I tend to agree with this from my experiences. Because it has this tolerance for brutish behaviour, aluminium has a slight advantage in damping vibrations and impact absorption. It sounds like youre doing it all right! Hardtails can be fun on mildly technical descents if they have the appropriate geometry and a decent suspension fork. This was mainly owing to their ability to clear obstacles with greater ease and climb more efficiently. Youve probably reached this conclusion in one of two ways. Ive never ridden a hardtail with more than 140mm travel that has felt good. This added frame construction makes the frame heavier, impacting efficiency when going uphill, but the pay-off is worth it when coming back down. When not fettling with bikes or blowing her legs out on the trails, self-proclaimed tea-addict Jessica is a colossal sci-fi fanatic. Just based on what Ive found I can get the rear wheel over at speed without smashing it up. The fork stiffness formula is simple: when adding more suspension travel increase stanchion size. 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. There are fewer things to worry about when servicing and maintaining your bike by not having a rear suspension. Im a graduate zoo keeper, I know a hell of a lot more about monkeys than you. Maybe you mentioned it but I missed it, but one obvious trade off of going to a longer fork is that it can make short steep technical climbing more difficult (cause the front end to waver). The main advantage of an air-sprung fork is its lighter weight, which translates to less effort when pedaling, especially uphill. What they said IMHO hardtails are used more for mincing along stuff* than for full on DH so less travel is generally required, I found my 456 to be a front end light going up hill with 140 and use TALAS if i had to pick i would have gone for 120 mm personally, * i have 100 mm 26 er and yes i could ride the lakes and proper mountains on it but honestly I would be using my FS for such a task. A 100mm fork may be an acceptable replacement, but a 120mm fork will probably alter the bike geometry significantly to the detriment of safe handling. However, rim brakes aren't suitable for fast trail riding, and performance can be impeded when wet. Comparing prices is a pretty reliable guide. With modern forks with proper damping, i cant see a problem tbh! For general trail riding a 120 to 130 would work well. Rides: The sag is how much the suspension compresses under your weight. Replacing your existing fork? 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. This latest MK2 version Shimano SPD Cleats SH51 MTB SPD - Single Release, Shimano SPD Cleats SM-SH56 - Multi Release, Cheaper Things Tuesday: Discounted E-Bikes Edition, This topic has 83 replies, 36 voices, and was last updated. For more information about how we hold your personal data, please see our privacy policy. The wheels are welcome on much of the trail, including steep slopes, grass, rock, sand, and loose dirt. Theyre also motorsport engineering grads so they know a hell of a lot more about these things than most of the monkeys on here. Sliders or lowers: each connects at the bottom to the front wheel; it also connects to the brakes. Which is not quite as well as Mr Taylforth . The Roscoe 8 will perform like a champ. A mountain biker at heart, Nick helped create a community of trail builders in his local forest in North Wales. Residing in the valleys of South Wales, Jessica Strange is our editor atoff.road.cc. You will see premium trail bike forks offering high- and low-speed compression adjustment, allowing riders to balance full travel benefits on gnarly terrain without having the fork dive too much in high-speed berms. Although most (70%) of my riding only needs probaby 4 or 4.5" of travel, having that extra inch or two just makes the ride that much smoother. See Basic Suspension Setup later in this article. Stanchions: each travels in and out of the sliders; internal workings consist of a spring or air chamber, damper rod, oil, valves. Thats what hardtails are all about imo. Also think about the style of riding youll do is it casual youre after or do you want to race it? As a rough estimate, each 20mm of travel added will correlate to a one-degree difference in the head tube angle. 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. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. For AM to light Free ride a 140 to 160mm fork would be the ticket. For many bikepackers a hardtail hits the sweet spot between too much bike and too little bike. It will not be exact but it will come close. We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices, Lance Branquinho is a Namibian-born media professional who graduated to mountain biking after injuries curtailed his fascination with trail running. Similarly, the wheelbase of the bike will increase, and the bottom bracket will be raised slightly. Whereas, for all-mountain trail riding, you may want to look for travel of around 130mm - 150mm. However, some lower-end and entry-level hardtail mountain bikes will come with rim brakes which are cheaper and easier to maintain. As the fork gets longer, it raises handlebars up and slackens the head tube angle. He also enjoys bike touring and has completed numerous travels on the west coast of Europe, most recently riding from Lisbon to Roscoff. Rebound damping is the most important damping setting. My Mr Hyde is cool with some monster 100mm travel forks (they are 36mm stanchion and 20mm axle). 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. There will be some compromises in certain situations, whether you notice them or find them detrimental to your riding style is a different matter. I recently swapped the air shaft in my Pike and went from 140mm to 160mm, and the total cost of goods was roughly 30. Sizes: S, M, L, XL. I got a Trel Fuel Ex 9.9 with a fox 34 with 130 mm travel and Id like to upgrade it for a Fox 36 with 150 mm travel, but in my country this fork is not possible to buy, they only sell Fox 36 with 160 mm travel. This helps to keep the overall fork weight down. i know .. ride it as a normal XC/all-mountain hardtail, and the 29+ tires will have you smiling for miles with their capability and comfort. It is comparatively short: 1.5 to 3. Now lean against a wall and adopt the neutral riding position out of the saddle with arms and legs bent. 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. NO; NO IT DOESNT/NO IT ISNT/NO YOU CANT. Along with certain salad items, electric mountain bikes are one of the more in-demand items in the United Kingdom currently. There has been significant development with the Fox 34 in recent years. 100MM Fork Travel. Well I guarantee that they likely did plenty of things like finite element analysis. You also either want a tuneable air spring or adjustable HSC. This adds more torsional stiffness to the fork, helping to keep steering inputs direct through the toughest terrain and providing strength for big impacts. How will you know? However, hardtail bikes aren't just for beginner mountain bikers. Check the manufacturers manual (usually found on their website) for your specific model. Complete bike, Radon Cragger, 29er, 130 mm, long and slack trail hardtail starts from 1,2 k GBP. Each has its pros and cons on how it affects a bikes ride quality. Rear suspension is only found on full-suspension mountain bikes, and is commonly referred to as the rear shock, or shock for short. Some will recommend a. Its not rubbish, its just worse than it could be and that sucks. Alhough some things will be the same, some of the critical things will be for average riding very different. 150mm on my c456. The change in steering tube angle is also small, to give it bad handling habits you would need to be trying to turn it into something like a Harley Davidson chopper. Excludes Gift Memberships, Discount applies to first year. just wrong, but its a lot of fun ! It is usually a measurement of how far the wheel axle moves in a vertical or near-vertical plane as the suspension compresses. Carbon is incredibly strong, but brittle so it can't offer the same tolerances as aluminium. Some shops may even allow you to ride around the car park to get a sense of how you feel about it. The best trail mountain bike market is probably the most competitive category in mountain biking and these bikes are often ridden right up to their design capabilities. If your coil spring feels too soft or too firm for your weight and riding styleand the available adjustments have not corrected the issueyour bike shop may be able to replace your current springs with a softer or firmer version (if one is available for the model). Increase the preload if the fork feels too spongy. Longer is better. If you ride regularly, have your suspension serviced annually or after 100 hours of riding time. If we were asked these questions about the Belter or the Pinner, the answers would be yes, no but its compatible, yes. Because the front suspension is telescoping, the suspension travel equals the resultant wheel travel. Either way, the pressure to go long is real. Unlike the useless fully extended locked position they come with. This frees engineers to focus all their resources on making the stiffest structure containing sophisticated internals and valving. Just enter your email address below to get started. The choice between the two types largely comes down to preference and difficulty of the trail they ride. You've been subscribed to our newsletter. As with other types of mountain bikes, fork travel is usually dependent on discipline. You can find hardtails with everything from 80mm to 200mm forks on them. As a result, looking at the different categories of mountain bikes, their intended application and travel length is a handy way to determine how much travel you need and what bike you should get. Use code HELLO54 when you join us as a print or digital member and your membership will be half price for the first year. The Roscoe 8 2023 - Best Hardtail Mountain Bike Under $2000. At 150mm of suspension travel, you are probably pushing the limits of what a 34mm stanchion can deal with, especially for aggressive trail riding. The 120mm of travel in the front fork and beefy, 2.8-inch tires on a set of 27.5-inch wheels soak up any big hits or impacts. For AM to light Free ride a 140 to 160mm fork would be the ticket. Downcountry bike frames can be made lighter than trail bikes because the demand on the frame is less. Single-crown fork design has had to go longer, with the best enduro mountain bikes now ripping down terrain once reserved for downhill rigs. High-speed compression damping is best set all the way out unless you experience bottoming out or landing jumps. Theres room to play there within reason. So it is very possible to over fork a bike. Some manufacturers will design frames with flex points in the rear triangle, allowing for vertical compliance in the frame. Updated Fox 34 and 34 Step-Cast Forks and 2 New 3 Expert Tips to Improve Winter Mountain Bike Performance. I want to explain why, not so much for my own gain, but for the good of any mountain bike consumers who actually read this. The topic Fork travel on hardtails how much is too much? is closed to new replies. I put together a representative and fairly comprehensive list of hardcore hardtails on the market today and found these bikes are designed, on average, around a 140mm fork. As you move through the various types of mountain bikes, fork travel requirements change. The Lefty often garners looks of disbelief and skepticism, but it is an established and proven design. You can reasonably change fork travel, up or down, by 10mm. In mountain biking, there is misplaced confidence in longer-travel forks. Points in the rear shock, or shock for short brakes are n't for. The useless fully extended locked position they come with rim brakes which are cheaper and to. My experiences how we hold your personal data, please see our privacy policy, Radon,. Or blowing her legs out on the frame is less how much fork travel for hardtail ( they are 36mm stanchion and 20mm axle.... About these things than most of the trail, including steep slopes, grass, rock, sand and! 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