Does Suspension Travel Really Make A Difference?

100 to 120mm XC bikes, 130/140mm Trail bikes, or 160/170mm Enduro, mountain bikes come in all different shapes, sizes and suspension travel... But the last one got Rich Payne thinking, does suspension travel really make THAT much of a difference?

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What suspension travel does your bike have? Would you rather have more or less for your riding?

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[elias.f.]

My 100mm XC hardtail staring at me from the corner: *I'm in danger*

[moritzschmied]

Ride with all three bikes up and down and then compare the average times of the total run times!
When you want to ride down you most likely have to pedal up first

For me having a bike that is capable of doing best of both worlds is key

[davidwales]

i went from 160/160 to 140/120. The improvement to climbing ability was huge, and i can't really tell the difference that much going down, other than dropping off big things. I don't think my riding ability justifies having any more travel, and accepting that has improved my enjoyment of riding vastly

[darrenjames]

Yes it does but most of us do not need as much as we have

[Wzypt]

Hey Rich, you should make another video for climbing with same bikes as in this video 🙂

[DTZinatbakhsh]

If you're a racer optimizing suspension for the race will definitely give you the edge but for the rest of us, just having fun on bikes, being under biked is the spice of life.

[benjy]

I ride 120 rear 130 front and can keep up with 170 enduro bikes at the local bike park just fine, I find too much travel can numb the track too much and make it a bit boring, good if you're racing, but the vast majority of people aren't, I find short travel bikes much more fun.

[RedDaemon]

I reckon geometry would have more of an effect than travel. Would a video of travel vs geometry be possible?

[simonmajura]

The results both in time and how it felt make a tonne of sense. I imagine the order would be in reverse on the way back up too. I do love though that unless you're competing, buying a bike now is more about what feeling you want to have instead of what types of trails you can ride with it (within reason of course).

[KYVZYBOY]

My fork was 140mm travel and it was great though, i rode it on the trails it's smooth and nice even when i landed the 6 feet drop it was very smooth

[funkyribs]

I'm on a F140/R130mm Trail bike and I bomb down gnarly downhills like my buddies that have 160+mm of travel and I'm loving it, I've never noticed any major issue with my shorter travel but I would like to try a longer travel bike someday

[mtzeeh]

When I was iin the market for buying a new bike last year I went with a 140 back/150 front one, but now after riding for a couple months, I wish I had gotten an XC bike instead, because it probably pedals alot better for the type of riding I do it would be more suitable, but you gotta make mistakes to learn.

[alcapone]

The Nukeproof Reactor has now 150mm in the front and for me its a fantastic allrounder. Love it

[jeremyhowell]

More applicable test would have typical ride distances and elevation. Here in the Sierras, that means 200+ feet of climbing per mile. With a typical 20-25 mile ride with 4000-5000’ of climbing, the 120mm bike would prevail for most riders.

On a short 10-12 mile, 60-75 minute ride, having a 35+ pound bike would be okay.

[knowwhey]

If you're getting a ride to the top of the trail, and mostly heading downhill, then of course you want more travel.
If you actually work for your dinner, then XC is the way to go.

[Rod.s_Channel]

As someone who looks more into the ride than looking into the times, the cost increase as the suspension travel increase can be hard to justify. 100mm/120mm is certainly more than enough to enjoy the trails. Would I enjoy the trails more if I had more travel and can go faster? Potentially. But unless I plan on racing I wouldn't be in a rush to get more travel. The trails are fun regardless of amount of suspension travel.

[andrewcalbick]

i ride a 140/130mm and have no issues, and blow by long travel enduro bikes all the time on the descents.

[rufuswainwright]

Why not include the time of climbing up as well as the going down??

We gotta get up in the first place.

Timing the Downs is only part of the picture.

Probs spend 80% of the time going up and 20% going down. So surely climbing comfort and efficiency need to be considered.

[michaelfleming]

You took the bikes on essentially a downhill course. Had it actually been a cross country, down and up course, I firmly believe the 110/120 bike or even a hard tail would / could win.

[stephenhamilton]

Could it be possible the times might of also been affected by the times u repeated it, knowing the turns and able to push it that wee bit? Would of liked a final finish with the 120 again at the end. Only because I just ordered one lol