Trail Riding Front Suspension Travel Q.
Discussion
After much much budget extention and then reeling in again, more than once, I have finished up on getting a second hand Boardman Pro HT, they seem really cracking value.
I've found a great price 2010 bike, which has the 100mm RS rebas as well as a more expensive (obviously) 2013 bike with the 120mm rebas.
I come from a background of DH (lots of travel) and dirt jumping (very little) and after a long break from riding fancy getting back into some fun fast trail riding. If I go for a bike with "only" 100mm, amd I going to be wanting for more on the technical stuff? I'm still fairly compotent on a ride so it's not like I need to the travel to be fast, but just wonderin whether I'm going to get shaken up and left wishing I'd gone for a lonegr fork.
I've found a great price 2010 bike, which has the 100mm RS rebas as well as a more expensive (obviously) 2013 bike with the 120mm rebas.
I come from a background of DH (lots of travel) and dirt jumping (very little) and after a long break from riding fancy getting back into some fun fast trail riding. If I go for a bike with "only" 100mm, amd I going to be wanting for more on the technical stuff? I'm still fairly compotent on a ride so it's not like I need to the travel to be fast, but just wonderin whether I'm going to get shaken up and left wishing I'd gone for a lonegr fork.
You might want to check the geometry too. A bike with 120mm up front will often have a slacker head angle (assuming a similar frame) so the downs could be coped with better.
Also check that the 100s are not spacered down. I've heard of this on OEM Rebas. Easy to convert to 120s. Great forks either way.
Also check that the 100s are not spacered down. I've heard of this on OEM Rebas. Easy to convert to 120s. Great forks either way.
I had 120mm rebas on the super 4 and they were perfect for UK trails, they are very tuneable to conditions, terrain and rider weight so experiment with them and see what suits you. That said, if you are half competent at picking lines, 100mm is enough for the UK but if you have ridden DH before, I'd guess you wont shy away from the drops...
pablo said:
I had 120mm rebas on the super 4 and they were perfect for UK trails, they are very tuneable to conditions, terrain and rider weight so experiment with them and see what suits you. That said, if you are half competent at picking lines, 100mm is enough for the UK but if you have ridden DH before, I'd guess you wont shy away from the drops...
Grr. I had typed a long response and then got a something's not right reply from PH and lost the lot.In essence I was agreeing with Pablo. I have 100mm Rebas on my winter HT and whilst fine for general XC, by the time you've set the sag, you can quickly run out of travel when braking on a steep DH section on a red or black run. 120mm is the perfect all day trail and XC compromise IMO. 140mm is the best go anywhere / have a crack at any track travel range, but can feel a bit too much for all day XC.
Edited by rhinochopig on Wednesday 5th February 12:49
rhinochopig said:
Grr. I had typed a long response and then got a something's not right reply from PH and lost the lot.
In essence I was agreeing with Pablo. I have 100mm Rebas on my winter HT and whilst fine for general XC, by the time you've set the sag, you can quickly run out of travel when braking on a steep DH section on a red or black run. 120mm is the perfect all day trail and XC compromise IMO. 140mm is the best go anywhere / have a crack at any track travel range, but can feel a bit too much for all day XC.
Hmmm might give the 100mm bike a miss as this is what I was thinking. As much as I keep telling myself ill be doing proper trail runs I reckon i'll spend more time pushing up and honing down so I think 120-140mm is a better bet.In essence I was agreeing with Pablo. I have 100mm Rebas on my winter HT and whilst fine for general XC, by the time you've set the sag, you can quickly run out of travel when braking on a steep DH section on a red or black run. 120mm is the perfect all day trail and XC compromise IMO. 140mm is the best go anywhere / have a crack at any track travel range, but can feel a bit too much for all day XC.
Edited by rhinochopig on Wednesday 5th February 12:49
Search is on again then.
pablo said:
Shall we try negotiating a price for my BFe again?
Haha it really is the perfect bike!As you can tell from the above bikes I've pulled my budget back again (read the girlfriend has been in my ear) so although the price we said seemed good, I'm not sure I can stretch to it.
I really want it though,
have you changed you're mind back to selling then? I had considered buying the £350 cheap Boardman and your frame/forks and putting the bits across but in hindsight I think a lot of the parts won't be compatible like bb and headset, and the rebase don't have a maxle I don't think so front wheel too.Once you're into "short" travel, say less than 140mm, i find that the quality of the shock/fork makes more difference than the absolute travel. This is because you have to run the system at a reasonable spring rate (because you haven't got miles of travel over which to ramp the rate up) and as such internal friction and damping response becomes the limiting factor. IME, a quality 80mm travel fork, with correctly set up damping is significantly more "comfortable" than a cheapo 120mm one, because it is actually using it's travel at low velocities, where the high friction cheap one, cannot absorb those small jarring/vibrating inputs and it just gets passed up to the handle bars.
However, saying all that, if you're not actually racing, i would suggest that in general, buying a MTB with around 120mm of fork travel would be a sensible move. You can always jack up the air pressure if you want a stiffer ride afterall!
However, saying all that, if you're not actually racing, i would suggest that in general, buying a MTB with around 120mm of fork travel would be a sensible move. You can always jack up the air pressure if you want a stiffer ride afterall!
Pablo16v said:
TheBALDpuma said:
Just a bit of closure to the thread.
Didn't buy any of the above and have ended up with a second hand Stanton slackline. A very very nice bike!
Very nice. Any pics ?Didn't buy any of the above and have ended up with a second hand Stanton slackline. A very very nice bike!
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff