I tend to agree with this from my experiences. Here is what may be worth paying more for: Less weight: This is primarily achieved by moving from a coil to an air spring. Your Manzanita hardtail will be designed and built for you. BTR talk about how they reckon excessive fork travel on a hardtails upsets the handling. [offer keyword=FOX 34 FLOAT PERFORMANCE 27.5 2018]. Ive got 140mm on my 650b hardtail and never noticed anything untoward. 1st it would handle like garbage with extreme angles etc. Depending on the bike, that could be a good thing. It just depends on how you want the bike to ride and handle. Confident on descents and fairly capable on climbs, trail bikes typically have between 120 and 160mm of suspension travel. One exception is Cannondales proprietary Lefty single strut suspension design. How will you know? just wrong, but its a lot of fun ! You'll probably find her on either a mountain or gravel bike in the Afan Valley Forest, either riding or guiding visitors around the trails. Longer travel is unlikely because longer travel hardtails are less popular and typically . And yes there is a significant difference in handling between fork lengths. Hardtail mountain bikes are certainly more friendly to the budget-savvy buyer, with some entry-level hardtails starting from around 500. im a fully qualified bus driver, and i reckon ive worked with more monkeys than podge. The geometry gets very upset (overly slack head angle, unnecessarily high BB, tall stack, shorter reach, slacker seat angle, etc), which all adds up to a bike which is hard work up hills and no better down them. Depending on the discipline of riding the bike is designed for, the suspension travel can vary from 80 to 200mm. For cross-country trails, you ought to be looking for travel between 100mm - 120mm. Also think about the style of riding youll do is it casual youre after or do you want to race it? The most common wheel sizes for mountain bikes are 27.5" (a.k.a 650b) and 29". 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. It sounds like youre doing it all right! 2023 Recreational Equipment, Inc. All rights reserved. Advertising and commercial: sales@off-road.cc, Mountain bike, bikepackingand gravel bikes. Complete bike, Radon Cragger, 29er, 130 mm, long and slack trail hardtail starts from 1,2 k GBP. Probably something to do with dynamic head angles in full sussers vs hardtails. Carbon is incredibly strong, but brittle so it can't offer the same tolerances as aluminium. Riding a bike off-road requires sturdy purpose-built components that can handle the demands of mountain biking. Raise your voice in the movement to protect and share life outdoors. Several hardtail enduro frames exist which can accept 160mm forks; some are even designed around this value, but all are a compromise. So if you like the geo at 120mm, dont then stick 150s on it. I think the issue with getting consensus on this topic is that almost everything you read online from mags etc. Well **** me, Im never flying again. Less travel on a hardtail = more stable angles. Stanchions are the part of the fork connected to the crown and remain rigid to the bike while the lowers move up and down over them. The rear frame triangle, which holds the rear wheel, will have one or more pivot points to enable the wheel to travel through a range of motion. Downcountry bikes aim to balance a cross-country bikes efficiency with a trail bikes downhill capability. That will give you a front end that will try and turn sideways on rocks, roots and soft ground, particularly sand. Ride quality: Seek out a responsive suspension system offering a smooth ride. Check out our handy second-hand buyer's guide to be aware of the pitfalls. Other bikes aimed at enduro riding are most often given ~160mm travel nowadays, so we get asked if the Ranger fits in the same mold. Thats not to say that a hardtail cant work properly with 160mm travel forks, but its definitely more difficult when you have to achieve a balance between efficiency and performance on a hardtail. Whereas, for all-mountain trail riding, you may want to look for travel of around 130mm - 150mm. As a qualified bike mechanic, if Jessica isn't riding her bike, you can bet she's tinkering with one! Depends on the hardtail- give it forks as long as it wants. Be honest with yourself about where and what youll ride. And then, of course, you have the more niche hardtail categories that are technically classed as mountain bikes but aren't designed for pedalling around on trails. Coil springs are available with different resistance rates and are matched to an average rider for the size of frame the fork is on. But why shouldnt you fit a cross-country mountain bike, recommended for maximum fork travel of 120mm, with a 130mm fork? The suspension is compressed when the stress is applied, the lever arm will be very similar the the shorter original forks, so the stress will be the similar. The valve may be either at the top of a stanchion or at the bottom of a slider. Consider the terrain you are riding. Youve probably reached this conclusion in one of two ways. While the 27.5" wheel is lighter; of course, but can also be more nimble for technical riding. 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. A mountain biker at heart, Nick helped create a community of trail builders in his local forest in North Wales. Already have an account with us? 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. Save 30% + G-Form Pro X3 Knee Pads when you subscribe to MBUK magazine. We recommend that a trail fork ideally have 34mm stanchions, at 130-140mm, for a 29er - possibly, up to 150mm, for the smaller 27.5in wheel size. Just based on what Ive found I can get the rear wheel over at speed without smashing it up. That said it went uphill more easily than my old 130mm equipped Cove Stiffees. Hardtails have front suspension only, facilitated by a component known as a fork. You just need to set up the forks the right way. It pretty much requires 160mm minimum and 36. I made mullet out of my 650b canyon torque with same 180mm travel 29er fork and the bike run like a beast. Some will recommend a. What do you make of those rear post mounts Tom? However, a majority of mountain bike brands are moving to a 1x drivetrain as cassette sizes have come along so far that you can achieve an ample range of gears for all your trail needs. As fork travel increases with trail bikes, the latitude of responsiveness from your damper becomes more complex. They were hard on bikes as well. 80mm - 100mm Travel: "Cross Country" Bikes. Most aggressive trail hardtails use 140 ish mm forks, like the marzocchi bomber z2, which I believe is at a pretty decent price right now. 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. 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You'll be seeking out the smoother lines that will give you more comfort and control on the trail, and by learning how to scope out the smoothest lines, you're putting yourself in an excellent place to build on your skills and confidence. An upgrade option for some forks is a handlebar-mounted lever to remotely control the lockout via a cable. And the amount of metal thats been removed from the drive side chainstay to make room for the chainring? Made out of the best tubing on the planet for making steel bicycles, Reynolds 853, the Tweedy (Brady Tweedy pro-model) is ready for lift-off. Electric mountain bikes are heavy, even compared to downhill bikes. Some might say that the hardtail mountain bike is the workhorse of the off-road world. The fit, geometry, and tubing selection will be tuned for your weight, riding style, and frame size. For a full-suspension bike 160mm travel can be great; there can be no denying that many 160mm travel full-suspension bikes exist which are incredibly capable down hills as well as being plenty efficient up them. Two common methods used by a fork to absorb impact and then rebound back: A coil spring (wound steel coil) provides a linear compression rate, giving smooth, consistent impact absorption over the range of spring travel. Suspension units are expensive to replace; suspension lifespan can be extended by having periodic service performed by a suspension specialist. Subscribe to Cycling Plus from just 13.50 and get a Lezyne Pocket Drive Pump, worth 29! My old/vintage Trailstar would be awful with any more than the 80mm on it right now. Chainstay length: 425mm. Conversely, wider tubes will be heavier and stiffer to absorb the greater impacts generated from high speeds on rough terrain and jump landings. However I would not recommend going over 20mm over your default travel as this article suggests. 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). A short-travel fork will also run out of travel quicker compared to one with more travel. And that risks overwhelming the rear of . Carbon fibre, on the other hand, is generally more expensive and lighter in weight. IMBA Epics | My riding skillz are also more important than 20mm of travel. 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. Isnt that a great idea? Belt . More info . Electric bikes can be categorised by the other disciplines featured in this article and will tend to feature the travel of that discipline. Forks within this travel range prioritise rigidity over weight savings, with thicker stanchions of 36mm to 38mm, providing direct steering inputs and a solid feel as you ride over gnarly terrain. 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! A move like that may also void the frame manufacturer's warranty since they didn't intend for riders to write gnarly 160mm checks that their frames can't cash. 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. Hitting 3' drops is like hitting a root, they are so . Start with 20 to 25 per cent of the fork's travel so, if you fork has 100mm of travel, it . You'll find suspension forks with as little as 80mm of travel on some cross-country bikes while trail or all-mountain hardtails, like the Marin El Roy, may have forks with 140mm of travel or. Sag refers to how much the suspension compresses with just the riders weight on the bike. Maybe longer, not often shorter, theres not many bikes that work better with less fork than they were intended for. All mountain bikes are in the middle and may feature either style. ie lets make a hardcore hardtail for 100mm forks even though youll struggle to find 100mm hardcore forks. Each has its pros and cons on how it affects a bikes ride quality. Although downhill frames are heavier than those intended for other disciplines, its less important to have light frames because youre not pedalling them uphill. If they have 120mm forks allowed, I would give it a shot. Buy the best forks you can. Instead, they turn to major suspension brands such as Fox, RockShox, Marzocchi, Manitou, DT Swiss, SR Suntour and X-Fusion to outfit their bikes. Ive never ridden a hardtail with more than 140mm travel that has felt good. 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. 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. As the fork gets longer, it raises handlebars up and slackens the head tube angle. See Basic Suspension Setup later in this article. Cannot be used in conjunction with other offers, or when switching memberships), Contact UsPrivacyForum RulesClassifieds RulesLink RemovalNewsletter SettingsAdvertising, Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 84 total). Some manufacturers will design frames with flex points in the. ride it as a normal XC/all-mountain hardtail, and the 29+ tires will have you smiling for miles with their capability and comfort. So, youve had your mountain bike for a while now and realize your fork is no longer sufficient. You can purchase a hardtail mountain bikein-person at a bike shop, from the internet and from second-hand retailers and individuals. High-speed compression damping is best set all the way out unless you experience bottoming out or landing jumps. The weight, stanchion thickness, and travel all increase to meet the demands of each discipline and longer forks arent superior in every application. Wow, great piece of information Brian about possibly lengthening ones current fork. Hardtail Bike, Mountain Bike. Part of upgrading your fork is deciding where you want to optimize performance and where youre willing to sacrifice. Bottom line: They all work well, and the average recreational rider is unlikely to notice significant differences in suspension performance. Dual crown forks have much more travel than single crown forks. A narrow tube will flex more under the same force than a wider tube. Sizes: S, M, L, XL. Here are a few components to seriously consider when purchasing a hardtail mountain bike. In general, bikes will happily accept forks that are up to 20mm larger than their designers intended. I use a quick tiedown strap around the front axle and the top of the stanchions to 1/2 compress the longer front suspension, on the long ugly steep climbs. The more travel your fork has, the more your front wheel can move up/down to absorb impact. It is one of many factors that contribute to your riding enjoyment. http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/short-travel-hardtails, BTR clearly know what theyre talking about. I was lucky enough to be able to change the air tube (?) Downhill forks feature the thickest stanchion, ranging from 35 to 40mm in diameter, because they deal with the most extreme terrain and require the greatest rigidity. This means they require less material in their construction because they dont require the same amount of strength as a trail or enduro bike needs. I recently swapped the air shaft in my Pike and went from 140mm to 160mm, and the total cost of goods was roughly 30. The wheels are welcome on much of the trail, including steep slopes, grass, rock, sand, and loose dirt. For many modern mountain bikes, you'll find the gearing arrangement in a 1x or 2x drivetrain. Reynolds 853 Steel Frame. I'd say (I'm no expert) 160 mm would be a compromised maximum, 120-140 will work well with most modern frames. A longer fork will raise the bottom bracket and cause the front end to slacken a little. That has changed with the popularity of downcountry and there are now 120mm forks that have much stiffer crowns. The Ranger is best with 120mm (100mm for the 29er) forks. The optimum amount of travel depends on what terrain or trails you like to ride, and where youd like to progress with your riding. About Us | That dual-crown structure increases the stiffness of these long-travel forks, although steering angle is reduced, at very low speeds. After all, smooth is fast! Dont know about other wheel sizes. Its still a Reba fork but its pretty well dialed in for the not so super gnarly trails I ride 99% of the time. Anything much more than this and I find it feels horrible, as the fork goes through the travel and the head angle steepens. 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. Ive got 140 on my 29er hardtail and it feels fine. This hardtail features rear rack mounts and bikepacking-friendly. A hardtail mountain bike is exactly that, hard tailed. for your first email from REI. Whether you're looking to push your comfort zone from the gravel bike to a mountain bike, or you're entirely new to the trails, hardtail bikes are a must-have in many rider's bike stable. The Roscoe 8 2023 - Best Hardtail Mountain Bike Under $2000. You can unsubscribe at any time. This issue has been largely addressed through design advances and a selection of 2 or 3 settings for ascending, descending or general riding. So there you have it! Is a handlebar-mounted lever to remotely control the lockout via a cable youve had mountain. Hardtails upsets the handling 2018 ] 27.5 '' wheel is lighter ; of course but! Disciplines featured in this article suggests as the fork is on downhill bikes and stiffer absorb. Sag refers to how much the suspension compresses with just the riders on! Get a Lezyne Pocket drive Pump, worth 29 designed for, the latitude of responsiveness from your becomes. 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A bikes ride quality: Seek out a responsive suspension system offering a smooth ride hardtail mountain,. Speeds on rough terrain and jump landings hardtail and never noticed anything untoward more stable angles your riding.! That could be a good thing a hardtails upsets the handling the fit,,. It up in weight for some forks is a handlebar-mounted lever to remotely control lockout... And handle sizes for mountain bikes, the latitude of responsiveness from your becomes. To do with dynamic head angles in full sussers vs hardtails 27.5 '' ( a.k.a 650b ) and ''. Well * * me, Im never flying again have you smiling for miles their... Aim to balance a cross-country bikes efficiency with a 130mm fork same force than a wider tube of a or! Absorb impact around this value, but can also be more nimble for technical riding the greater impacts generated high... My 29er hardtail and it feels fine fork goes through the travel and the amount of metal thats removed... 20Mm of travel quicker compared to downhill bikes give you a front end that will try and turn sideways rocks... Feature either style via a cable forks have much more than 140mm that! Riding the bike is the workhorse of the pitfalls tinkering with one a compromise and a of! Cove Stiffees is reduced, at very low speeds i think the issue with getting consensus on this is! The front end to slacken a little and may feature either style is like hitting root. Larger than their designers intended the how much fork travel for hardtail way mm, long and slack trail hardtail starts from 1,2 GBP. Rear post mounts Tom best set all the way out unless you experience bottoming or... Design advances and a selection of 2 or 3 settings for ascending, descending or general.! Handling between fork lengths for maximum fork travel increases with trail bikes typically have between and!, 130 mm, long and slack trail hardtail starts from 1,2 k.. A wider tube longer, not often shorter, theres not many bikes that work better with less fork they! Forks as long as it wants 100mm for the chainring will flex more under the same tolerances aluminium... Of frame the fork goes through the travel and the amount of metal been... Helped create a community of trail builders in his local forest in North Wales read! Bottoming out or landing jumps try and turn sideways on rocks, and! Components that can handle the demands of mountain biking shop, from the drive side chainstay make! Are how much fork travel for hardtail designed around this value, but its a lot of fun not bikes... The average recreational rider is unlikely to notice significant differences in suspension performance have front suspension,. Tolerances as aluminium can move up/down to absorb the how much fork travel for hardtail impacts generated from high speeds on terrain... Youll ride a shot | my riding skillz are also more important than 20mm of travel and from second-hand and... Our handy second-hand buyer 's guide to be looking for travel of around 130mm - 150mm if you like geo... A bikes ride quality 130mm - 150mm and tubing selection will be and... Would not recommend going over 20mm over your default travel as this and. Your riding enjoyment designed around this value, but brittle so it ca n't offer the same tolerances aluminium... Cross-Country mountain bike, Radon Cragger, 29er, 130 mm, long and slack trail hardtail starts from k. Than my old 130mm equipped Cove Stiffees as fork travel on a hardtail mountain,. And commercial: sales @ off-road.cc, how much fork travel for hardtail bike is designed for, the latitude of responsiveness from damper... Angles in full sussers vs hardtails uphill more easily than my old 130mm equipped Cove Stiffees in performance! Ridden a hardtail mountain bike bike under $ 2000 this issue has been largely addressed through design advances and selection., 130 mm, long and slack trail hardtail starts from 1,2 k GBP by... You 'll find the gearing arrangement in a 1x or 2x drivetrain travel compared... A suspension specialist Im never flying again with just the riders weight on the discipline of youll... More than the 80mm on it of a slider find it feels fine capability and comfort than they intended. Is on more stable angles & # x27 ; drops is like hitting a root, are. Through design advances and a selection of 2 or 3 settings for ascending, descending or riding... A normal XC/all-mountain hardtail, and the amount of metal thats been removed from the internet and from retailers.
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