How Much Mountain Bike Travel Do I Need?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Long-travel bikes usually have 150-170mm of rear travel to handle tough downhill trails . Front travel often matches rear travel but sometimes can be more. Trail and enduro bikes fall into this category. They absorb big hits and smooth out rough terrain.

How much travel should a hardtail have?

It depends totally on your riding style and the intended use. For pretty much XC or dirt jump, go with a 100mm XC or dirt jump fork. For general trail riding a 120 to 130 would work well. For AM to light Free ride a 140 to 160mm fork would be the ticket.

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.

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 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”.

Is 120 mm travel good?

In addition, you’re not likely to notice much difference between a 120mm, 130mm, and 140mm fork. Honesty, a 120mm fork is enough travel for most Trail riders .

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.

What does 120 mm of travel mean on a bike?

travel is how far down the fork can compress (how much shorter it will get when it is pushed as far as it will go) like spawne said, short travell (usually 120mm or less) is for cross country , medium (130-160mm usually) is for trail, or all mountain riding. anything 160mm or more will be for downhill or freeride.

Is 160mm travel too much for hardtail?

Some riders may even prefer the feel of just adding some pressure to the air spring on their forks- simple! That’s not to say that a hardtail can’t work properly with 160mm travel forks, but it’s definitely more difficult when you have to achieve a balance between efficiency and performance on a hardtail .

How much travel is too much on a hardtail?

Pick a frame that is the way you want it for the travel you want. I would say +-10mm of travel is about the max you can get away with before you go too far in any direction. So if you like the geo at 120mm, don’t then stick 150s on it.

Is 150mm travel too much for a hardtail?

Those roots and rocks can ping you offline, despite being sure of your steering inputs. 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 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.

What does 130mm travel mean?

~130mm Travel: “Trail” Bikes

Around 130mm travel is what most companies would call a “Trail” bike. These are generally designed for all around riding. They climb pretty well, and they descend pretty well. 130mm is also about the longest travel fork that you’ll commonly find on a hardtail.

Is 130mm enough for enduro?

It will be plenty .

Can I put a 120mm fork on a 80mm bike?

120mm would be long for an XC frame that came with an 80mm fork. I doubt the manufacturer would recommend this , however lot’s of people do those kinds of swaps without significant issues. It is pushing the design limits of the frame, and if you’re pushing the limits of what the bike can do, you may run into problems.

Should I upgrade my mountain bike forks?

A good reason to upgrade your mountain bike forks is to get a travel adjustment feature . Many new forks come with adjustable travel, which allows you to adjust in small increments between a short travel for climbing and sprinting, to a longer travel setup for better handling at speed on a descent.

Can you put a 130mm fork on a 100mm bike?

at 130mm you’ll probably be fine, I wouldn’t put anything bigger on there . The kona frames are pretty strong, I used to run a 130mm fork on my 100mm jump bike for AM and a lottle more FR riding, I was fine.

Is 80mm travel enough?

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 you ride XC bike on trails?

Can you ride XC trails on a trail bike? Yes, you can ride a trail bike on cross-country terrain ! Having the right bike for the terrain that you are riding is always going to improve your overall experience.

How much travel does a trail bike have?

Trail bikes usually have between 120 mm and 150 mm of travel. They are not built for the toughest trails but trails that are worse than XC trails. Therefore, they have more travel than any XC bike and are mostly full suspension bikes, though you can find a few hardtails in this category.

How much travel do XC bikes have?

Type of Mountain Bike Suspension Travel Recommended Sag* XC race 80 – 100mm 15 – 25% Trail, all mountain 100 – 160mm 20 – 30% Freeride and downhill 160 – 200mm 25 – 35%

What is a mid travel trail bike?

What is a short travel mountain bike?

Marshal Olson. Tom: For trail riding, I think of a short-travel bike as having somewhere around 120-140 mm of travel (this applies to forks and rear suspension). A bike with less travel than that probably ought to see time with a number plate attached and a spandex clad racer in the saddle.

How much travel should you use?

Set sag between 20-30%. If you only ride smooth trails, you should still use about 3/4 of the travel . Measure this, since the exposed stanchion is longer than fork travel. If you start to ride harder or start to ride rougher trails and bigger drops, you will need to add air.

Can the YT Capra climb?

It worked well up switchbacks and tight climbs , and the short top tube really did let me manipulate my weight on the bike.

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.

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.