for a trail bike?

Matt N

Hi, I know where I stand but want to know what everyone else thinks is the perfect amount of travel in mm for a trail bike aimed at red and black grade trails?

supersonic

No real definitive answer here - depends on preferences, the suspension set up, the quality of the design and shock. Some designes are meant to be run with certain sag too - some ramp up etc etc.

XxxBFGxxX

i rdie a 120 full suss marin does me fine laps up the big hits.

ride_whenever

I run a 140mm steel hardtail, and a 100mm steel singlespeed.

I'd quite like a burly 140mm FS bike though, one of the marins or a scott genius

RealMan

I'd have a hardtail with adjustable travel from 110-140mm travel. Just like what I have now, actually..

lawman

a 27lb 140mm fs bike like a zesty or a meta

Tom Barton

I've voted for what my bike has which means nothing technically - all depends how a bike uses its travel as opposed to how much it actually has.

Sarnian

I have a 130mm hardtail, and a 120mm FS, they seem to do me fine.

bomberesque

I have a 95-140mm forked steel HT that eats trail centres and can manage Alps. It's hard work (no chance for a rest in the saddle, except on the smoothest of sections and landing up short is unforgiving) but satisfying, low maintenance and direct to the point that I don't think I would buy a FS if trail centres were my main riding (and they aren't)

However, the trend for longer and longer travel in the lightweight category is something that has been coming up in conversation within our club recently and our consensus is that 140 is the max that you'd want and is probably a bit on the long side, especially up front where you start to get a lot of diving. We came to the conclusion that we rather like 120mm although this is a pretty thin area of the market. One of the mags ran an article on the suitability of 4X bikes for trail centres and this interests me. Burly 4" FS is another under supplied area of the market from what I see.

Epic trails (say >4hrs in the saddle) is something a little different, and then I love Mrs B's Yeti 575

CycloRos

For UK trail riding I've found 120mm is about right, and at the moment I'm preferring the HT to full-bouncer so that gets my vote.

projectsome

my hardtail has 100mm.

my full suss has 120mm

paul.skibum

bomberesque wrote:

One of the mags ran an article on the suitability of 4X bikes for trail centres and this interests me. Burly 4" FS is another under supplied area of the market from what I see.

This rings true with me and was something I was looking at when buying my second hand FS - looked at a few Spesh Supercross bikes and would have lover to get a blur 4x as a burly FS to ride at trail centres and in Alps - I dont go big so dont need huge hit [otential.

Got an old style Heckler in the end as it was burly ish, 4" travel but still capable of doing XC.

Personally though I ride my 100mm HT most places and am happy with that!

Doombrain

mine's 150mm FS and I’ve bottomed out once through some deep mud after a steep, fast downhill.
and thank god for the 150 or i would of been given a nice helicopter ride.

scale20

I have an XC HT with 80mm travel and a full sus with 150mm travel.

I find that a full susser spoils some of the riding on trails around North Wales. For those of you that have ridden the Marin trail I honestly think that this trail doesnt warrant a full susser, you get so much more out of it on a HT. Same as most of the trails in Coed Y Brenin.

However, Some of the wild riding on the cragy hills behind my house would smash the HT so for a more comfy ride I will take the full sus. I dont think the HT would take a brakes off descent of Snowdon either!

Anonymous

used to have a 130mm hardtail... ace on a local loop, even on the rocky downs

now have 120mm full sus with 5" rear. This one is also very good if not better than the hardtail, especially on fast rocky sections it flys.

So for a typical British single track (roots, rocks, flowing sweeps, climbs and the hell called mud) I would say 120mm up front, 5" at the rear.

It is of course all how you feel, i've seen guys rip it up on hardtails on DH sections before.. althought they may need to sort out their rims more than most.

lawman

expanding on what i said before i think a 27lb 140mm fs will do anything within reason well, it will climb well descend well and be fun on singletrack. you could take it to the alps and it would be fine so they reallly have most bases covered. it will never be as good dh as a dh bike or as quick as an xc bike so why not just be happy with a bike that does all things well? companies like specialized need to realise this, there is no point in a 22lbs 14omm bike

blister pus

Hardtail with adjustable 140mm travel.

Anonymous

there you have it.. no defo answer is there

it's all what people prefer really.

CycloRos

How's this for a definitive answer -

Perfect UK trail bike travel = Adjustable from 100-140mm, the HT vs FS will be debated forever!

joshtp

HT with 100 - 140mm

P-Jay

I'm running 150mm at both ends, I sacrifice climbing for desending tbh.

HardrockRob

I have said 120mm 'cause that is what I have. That said the 80mm on my hardrock hasn't presented me with any real issues either.