There’s so much choice when it comes to mountain bikes but one of the main differences you’ll find is suspension travel. But how much travel is the right amount of travel? Rich Payne heads to the Forest of Dean to try and answer that very question with help from some of the local shredders!
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
0:00 – Welcome!
0:17 – Let’s take a look at all the travel options
1:00 – What travel do you need for all the styles of riding?
2:56 – How much travel is too much travel?
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How much travel is too much travel? Get involved in the comments!
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45 Comments
How much travel is too much travel? Get involved in the comments!
160mm
Depends on where you live, all day wales or peaks rides then the spur with 130mm forks for me. Getting into a bit more knar but still wanna pedal then a 140-150mm bike will do the job. Then if you like having bp days at say dyfi then a park bike with whatever you like on it. But maybe stick to an enduro bike so you can peddle bits on say bpw. And a hardtail to ride the filthiest of days in mid winter 😊 so that’s 4 bikes 😆 I could go down to 3 bikes and have a 140mm fork hardtail, say a transition smuggler and the new Atho aluminium bike. 😅
Another GMBN playschool video.
#askGMBNtech What happened to downhill bikes with more than 200mm of travel?
To me, for my bike 140 to 150mm is the goal number.
Went from a 100mm xc bike to a much more hardcore hardtail with 150mm travel on it! Need to demo a full sus😅
160/150 is the sweetest spot!
(Cause that's what I've ever ridden 😂)
That question is impossible to answer without context. For the same reason we have so many different fork designs. For hardcore chucking on a pump bike , I could eat up 220mm of travel. On a Gravel/XC bike pushing the limits of speed and pedaling efficiency, 100mm of travel is too much. 60-80mm of travel just for the roughest parts of the trail, would be ideal. If you were riding mostly smooth trails, a stiff 40mm fork would get the job done.
On my xc bike max 120mm and any other trail/enduro 160+
150 mm менім ойымша ең ыңғайлы
Diamondback overdrive-100 hardtail 29er gave back to my father in law who got me started
Santa Cruz Bronson 160- a bit taxing to climb but manageable have used on all day climbs. Is now My lift/shuttle park bike.
Giant e trance adv x 150- use for climbing bike parks and to scout new trails. Enough suspension to get rowdy at the bike park. (Use for warming up in the morning or cool off rides in the afternoon.
Trance fuel ex-140 my new trail bike,upgraded and full of aftermarket part suspension, bigger beefed up rear shock with modified mounts. Climbs like a dream, and handles even the bike park. It’s a bit sketchy at some times but not wild.
Might have to be careful or the wife might make me sell some
That lad was gonna fight you for saying 180 was too much 😂
Spending most time in the Alps, 15/160 works perfect for me.
170 would be fine as well.
130-150 trail bike can do it all for me
Depends what you're riding.
With your correct sag, if you're not bottoming out a couple of times a run, you're over-biked. If you're bottoming out more than a few times, you're under-biked.
Personally I'll suffer a 170mm bike on a gravel ride because I also take it DH uplift/park riding where it's perfect.
Since I have been going up 10 mm travel with every new bike, optimal travel is not constant and is a function of time f(travel optimal, mm) = (year – 2024) x 2 + 145
You are making a conclusion based on a few people, not very meaningful. It would be more interesting to talk to engineers or pro athletes.
I got a trail bike with 100/100 as my full sus, threw on a 140 front and a shorter stem and it's a bit back heavy but it descends remarkably well
Back in the early 2000s before my time, the 120mm was released and everyone was like "YoU wiLl NeVer Ne3d thAt MucH Trav3l!!!1!"
170 for everything! More travel=More better! Seriously though, other than XC racing, why would you not want the most travel possible?
I have 170mm, and its a bit of a pig to climb. I pedal everywhere I go and my riding style fits into the "all mountain" category. I don't do huge jumps, drops, and gaps. I almost never have used more than 150 of my available travel on my hardest rides. So it's probably fair to say that 150 would be optimal for me. However, I never feel bummed on a descent with all that travel; but the slugishness pedalling around can get tiring.
For each active biker is ideal to have minimal 3 bikes.
Great combo Can be:
1. 160full, 100ht, Road.
2. 200dh, 120full, gravel.
The optimal travel IMO is determined by what you’ll mainly do with your bike and what you’ll dare ride. Actually most of us already know what that travel is based on our capabilities and if you don’t know then perhaps stay at the low end.
85mm coz that's all my 1990s hardtail has…
Well I overforked my hardtail with 160mm travel and I'm happy. Also put the biggest tires the frame can handle and it looks aggresive.
Just did the mega avalanche on a 150/140 nukeproof reactor. Managed perfectly fine and definitely helped on the uphill stuff!
As Iv got older Iv reduced suspension .
150 – 160 is the sweet spot for me 👌
I’m rolling around in my 160/130 being a total danger to myself 😆
I have 150 and I don’t think I’ve ever bottomed it out. It seems like that’s plenty for me. In the first World Cup downhill races in 1993 a fork over 50mm was considered burly and cush. All the way up through at least 1996 my 150mm air spring fork would have been considered an elite DH component. You just have to put some things in perspective. It took until 2000 for anyone to hit 200mm and then it was a couple more years before it was the gold standard size. Those guys before were still having plenty of fun riding their bikes. As far as average guys not racing DH, 150mm would have been a long travel bike up until at least 2010 or even later.
For the riding I do 100mm is sufficient.
140-150rear -160 front
Anywhere from 130mm to 170mm will be about right for most riders… but it depends on the terrain you ride. The steeper and rougher your trails the more travel you will want… but don't go overkill or you may be suffering on longer flatter rides dragging extra weight around. The middle ground of about 150mm suits me best.
Hilarious ending. I think it honestly doesnt matter. All bikes are amazing and each accentuates different parts of the mountain/park. Buy all of them… or just one.
Definitely 150-160 mm. Usually, 160 is the starting point for forks with chunkier stantions, too. Unless you're riding a DH bike with a triple clamp fork.
Jsudud
150 mm and trail bike combo
It's the bike you actually have. That's the magical one.
I have a 200mm downhill bike that I’ve just gotten used to pedaling and for long distance. Yes it might not be as easy as an xc bike, but it’s perfectly fine to be honest. Just get used to it 🤷
160 for me is the sweet spot. Can still use it for your regular trails, but also has more than enough for park days or shuttle laps. Modern enduro bikes pedal well enough that I was able to do a 24mi 3700ft gain alpine ride above 10,000ft here in Colorado, nothing quite like dropping in on the top of a huge mountain on a big bike, knowing that you have miles on end of crazy fast downhill ahead of you.
I got Enduro HT with 170. All because the fork was on sale😅. Frame is optimized for 150.
is some real light enduro bikes with big travel and huge range of gears.
I live in South Florida and really want to get a Scott Ransom…but really feel it’s overkill for my area and maybe more than 90% of the trails I’d ride, should I just grab a Genius instead ?
Down Hill E bike is the way to go for super enduro…
What is the optimum travel???
All of it!!!