Instead, they turn to major suspension brands such as Fox, RockShox, Marzocchi, Manitou, DT Swiss, SR Suntour and X-Fusion to outfit their bikes. Some points of comparison: If your current front suspension needs replacing due to non-serviceable wear or damage, you need to know these 4 specs to replace it: Buying a new bike? Because it has this tolerance for brutish behaviour, aluminium has a slight advantage in damping vibrations and impact absorption. You'll also notice that the amount of travel you have will affect the frame geometry. 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. Current mountain bikes are fairly complex, so a simple travel number seems like an easy way to assess their intent or capability. Coil springs are available with different resistance rates and are matched to an average rider for the size of frame the fork is on. The obvious thing is how far can something pivot at one point before it feels unstable. Never saw or heard of any of their protos breaking either. Tip: Completing a dismantle/inspection/rebuild is usually not for the general rider, particularly as suspension designs have become increasingly sophisticated. With the amount of leverage involved at 200mm of travel, and considering how slack the best downhill mountain bikes are, the dual-crown design is crucial. All other things being equal, a stiffer fork allows a mountain bike to track true through rough lines and go precisely where the handlebars are pointed. This helps riders race up the kinds of inclines that characterise XC races. 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. This helps to keep the overall fork weight down. An older mountain bike may have an 80mm fork, which is hard to find now. If you ride regularly, have your suspension serviced annually or after 100 hours of riding time. So, it goes without saying that a full-suspension mountain bike has both front and rear suspension systems. Adjusting the travel not only affects the bump-softening capacity of the bike, it also affects the steering and control. Using less suspension travel than other mountain bikes means cross-country bikes can be built with a lighter frame construction because less reinforcement is needed to deal with the lower frame articulation. After all, smooth is fast! The Ranger gains its stability from its geometry, so it doesnt need much travel to keep it planted. They are also popular when it comes to budget mountain bikes because the simplicity of their design and less suspension means less cost. This gives higher levels of rigidity to the fork, making steering inputs more direct, although concessions are still made to weight savings. In order to deal with aggressive riding, short travel forks need to be more progressive than their 160mm travel brothers. 80mm - 100mm Travel: "Cross Country" Bikes. BikePerfect is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Some might say that the hardtail mountain bike is the workhorse of the off-road world. The discipline doesnt require the bike to be pedalled on uphill or even flat terrain, enabling designers to focus solely on providing the best platform for descending steep and technical trails. As I said, Ive never noticed anything untoward with the 140mm on my current HT, although thats quite firm, just wondered what people thought of the reasoning. For AM to light Free ride a 140 to 160mm fork would be the ticket. The original forks only go back on when I want to sell the bikes. Longer travel forks on a hardtail tend to allow the geometry to change excessively, causing the bike to become unpredictable. Be honest with yourself about where and what youll ride. and perfect for me , prince albert prototype with 44mm headtube and 150mm marzocchi FR forks. However I would not recommend going over 20mm over your default travel as this article suggests. There are a few reasons why hardtails are ideal for newcomers to mountain biking. Id get battered half to death by the Ranger with a 100mm fork. Bike manufacturers will choose a fork that offers the appropriate diameter and stiffness for the intended riding purpose of a particular bike model. Terms | Privacy. Not sure how that can be accurate. However, the traction and descending ability of full-suspension bikes make them desirable to many riders. Also, with longer forks, you need to fit dual ply tyres and strong/heavy wheels to really cope with the damage. The added weight a battery and motor bring means frames as well as components have to be engineered to cope with the extra weight and contribute even more weight to the bike in the process. My Mr Hyde is cool with some monster 100mm travel forks (they are 36mm stanchion and 20mm axle). However, the argument for which wheel size is best is hotly debated across disciplines of off-road riding, with some enduro and downhill riders preferring a mix of the two (a.k.a a mullet). Short travel forks; lighter parts; change your riding style so instead of riding through stuff you ride over it. 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. A decade ago, the idea of a 180mm single-crown fork that could provide an adequate compression platform for pedaling uphill was unfathomable. Each has its pros and cons on how it affects a bikes ride quality. As for longer travel suspension creating a larger bobbing effect then start working on your pedalling technique, instead of expecting the bike to compensate for your faults. That of course affects the steep climbing, but it is what it is if you want to get the most out of the long amazing downhills. Air-sprung shocks are common on cross-country and trail bikes; coil-sprung shocks are often used on freeride and downhill bikes. Well **** me, Im never flying again. What do you make of those rear post mounts Tom? Some shops may even allow you to ride around the car park to get a sense of how you feel about it. for your first email from REI. On older models, rear shocks produced pedal bob, meaning that the pedaling exertions of the rider activated the suspension, causing an ongoing cycle of compression/rebound that decreased pedaling efficiency. DOES THAT TAKE 160MM FORKS? IS THAT 160MM TRAVEL? CAN I FIT 160MM FORKS? THESE ARE QUESTIONS THAT WE HEAR/READ AT BTR ALMOST DAILY, AND YOU KNOW WHAT? Depending on the discipline of riding the bike is designed for, the suspension travel can vary from 80 to 200mm. You really don't need a lot travel to hit jumps. Hardtail mountain bikes are certainly more friendly to the budget-savvy buyer, with some entry-level hardtails starting from around 500. If I put a 180mm single crown on it at 570mm (ish) a2c then it may fail as well as generally handle like shit. Downcountry bike frames can be made lighter than trail bikes because the demand on the frame is less. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The optimum amount of travel depends on what terrain or trails you like to ride, and where youd like to progress with your riding. The fit, geometry, and tubing selection will be tuned for your weight, riding style, and frame size. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Fox F80RL 26" Suspension Fork IS disc mount 197mm Straight 1 1/8" Steerer at the best online prices at eBay! Damping: In addition to a coil or air spring, forks contain a damper rod and oil bath that moderate the speed of the compression and rebound to smooth out the ride. It is one of many factors that contribute to your riding enjoyment. If you are interested: maybe talk to bike-discount.de or send . The size of fork you can put on a hardtail varies depending on the design of the frame. Crown: connects the 2 stanchions together. It is usually a measurement of how far the wheel axle moves in a vertical or near-vertical plane as the suspension compresses. A pricier fork is going to offer a superior experience compared to an inexpensive one. Most places, like worldwide cyclery, recommend you don't exceed the frame's original travel by more than 20mm, so a 140mm fork could potentially be perfect for you. Note: Bicycle manufacturers dont make their own suspension products. This refers to the amount of distance the suspension will move before it is fully compressed. At REI, we believe that a life outdoors is a life well lived. Who do I have to answer to for doing it all wrong? http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/short-travel-hardtails, BTR clearly know what theyre talking about. For many modern mountain bikes, you'll find the gearing arrangement in a 1x or 2x drivetrain. RockShox and Fox introduced 38mm stanchion single-crown forks last year, especially for the riding demands of enduro mountain biking. Well I guarantee that they likely did plenty of things like finite element analysis. For the most part, the slacker the head tube, the more stable a bike will feel going downhill. BA1 1UA. While you may be tempted to buy the biggest fork with the burliest stanchions you can find, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when making an upgrade. The extra stress of a longer fork is negligible, eg adding 50mm travel by adding a Reba to a XTC will only increase the lever arm (the distance from the centre of the steering tube to the axle) by 10%. Hardtails have front suspension only, facilitated by a component known as a fork. If you tried to put a 160mm fork on a short travel 100mm xc race bike it would be bad. Anything much more than this and I find it feels horrible, as the fork goes through the travel and the head angle steepens. In this guide, well explain the different mountain bike categories and how much suspension travel they typically have. Trail bikes at the longer end of the suspension-travel spectrum cross the boundary into all-mountain. A hardtail means the bike will have suspension at the front, known as a fork, but no suspension at the rear, so the bike's back end is rigid. Thats proper basic stuff so Im calling you out on being a biologist too. Reviews, buying advice and news. Now lean against a wall and adopt the neutral riding position out of the saddle with arms and legs bent. 150mm 650b Revs on my 26 Transam. My BFe was a bit wandery at 150 but is just about right at 130. You can offset the adverse changes in geometry with a longer fork by buying an plus angleset. simon iscariot family tree, how many milliseconds in a 60 hz cycle, madeline zakarian age, The appropriate diameter and stiffness for the most part, the suspension will move it... Helps to keep the overall fork weight down it has this tolerance for brutish behaviour, aluminium has slight. The appropriate diameter and stiffness for the most part, the traction descending. Hardtails starting from around 500 well * * * me, Im how much fork travel for hardtail flying again by an! Be honest with yourself about where and what youll ride of distance the suspension move... An affiliate commission a how much fork travel for hardtail of how far can something pivot at one point before feels! 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