Does size matter ?

DCR00

Evening all

How much diff does more travel make ? Since my recent visit to Lee Quarry my desire to spend more time throwing a bike down a steep rocky hill has been growing so im thinking about travel and the need for it.

My background in bikes is from way before full suss, so when i returned to MTB's last year, i only wanted a HT, and to a certain extent thats still true, however i have been thinking about a selection of options

1. Keep current HT frame and stick some 120mm forks on it (max i can fit safely). Why ? well i love the bike. I built it, its mine. Its silly light and i like it that way. But im thinking that an extra 20mm up front would give me more control over the rough stuff.

2. Sell current frame and forks and replace with something along the lines of a Stumpy FSR (the 140mm type), Zesty, or Orange 5.

Having two bikes just now isnt an option. May well be in a couple of years, but not now.

My question is whether more travel - 20mm in the first option or 40mm in the second makes a significant difference ? May seem like a daft question for option 2, but does having an extra 40mm of travel make up for rider skill ?

Is there anything that i couldnt tackle with a 120mm bike that i could with a 140mm with the same level of skill ?

u05harrisb

1, they have restrictions because they are built within certain tolorances so therefore is built idealy for a certain size, this is also becuase geometry is better for the front end being a certain height of the ground i.e. size of forks.

if im honest, im sure many will disagree but Q the debate

im assuming you have 100mm forks now? i would just keep it carry on going as you are, and really get a feel for wether you can or cant cope with the 100mm forks then after really desiding you can then make the choice of a full sus 140mm front etc.

i dont think any sus can make up for rider incompetance so best just to get out and ride, do remember the times and things that you used to see rigid riders do before sus and what rigid riders can still do now, so your one step ahead and have 100mm so you should be fine with most stuff really, might just get a little beat up on somthing hard thats all

hope that helps and please excuse spelling this little phone keyboard is awfulll!!! but its all excuses eyh

Anonymous

DCR00 wrote:

Evening all

How much diff does more travel make ?

7. It makes 7 difference.

A bike's capability is more dependant upon it's design than travel. Don't get hung up on it.

nozzac

A little bit of travel might not make much difference but the overall geometry or going FS can make a world of difference going down steep stuff. If you sell your racy XC and get an Orange 5 you're not just changing 40mm of front travel are you?

The Northern Monkey

yeehaamcgee wrote:

DCR00 wrote:

Evening all

How much diff does more travel make ?

7. It makes 7 difference.

A bike's capability is more dependant upon it's design than travel. Don't get hung up on it.

hmm... not sure I agree.

Although I did just take it to the extremes and try to ride my 120mm hardtail down a DH track... those bushes are might comfy though

Anonymous

You reckon it makes 5 difference? (my numbering scheme is non-linear)

The Northern Monkey

yeehaamcgee wrote:

You reckon it makes 5 difference? (my numbering scheme is non-linear)

errrmm..... 9 maybe? more dependant on trail type?

Anonymous

What I mean is, sticking 20mm up front would not make as much difference as, for example, switching to a 4X / dirt jump hardtail with 100mm forks.

Richie63

your questions of what you can tackle is better answered by defining your level of competance rather than the bike.

By putting a larger fork on you could conceivably go faster through rough ground on the downhill stuff letting the fork do the work for you.

140mm of travel will allow you to plough through most of the rougher natural trails here in the Peak district at warp speed if you are capable of keeping off the brakes.

bike-a-swan

If you're not sure, and can't go and try something else, I've 'toughened up' a short travel ht before just by changing the tyres. The fattest you can fit and a nice sticky compound up front make it feel a helluva lot more fun on tougher stuff. After that maybe shorter stem, wider bars, the usual.

As for riding more stuff, I'd say you probably won't be able to ride that much more on 140 fs than 100 ht, it's just the little bit more may well be the most fun bit! It obviously depends to some extent on how hard you ride how much the bike is holding you back. There's also the consideration that while you may be (and I really don't like this phrase) 'overbiked', it's your bike, so buy what you damn well please and enjoy it!

If you'll have more fun on the rest is pretty subjective too, really, so get demoing!

Richie63

Further to the above given the same skill level my opinion would be a noticeable speed increase if using the 140 over the 120 fork for downhill orientated trails.

.blitz

More travel = faster

My Ramones has a U-turn fork 95-140mm. 95mm is just for going up hill, I tried it a few times dh and it was awful. 120mm is trail-tastic and the 140mm setting slackens the geometry and makes the dh an absolute blast.

Yes you can use skillz yes you can pick your lines but why bother? More travel allows you to go where you want to.

Mental Mickey

To size queens yes it does, a larger one does look more appealing visually to be honest, it;s basic human instinct that larger equipment means healthier and stronger.

DCR00

interesting feedback guys, thanks

I guess i should be pushing my limits on what i have and then upgrading to something meatier when i feel the bike is holding me back

Anonymous

DCR00 wrote:

interesting feedback guys, thanks

I guess i should be pushing my limits on what i have and then upgrading to something meatier when i feel the bike is holding me back

precisely. Too many magazines, and people on here, immediately jump on the "spend more money" bandwagon.

nwmlarge

yeehaamcgee wrote:

DCR00 wrote:

interesting feedback guys, thanks

I guess i should be pushing my limits on what i have and then upgrading to something meatier when i feel the bike is holding me back

precisely. Too many magazines, and people on here, immediately jump on the "spend more money" bandwagon.

f that, buy a bike you like

Anonymous

Nothing wrong with buying a bike you like, but don't be pressured into it by mags and mongs.

MattJWL

nwmlarge wrote:

f that, buy a bike you like

The OP already said he loved his bike.

I (finally) went FS about 18 months ago after quite a while on HTs.

The main reason for the change was being able to carry a bit more speed over the rough stuff, and finding that a good FS design doesn't lose you too much efficiency. That said, I've not tried any 140mm steeds, so can't comment on those. It must also be said that I haven't yet riden anything on my FS that I wouldn't have been able to on the HT; it's just easier, more confortable & faster. My answer; don't worry get out & ride.

Yeeha - I think the difference is more like (11.785logN^3)/(πR^2)

Anonymous

MattJWL wrote:

Yeeha - I think the difference is more like (11.785logN^3)/(πR^2)

Don't be daft. that's just silly

MattJWL

Ahh... but if 2mm = more "va va voom"... surely 40mm must be a real clincher... or is that just french women & cars?

DCR00

nwmlarge wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

DCR00 wrote:

interesting feedback guys, thanks

I guess i should be pushing my limits on what i have and then upgrading to something meatier when i feel the bike is holding me back

precisely. Too many magazines, and people on here, immediately jump on the "spend more money" bandwagon.

f that, buy a bike you like

if i had the money, then yeah i prob would, and in time i prob will, but for now one bike is the only option for me

supersonic

More travel can allow you to run a softer spring. This allows the suspension to deal with bumps better. But it is not always a good thing: it usually means slacker geometry, and quite often higher weight.

And as has been mentioned, a good 100mm fork will perform better than a bad 120mm one. If in doubt, buy a Uturn fork and adjust to taste.

bamba

Richie63 wrote:

140mm of travel will allow you to plough through most of the rougher natural trails here in the Peak district at warp speed if you are capable of keeping off the brakes.

Good answer , more than enough to justify my needs of wanting 140mm

supersonic

But 100mm may do the same with a bit of skill, and possibly be lighter for the climbs and handle better ;-)

Lots of ways of doing it.

Shaggy_Dog

The simple answer is yes, a longer travel bike will give you more confidence and control when descending.

The complex answer as stated by Yeehaa, it's more about the design than it's actual travel.

As a generalisation, longer travel bikes are more downhill orientated, with slacker angles and a longer wheelbase, this makes the bike more stable at high speeds and also makes it harder to be sent over the bars as the front wheel is further in front of you. They are often a lot stiffer than shorter travel bikes too, which makes them easier to control over rough stuff and allow you to really throw it into corners without the uncertainty of not knowing what your wheels are going to do. Obviously, more travel means the wheel can get up and out of the way of big bumps better.

Unless you are really, really, really good, this will make a big difference to your confidence and therefore speed. Whether it's more fun is up for debate, I quite like riding steep, bendy bikes as it makes every ride into a near death experience which is what causes the adrenaline rush we all go out for in the first place. That said big travel bikes are a lot of fun initially as they let you go faster than you had previously so the consequences of f*cking up are greater!

The best thing is to have one of each so you can scare yourself on every type of ride, I find it also helps your riding to quickly progress if you constantly switch between two very different bikes. Eventually my riding progressed to a point where my Enduro became less and less relevant as I could ride any XC loop on a hardtail, at that point I sold the hardtail and the Enduro and bought the 120mm bike I ride now. Occasionally I miss the Enduro when I fancy getting the wheels off the ground and miss the HT for super fast lung busting half hour XC rides but on the whole I'm rarely under or over biked