Cross-country hardtails typically have 100mm of travel, but more aggressive hardtails can have suspension travel of up to 150mm. They can be seen in a variety of disciplines, though are mainly represented in the cross-country and trail disciplines. Make sure your suspension is properly adjusted. Too much is a bad thing, but 20mm or so should be OK. Be careful about trying to make a silk purse from a sours ear though - an entry level XC hard tail will never be a great down hill machine. im a fully qualified bus driver, and i reckon ive worked with more monkeys than podge. Nick also loves road cycling, where he has completed the holy trinity of spectating at all three grand tours in their host countries. Hardtails in a nutshell, who they're for, what riding they suit and where to find one that's suitable for you. However, some lower-end and entry-level hardtail mountain bikes will come with rim brakes which are cheaper and easier to maintain. The best electric mountain bikes will feature e-MTB specific forks and shocks, some with thicker stanchions for rigidity, and custom tunes that are suited to the heavier weight of the bike. Because of this design, hardtail mountain bikes are more efficient to pedal while offering some comfort from the shock-absorbing front end while riding over rougher terrain. Some manufacturers will design frames with flex points in the rear triangle, allowing for vertical compliance in the frame. The fork stiffness formula is simple: when adding more suspension travel increase stanchion size. Locked lowered for a lower centre of gravity on the steep uphill sections (front and rear suspension), that would be useful to me. Is 150mm travel too much for a hardtail? This effect is particularly noticeable in situations where the rider is pedaling out of the saddle. 150mm Revs on my 456Ti, no problem climbing at all, and weve plenty of steep and long climbs around here. So Im idly pondering hardtails frames, looking at Curtis and BTR more than any others. off-road.cc Editorial and general enquiries: info@off-road.cc With 150- to 180mm single-crown forks, you dont need a lockout control for climbing, but you want to control the multiple channels of compression and rebound. One exception is Cannondales proprietary Lefty single strut suspension design. There is a 190mm-travel version of RockShoxs enduro-focused ZEB fork, but youre more likely to see this attached to a freeride or bike park bike. Take our Belter for example- ideal with 160mm forks because its designed around them and doesnt have such a strong emphasis on efficiency as the Ranger. Shorter travel forks are generally aimed at cross-country mountain biking, designed to balance performance, lightweight and just enough suspension travel to help smooth out bumpy singletrack. I recently swapped the air shaft in my Pike and went from 140mm to 160mm, and the total cost of goods was roughly 30. It sounds like youre doing it all right! Weight isnt a big issue for downhill bikes, so the added heft is worth the trade-off for the performance gains. Differences: The most common type of front suspension is the fork. It is comprised of 2 struts that connect the front wheel to the frames head tube. The trade-off for this weight saving comes in the form of fork flex, which impacts the directness of steering inputs and the overall ability of the fork to perform in gnarlier terrain as friction levels build on the seals. Seat tube angle: 75. Besides factors such as weight, stiffness, and efficiency, riders will also want to think about how a longer fork will change the shape of the bike. Ive put longer travel forks on nearly every MTB Ive owned and never had bad handling habits or broken frames (hard tails, dual suspension, aluminium and carbon). 160mm preferably. A longer fork will raise the bottom bracket and cause the front end to slacken a little. It will also raise the bottom bracket which will cause the bike to feel less planted and confident in corners. Company Earn a $100 REI gift card after your first purchase outside of REI within 60 days from account opening. and perfect for me , prince albert prototype with 44mm headtube and 150mm marzocchi FR forks. Some manufacturers will design frames with flex points in the. Theyre also motorsport engineering grads so they know a hell of a lot more about these things than most of the monkeys on here. As fork travel increases with trail bikes, the latitude of responsiveness from your damper becomes more complex. You can reasonably change fork travel, up or down, by 10mm. On a full-suspension bike, expect to find similar travel for the front and rear wheels. Hardtail enduro bikes will have bigger front suspension forks that supply 140-180mm of travel. More info . The Roscoe 8 will perform like a champ. Frames have to be built to the highest strength levels to cope with the impacts you experience on downhill trails. Isnt that a great idea? Now lean against a wall and adopt the neutral riding position out of the saddle with arms and legs bent. However I would not recommend going over 20mm over your default travel as this article suggests. Having raced XC for most of his youth, he has a deep understanding of the sport and loves bounding around the UK to spectate at events. It just depends on how you want the bike to ride and handle. So it is very possible to over fork a bike. Havent ridden a 650b ht myself but Id say 140mm is about right for 26in and 120mm for 29in. The weight, stanchion thickness, and travel all increase to meet the demands of each discipline and longer forks arent superior in every application. Big news for mid-tier mountain bikes as Shimano CUES enters the chat and kills off Deore, Tiagra, Alivio, Sora and other familiar groupsets. . Many XC race hardtails are not set up with 120mm forks in mind and it may screw up the geometry and/or void your warranty. Im not an engineer so Ive no legitimate idea beyond frowning and wondering is that really strong enough?. Bath Depending on the discipline of riding the bike is designed for, the suspension travel can vary from 80 to 200mm. Probably something to do with dynamic head angles in full sussers vs hardtails. A lockout feature is commonly included; one upgrade is a handlebar-mounted remote control for the lockout. They need to be light and responsive while still providing a decent range of compression. Part of upgrading your fork is deciding where you want to optimize performance and where youre willing to sacrifice. While the 27.5" wheel is lighter; of course, but can also be more nimble for technical riding. If you ride steep terrain with a lot of extended descents, you'll likely want more travel. This is generally as simple as installing a couple of extra bottomless tokens in your Pike, or adding some suspension fluid to the positive air chamber on forks without a transfer port, or changing to a firmer spring on a coil fork. Thanks. Cotic Simple 26 Respect frame specs and limits and have fun. These shift the balance away from lightness toward rigid stability for better handling while descending. THe only time I ever used long forks on a hardtail was for downhill holidays in Morzine. Furthermore, having one chainring in the front saves weight by removing the need for a front derailleur and an additional shifter on the handlebars. These bikes feature some of the longest suspension travel, ranging from 180 to 200mm, helping to protect riders from large, repeated impacts. Ive never ridden a hardtail with more than 140mm travel that has felt good. Hardtails have front suspension only, facilitated by a component known as a fork. Save 30% + G-Form Pro X3 Knee Pads when you subscribe to MBUK magazine. Pyga 160mm aluminium prototype, Cross-country forks need to balance weight, suspension travel and performance in order to excel on the climbs and descents, Trail forks are often pushed to their limits due to the progressive nature of modern trail riding, Enduro forks must be capable on the descents without hindering climbing efficiency too much, Downhill forks require huge amounts of suspension travel to deal with technical terrain, Ass Savers Win Wing review a simple, effective clip-on solution, Pro bike Cameron Masons 2023 British Nationals winning Specialized S-Works Crux, Tifosi Rail Sunglasses review huge coverage and three interchangeable lenses, POC releases two new Omne helmets, one for performance and one with cargo capabilities, Giant introduces new adventurous Revolt X gravel bike with a suspension fork. Widgets, Explore As with other types of mountain bikes, fork travel is usually dependent on discipline. As the fork gets longer, it raises handlebars up and slackens the head tube angle. Suspension travel describes the amount of movement a suspension fork or rear shock has. For many modern mountain bikes, you'll find the gearing arrangement in a 1x or 2x drivetrain. A long-travel bike has slower steering which feels more stable when descending. Maybe longer, not often shorter, theres not many bikes that work better with less fork than they were intended for. Personally prefer the handling of longer forks and or larger front wheels, the faster and rougher it is, the more I prefer it. This improves comfort when sat in the saddle, and to a smaller extent rear-wheel traction while climbing. Typically, these bikes will feature beefier frame construction to deal with the added suspension travel. A mountain biker at heart, Nick helped create a community of trail builders in his local forest in North Wales. Number of Items: 1. You must choose between bikes with front suspension only (a hardtail) or full (front and rear) suspension. Forks come in varying lengths of suspension travel and stanchion sizes, this is what they mean for your riding. Slacker head angles boost confidence in steep descending terrain, but they make a mountain bike less agile at climbing technical singletrack as well as unbalancing the bike by moving the rider's weight backward. So there you have it! The Roscoe 8 2023 - Best Hardtail Mountain Bike Under $2000. Head Tube Angle: 67. Because cross-country race courses have become more extreme and technical, it is now common to see bikes designed around 120mm travel front and rear, such as Scotts Spark RC. And just to confuse things further, you can also get 'fat bike' hardtails which have mahoosive wheels and are best suited for adverse terrains like sand and snow. My BFe was a bit wandery at 150 but is just about right at 130. 3. Not really. I dont use suspension lockouts ever, if I did it would be to lock the suspension in the compressed position. This frees engineers to focus all their resources on making the stiffest structure containing sophisticated internals and valving. Best Bike Trails | REI and the REI Co-op logo are trademarks of Recreational Equipment, Inc. Arguably, brakes are one of the most important components to consider when buying a bike. 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. More sag equals a softer ride. Downhill mountain biking is solely about descending, with huge dampers that react intuitively to terrain impacts and help maintain the front tire's contact with the ground when cornering and braking. However, the strength of carbon fibre compensates for the brittleness. You just need to set up the forks the right way. RockShox has reacted too with its latest Pike range, blending 35mm stanchions with low fork weight. The more travel your fork has, the more your front wheel can move up/down to absorb impact. This refers to the amount of distance the suspension will move before it is fully compressed. Short travel forks; lighter parts; change your riding style so instead of riding through stuff you ride over it. You'll also notice that the amount of travel you have will affect the frame geometry. Light front on steep climbs but I love it. And if you want to take your . 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