As fork travel increases with trail bikes, the latitude of responsiveness from your damper becomes more complex. For pretty much XC or dirt jump, go with a 100mm XC or dirt jump fork. its unpredictable.. off-road.cc Editorial and general enquiries: info@off-road.cc Handling will be slower but downhills will be easier and you'll have more clearance for pedals and chainrings when going over obstacles. Raise your voice in the movement to protect and share life outdoors. Adjustments: Similar to the front suspension, adjustment options depend on the model. As a result, enduro bikes have to perform well on technical descents while providing a decent pedalling platform to get you to the top of the trail in good time. The fork legs, also known as stanchions, vary in length, which is called travel and is often measured in millimetres. Feel free to go beyond that if you must, but be prepared for a bike that the manufacturer didnt really intend to create. 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. Nope, thats not a contradiction of terms! That dual-crown structure increases the stiffness of these long-travel forks, although steering angle is reduced, at very low speeds. Dont know about other wheel sizes. Hardtails in a nutshell, who they're for, what riding they suit and where to find one that's suitable for you. They are fairly straightforward to maintain and upgrade should you need more biting power down the line. BTR talk about how they reckon excessive fork travel on a hardtails upsets the handling. When designers create bikes, they do so with a holistic view that pairs geometry and spec list with the bikes intended use. 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. Head Tube Angle: 67. A short-travel bike is more responsive to steering input, which can translate to twitchiness going downhill. How much travel you need will depend on the riding you do. All good, right? Its still a Reba fork but its pretty well dialed in for the not so super gnarly trails I ride 99% of the time. it makes no sense.. Subscribe to Cycling Plus from just 13.50 and get a Lezyne Pocket Drive Pump, worth 29! Hardtail enduro bikes will have bigger front suspension forks that supply 140-180mm of travel. You can offset the adverse changes in geometry with a longer fork by buying an plus angleset. Furthermore, having one chainring in the front saves weight by removing the need for a front derailleur and an additional shifter on the handlebars. 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. This adds more torsional stiffness to the fork, helping to keep steering inputs direct through the toughest terrain and providing strength for big impacts. Tam always struck me as a person who knew his stuff. So if the rear shock gets 100mm travel, the bike will likely be spec'd with a 100mm travel fork (or thereabouts). Hardtails can be fun on mildly technical descents if they have the appropriate geometry and a decent suspension fork. Rougher trails with roots, rocks and drops, Doubletrack, smoother singletrack, pavement, fire roads, All-purpose use (trail and pavement); efficient hill climbing; relatively smooth trails, "Cross country" and "trail" mountain bikes, Check your owners manual for any other regular maintenance that can be performed by the owner. This improves comfort when sat in the saddle, and to a smaller extent rear-wheel traction while climbing. This is also what a platform setting does on rear shocks. The diameter of the stanchion tubes affects this lateral stiffness. 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. Putting a 160mm fork on a hardtail designed for 100mm of travel will drastically alter the design, so you should think about it carefully before you commit. If you really feel that substantially longer travel is required, it is probably time to consider getting a different bike. 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. BikePerfect is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. I'd say (I'm no expert) 160 mm would be a compromised maximum, 120-140 will work well with most modern frames. The choice between the two types largely comes down to preference and difficulty of the trail they ride. Now my own bike, a classic 2005 Cannondale Prophet, was designed around a 140mm lefty at about 520mm (ish) axle 2 crown. Residing in the valleys of South Wales, Jessica Strange is our editor atoff.road.cc. If you cant do either of these on your choice of air fork, walk away. An air-sprung unit not holding air and losing all travel. Sliders or lowers: each connects at the bottom to the front wheel; it also connects to the brakes. And as you would expect, it needs a fork with more travel and stiffness than those 100-120mm options. 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. Typically, these bikes will feature beefier frame construction to deal with the added suspension travel. Electric mountain bikes are heavy, even compared to downhill bikes. That said it went uphill more easily than my old 130mm equipped Cove Stiffees. 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. Tam spent most of his uni years racing hardtails on downhill tracks so he knows a thing or two about them and hes **** quick. Note: Bicycle manufacturers dont make their own suspension products. Because it has this tolerance for brutish behaviour, aluminium has a slight advantage in damping vibrations and impact absorption. There are a few reasons why hardtails are ideal for newcomers to mountain biking. Singletracks may receive compensation for purchases made through any affiliate links in this article. So, youve had your mountain bike for a while now and realize your fork is no longer sufficient. My riding skillz are also more important than 20mm of travel. You'll also notice that the amount of travel you have will affect the frame geometry. Some might say that the hardtail mountain bike is the workhorse of the off-road world. You really don't need a lot travel to hit jumps. Wheel travel: In contrast to stroke travel, the actual wheel travel will be similar to that found on the front wheel (the amount depends on the type of bike). Forks with mid-sized stanchions, either 34mm, 35mm or 36mm in diameter, are common on trail bikes. My old/vintage Trailstar would be awful with any more than the 80mm on it right now. Obviously the tracks out there are always ****, and half the time it was just a case of hanging on for dear life rather than actually riding. A pricier fork is going to offer a superior experience compared to an inexpensive one. Too many compromises IMHO. ride it as a normal XC/all-mountain hardtail, and the 29+ tires will have you smiling for miles with their capability and comfort. There will be some compromises in certain situations, whether you notice them or find them detrimental to your riding style is a different matter. Ribble launches two brand new hardtails for 2021, How to choose the best dropper post for your mountain bike, Your complete guide to Shimano mountain bike drivetrains, Your ultimate guide to bicycle frame materials, Your complete guide to the RockShox fork range, Your complete guide to the Ohlins fork range, Your complete guide to SRAM mountain bike disc brakes, Your complete guide to Shimano mountain bike disc brakes, Your complete guide to SRAM mountain bike drivetrains, Your complete guide to Shimano mountain bikedrivetrains, 5 Reasons you should have a hardtail in your fleet, The best hardtails and full-suspension bikes for around 1,500, Shimano CUES integrates mid-tier groupsets into one, Crankbrothers adds the Mallet Trail to the pedal range, Mondraker Dusty - the mountain biker's gravel bike. Reynolds 853 Steel Frame. For AM to light Free ride a 140 to 160mm fork would be the ticket. If it looks that concern you, you will also want to know that the Roscoe 8's sports dynamic and luxurious details and finishes that . They can be seen in a variety of disciplines, though are mainly represented in the cross-country and trail disciplines. Isnt that a great idea? 100-130mm is the sweet spot IMO. perfect for me. https://www.dirtlabs.com/fork-travel-change/. Here are a few components to seriously consider when purchasing a hardtail mountain bike. What is 100mm travel in fork? Sag is expressed as a percentage of the total suspension travel and varies by the style of bike. For general trail riding a 120 to 130 would work well. The hardtail is also more adaptable for riders who use their mountain bike as an all-purpose cycling vehicle. 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. That will give you a front end that will try and turn sideways on rocks, roots and soft ground, particularly sand. Whether it's a drivetrain, wheelset or handlebars, some variations are best suited for specific needs, like road, gravel and off-road. And a digital membership where you can read all the digital magazines is normally 25, and now 12.50 with the code. Thanks! It depends totally on your riding style and the intended use. 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. Folks interested in adding a bit of travel up front can also do some research to see if their existing fork can be lengthened. More sag equals a softer ride. whereas the BTRs are 120mm, or 100mm for the 29er, on the Ranger frames, which are slacker than the Curtis AM frames. 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. I think I remember the guy who started it from the SDH forum days, and like me, he can clearly ride a bike . Adjusting damping settings are referred to as tuning the fork. Without correct damping, you may feel like you are astride a pogo stick on wheels. Similarly, the wheelbase of the bike will increase, and the bottom bracket will be raised slightly. Enter your email for the top stories in mountain biking, plus product picks and deals delivered to your inbox each week. It is usually a measurement of how far the wheel axle moves in a vertical or near-vertical plane as the suspension compresses. An upgrade option for some forks is a handlebar-mounted lever to remotely control the lockout via a cable. Light front on steep climbs but I love it. 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. 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