Some bikes will handle it better than others. It’s not all about the suspension – trials riders use rigid bikes and they probably do the biggest drops to flat. But that’s a different technique to what you’d use if you were rolling along at moderate speed. I think hucking to flat just for the sake of doing a huck is usually silly. Occasionally you might find an irresistible line that presents a nice challenge, and I’d say cool, do it once and then move on. Doing it repeatedly just stresses your body and bike unnecessarily. Finding a nice down slope to land into gives you the extra challenge of having something to aim for, and the reward of a smoother landing. But you will also sometimes encounter hucks to flat on the trail, in places where they’re in the fastest line or the only line. In that case I’d say make sure you use good technique, and don’t do it repeatedly if you’re getting a harsh bottom-out or struggling to hold onto and control the bike on landing. Rather than launch off the jump / drop, I would suck it up as much as possible. This involves bending your legs to let the bike come up into your body, and pushing the bike forwards underneath you as you reach the lip. For a big huck this would mean having the saddle almost touch your chest and the rear wheel buzz your backside (but for obvious reasons you want to try to avoid contact). Then as the bike leaves the lip you extend your legs so the bike drops down towards the landing, giving you maximum leg extension to absorb the impact. Regardless of how much travel the bike has, your arms and legs are always going to be your best suspension, so make full use of them.
