Can you still climb well on a 150mm travel bike (Spesh Evo)?

diddyfunk

Hi Guys

I have have now whittled down my search for a new bike to a Specialized Expert Evo 2011.

I wan to be able to take the bike to all the UK trail centres/Lake District/Alps and general xc use.

I have been wondering if 150mm travel is too much?

Do you think I will still be able to climb well?

A mate of mine has a 120mm travel bike and says he has never had a problem doing any of the above - am I better with a shorter travel bike?

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks

MountainMonster

I had a 160mm Fully, with fox rp2 shock and some 55 atas up at the front. With things locked out it was a very doable thing to tackle long climbs. Only problem I had with the bike was the weight, which you felt going up since so much since the bike was 16 something kg.

But yes, with some long travel bikes you can climb quite decently, especially if they have lockout.

ljs1977

I have a Cube Stereo 150mm.

The only thing which gets in the way of long XC rides and climbs are my legs and lungs!

In an ideal world I would have at least 3 bikes.
150mm trail bike
Carbon XC bike
Hardtail play bike

But as mine cost me £2k, I have a one will had to "make do" with a do anything bike!

Don't get caught up on which bike and travel as all bikes handle their travel differently.

When you are trying to select a bike everone will say test it out, which is anoying when you are keyboard biking at midnight with nothing else to do other than search t'internet but it is invaluble when you may be selecting a bike which is not 100% for everything you intend to do on it.

Just focus on what you will spend 75% of your time doing. For me trail centres and the Peaks will be all I will mostly do and my bike suits ME perfectly for this. although it is fine for a 30 mile XC ride and canal paths too!

Let us know how you get on.

Enjoy.

felix.london

Presume you're talking about an Enduro Expert Evo - had one on test this summer and was amazed at how well it climbed

.blitz

diddyfunk wrote:

Do you think I will still be able to climb well?

Depends what you mean by climb. Most medium-travel FS bikes climb pretty well with lockout and propedal in fact on loose ground they will find more grip than a HT but compared to a HT or shorter travel FS you will be painfully aware that you are dragging a whole heap of suspension up the hill.

If you are content to sit and twiddle you will be OK but personally I think your mate is right 120mm is all anybody really needs for the UK.

pilch

I think the geometry and technique has more to do with it rather than travel, my 575 has 67º ish head angle with 150 talas forks on it, most of the time I dont bother winding it down as perching on the edge of the saddle and shifting forward or back will get me up most things.

diddyfunk

Hi

Actually it is a Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Evo 2011 and not the Enduro

Thanks

felix.london

Spent nearly a week with the 2011 Stumpy FSR Elite with the 'Brain' and that climbs pretty amazingly too once you've got it setup properly

You can't adjust the shock on the fly though (you could with the Enduro) which was a bit of an issue for me over here.

Spec might be different from UK as I was riding French spec'd test bikes

Mccraque

I have a 140mm trail bike and a 100mm XC bike.

on a smooth ascent....the 100mm is better, no question. As things steepen, it's easier to keep the weight over the nose of the bike to prevent wheel wander.

However....a small adjustment to technique, sliding forward on the nose of the saddle and the trail bike climbs pretty well too. And when its a technical ascent....it really comes into its own. Easy to lift the nose over obstacles, rear wheel tracks brilliantly. Love it.

Anonymous

MountainMonster wrote:

But yes, with some long travel bikes you can climb quite decently, especially if they have lockout.

Never really had an issue without lockout, but I get the impression it mainly benefits if you climb out of the seat. Which I don't do.

But then I also have i-drive on the current bike and next bike has something similar which works towards dealing with pedal bob and such.

If you have u-turn of similar you can wind the forks down when climbing.

I think weight is a lot of it though.

tofu21

I think it depends greatly on the bike and how you have it setup.

I had a demo on an Orange 5 and that felt like a pig going up hill. A lot worse than my 140/120 Stumpy. But then a demo on a Mojo SL 150/140 totally blew me away. It climbed really well. May be not as well as my Epic but still was very impressive for a bike of it's type.

DodgeT

I have just gone to an enduro expert 2011 - 160mm front and rear.
It climbs fantastically. I don't bother using the propedal for climbing on rough stuff as it doesnt seem to bob much at all.
I came from a 120f / 100r super 4, which was a very capable bike, but the spesh knocks spots off it in every way, even climbing.

The best thing you can do is try one, people have their own opinions, when a lot haven't even rode one.
A chap in a bike shop at the weekend was trying to tell me that the spesh I have is a dog at climbing compared to shorter ie 4inch travel bikes. He wouldnt have it that it climbed well.
Of course, everything you get will be peoples opinions, certain people may suit different bikes better who knows, hence, get out there and try them.

But all i'll end with is my 160mm bike climbs great

Raymondavalon

Almost every manufacturer has their own design to reduce pedal bob and make their FS machines more efficient climbers
Even the likes of RockShox, Fox and DT Swiss have preset or adjustable settings on the rear shocks and forks to improve the process even further
In essence most Trial, XC and All Mountain class bikes climb very well, however each manufacturer will claim their system is the most efficient way to achieve this and most reputable manufacturers produce FS bikes that are quite capable all rounders, including clambering up ascents.

Northwind

Climbing's pretty complicated too... Like, people thing "propedal to climb" and it does reduce bob but if there's anything technical to get up sometimes having the suspension moving freely is more important.

I've ridden short travel bikes that climb like half-dead pit ponies and long-travel bikes that climb like mountain goats. Big bikes do tend to be heavier and carry heavier wheels and bigger tyres, but it doesn't always mean a big difference these days.

DodgeT

I did mean to add, that i've found that more 'bounce on the back means I can get up more technical stuff now than I ever could before.
I'd only consider putting PP on for say fireroads.

Meatfox

ive a remedy 7. 150mm. climbs very well. wouldn't worry too much. just test it on a few medium or big climbs and you'll know how it works for you

an_original_name

I'm currently riding a pitch with a 160mm fork on the front, so probably something around a 66 degree head angle and i don't have any problems climbing on it (and i ride in scotland and the lakes!) i think you will be fine.

diddyfunk

Hi guys

Thanks for all the replies.

I think I may find this just a big difference from my current 100mm hardtail!

Do you still think I could enter races like the south downs way and the other race they do in Wales over like a week on this bike or would it be too heavy and have too much travel?

Thanks

diy

Doesn't this bike have an RP23?

Makes a huge difference. But the stumpy is meant to be a mountain goat, so should climb well.

diddyfunk

Yep, RP23 on the rear - it has Propedal and then 3 'open' settings but no full lock out.

diy

I have the very same - IMO its superior to earlier shocks with lock | open settings. The propedal will move a little, but it wont bob, which can help when going up complex climbs as well as slow steep climbs.

milfredo

I have 150mm on the front and 140 on the rear of my Blur LT Carbon and it climbs like a beast with or without pro-peddle. Pretty much all my mates have Specilized Stumpjumpers with 120mm travel and I can keep up with them no problems.

I do set the fork to hard on some climbs if I need to stand-up and mash the peddles but that's about it.

Anonymous

Struggling a bit with a 170mm even though it's a lighter bike than my old 130 bike, but I keep trying to convince myself it's just I'm unfit at the moment . Could be the 2x10 set up it's got also as not used to that at all.

EvoRob

I ride a 2011 Enduro Expert Evo with 170mm up front and 160mm rear travel , and I don't have any problems when climbing, however I wont keep up with my mate on his short travel xc bike but they both have different gearing as well the other thing is when we get to the top he wont keep up with me on the way down...

NORTHERNSHAGGY

iv'e got a 2010 enduro expert - no problems climbing
2-step lyric on front and propedal on back are excellent

weescott

The biggest difference between my 160mm bike and my 105mm bike when climbing is how quickly I get tired.

At the end of the day a fat rider is going to be slow on any bike. :oops:

dan shard

My Remedy 8 (160mm) climbs better than my last bike Cube AMS 100 (100mm) even though its heavier and longer travel...

Guess theres more to it than just these two factors

Thewaylander

.blitz wrote:

diddyfunk wrote:

Do you think I will still be able to climb well?

Depends what you mean by climb. Most medium-travel FS bikes climb pretty well with lockout and propedal in fact on loose ground they will find more grip than a HT but compared to a HT or shorter travel FS you will be painfully aware that you are dragging a whole heap of suspension up the hill.

If you are content to sit and twiddle you will be OK but personally I think your mate is right 120mm is all anybody really needs for the UK.

Disagree on the 120 bike but not for the reason you think.

!20 bikes generally have steep angles and have yet to ride one that actually feels fast and confidence inspiring on the downs, which is what alot of people ride for.

Also if you want to progress to some up lift days for improving your Downhill skills a 150 bike is far more fun for those days

I think if you can have only one bike in your garage a 150/160 bike is a far more flexible bike which will be a great bike for Dh and being able to pedal a bit

njee20

Depends what you want to do! I'd not call most 120mm bikes 'slack', most will handle DH tracks (if not being ideal) so if your normal riding is pedally, with the odd bit of more extreme riding I'd have thought that would be better than having a bike designed for 5% of your riding.

On the OP, yes it'll be fine, you're unlikely to win XC races, but it'll be fine.

Thewaylander

Disagree with ya to a point njee, Your are a racer and your are very much aimed at racing.

Most people i encounter, like to ride all sorts doing uplift and DH Days as maybe 1/4 of there riding, and then the rest being XC but with out focus on getting to the top fast, just bimbling upa nd really enjoying the downs, and i think this is what most people want and a 140-160 offers.

You make it sound like 140-160 bikes are DH bikes, they are far from it, they sit fairly much bang inbetween a Lightweight XC race bike and full DH bike, perfect for you average jo that i encounter on the trails.

never once ridden a 120 bike that could DH with any real speed and confidence, there not that stiff, there not comfortable in a jump at all i can go on, i just don't think there at all as flexible in the enjoyment they can offer if you can only afford one bike.

njee20

It's nothing to do with me or my riding, was a generalised comment.

I'm just saying that it's a personal choice, and that for many people whose riding is trail/XC type stuff with the odd DH track thrown in (your average rider does not spend 25% of their riding time doing DH uplifts), buying a bike for the DH stuff, at the expense of everything else could be seen as a bit odd.

If you feel that a 160mm bike is the ideal tool for everything you do then that's fine, but I'd not buy a bike for the most extreme riding I do, just the majority. YMMV.

Bit of a sweeping generalisation on shorter travel bikes too, plenty of 'burlier' short travel bikes out there, Orange ST4, Blood etc.