How Much Travel Does Your Fork Have?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Too much travel can also dull the feedback of your trail bike. 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

.

Is 120mm fork travel enough?

Honesty,

a 120mm fork is enough travel for most Trail riders

. Longer travel doesn’t necessarily mean better.

What does travel in the forks mean?

Travel:

The amount that a suspension fork or suspension frame can compress

. Stroke: The amount that a rear shock can compress, which is distinguishable from how much a frame can compress—the frame’s travel is a function of the leverage ratio on the shock and the shock’s stroke.

Is 80mm fork travel good?

I have a 80mm and

it’s great

. All boils down to your riding. Hitting lumpy stuff at 50km/hr may make you wish for more travel but likely you’ll be fine.

How is Mountain Bike travel measured?

What is MTB Travel? What does travel on a mountain bike mean? Mountain biking travel refers to how far moving parts move or “travel” and is

usually measured in millimeters (mm)

. Travel used to refer specifically to the mountain bike (MTB) suspension, but now also includes the dropper seatpost.

How is travel suspension measured?

Measure and record the distance between the shock mounts.

Raise the wheel to ~4” above ride height (measured vertically), record the exact compression

.

Measure and record the distance between the shock mounts

. The amount the shock moved between droop and bump divided by the amount you moved the wheel is your motion …

Is 160mm travel too much for trail riding?


160mm of travel is only really needed if you’re hitting big hucks, or you’re smashing really long bouldery fast descents

. Do I need 160mm travel? 99% of the time, no.

Is 170mm travel too much?

But Yeah,

170mm will still be fine

, you are getting on for DH-esq travel, however if you think you might make use of it, or it will help you man up a shade more then there’s no harm in giving it a whirl.

Is 150mm travel enough for Enduro?

What should I look for in the best enduro mountain bikes? An enduro bike is basically a mountain bike with

at least 150mm of suspension travel

, but more commonly 160-180mm. They’re built for the rigours of racing full-bore downhill whilst being sufficiently efficient on climbs and contouring trails too.

What does 120 mm travel mean?

Suspension may be referred to as short or long travel:

Short-travel suspension (less than 120mm) suspension provides all-round riding performance with an emphasis on smooth trails and going uphill

. Long-travel suspension (greater than 120mm) is best for descending rough terrain at high speeds with greater control.

Is more travel better MTB?


A longer-travel bike will be better downhill

and a shorter travel bike will be more efficient for racing. Ultimately, if you can only have one bike for casual riding, or you’re unsure what type of mountain bike you need for your local trails, this category is the best option.

Can you increase fork travel?

Not really.

Any increase in fork travel will slacken the bike and shorten its reach

.

Is 80mm travel enough MTB?

I rode it for 3 rides and came to the conclusion that

80mm isn’t enough

. I have to run too much air in it to allow it to be plush. Upping the travel to 90mm made a noticable difference in plushness. If your frame will accomodate, I’d suggest 100mm.

Can I put a 100mm fork on a 80mm bike?


Most of the 29er 100mm air forks from RockShox and all the 100mm forks from Fox can be shortened to 80mm with a simple internal spacer

.

How do I know my shocks travel?

What mountain bike has the most travel?

Enduro.

Enduro bikes

have between 150 and 170mm, or even 180mm, of travel in the most extreme cases. They are designed to tackle the toughest tracks and bike park laps while still being light enough to pedal to the top of the hills.

How do you know when your shocks travel?

  1. Measure the eye to eye length.
  2. Attach a shock pump and slowly remove all the air from the shock.
  3. Compress the shock fully and measure the eye to eye length again.
  4. Subtract this measurement from the initial eye to eye length to find the usable stroke. (ie. 185 – 132.5 = 52.5)

How do you calculate rear travel?

“The best method for measuring frame travel may be to remove the shock and measure the vertical travel at the rear axle, with the suspension linkage at the full shock length, and at the shock bottom-out length (original eye-to-eye minus manufacturers specified shock stroke).

What is MTB wheel travel?

travel means

the amount of distance the forks can travel before bottoming out

. warpcow Posts: 1,448. June 2011. It’s just how much suspension the fork has; i.e. 80mm, 100mm, etc.

How much shock travel do I need?

On straight axle suspension systems, there is a 1 to 1 ratio between the movement of your shock and your wheel. That means if your wheel moves one inch, your shock extends or compresses one inch. In these applications

2.5 inches of shock travel in both directions (compression and extension) should generally be enough

.

Is 140mm travel too much?


140mm of travel is not much in real terms

…its just like a slight bend of the legs… I think many people get caught up in exactly how much travel to use. The important thing is that the travel you use suits the bike design and wont spoil the angles or turn it into a “chopper”.

How much difference does 20mm of travel make?

As a rough estimate, each 20mm of travel added will correlate to a

one-degree

difference in the head tube angle.

Is 140mm travel enough for Squamish?

It’s not so much bike that easier trails are boring and the trails where it’s just not enough bike are trails I am not going to ride anyways.

Today’s crop of 140-150mm 29ers are super capable

. You could argue that the longer travel bike covers the same ground and has more margin of safety on the more difficult trails.

Is 100mm travel enough?


yes, it’s plenty

. pro-Dh’ers need/use 200mm-ish. mere mortals will be riding stuff that’s half as gnarly*, half as fast*. that’ll be 100mm being plenty for us then.

Is 150mm travel enough for bike park?


150 mm travel fork is plenty

! You will have fun for sure. If you are the biker for big jumps & drops and bike parks the Swoop is a great bike. But takes fun away when doing trail biking on tamer trails.

Can I put a 120mm fork on a 100mm bike?

For all around riding,

should be fine

, but you may notice it’s a bit harder to keep the front wheel down on the steep uphills. You’re turning black metallic.

Emily Lee
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Emily Lee
Emily Lee is a freelance writer and artist based in New York City. She’s an accomplished writer with a deep passion for the arts, and brings a unique perspective to the world of entertainment. Emily has written about art, entertainment, and pop culture.