how much does the extra 40mm of suspension travel matter??

[flyluis]

I was asking myself the same question last year. I've done lots of races and got tired of the spandex and 100mm bikes then got a pyga 120 650B and haven't looked back! Been going a couple enduro races and will be doing joberg2c on it next year. Finding it very versatile. I dont think you'll make a mistake going 140mm. Good all round bike.

 

I'm not saying you should get a Pyga... Just saying you should have a think about the 140mm option.

[Brian Fantana]

In 2011 I started riding a 150mm travel trail bike after riding and racing XC bikes for 5 years before that. After a few weeks of riding the 150mm trail bike both my 29" hardtails were in the classifieds and were sold within a few days.

 

I am still on the same bike and ride everything with it, XCO, XCM, Trail AM etc. I have done a few road races on it as well.

 

Since I started riding the trail bike I have stopped using the heart rate monitor and speedometer, and I have kinda lost the competitive streak I had. I do push the limits of my skills on every ride though.

 

I did Attakwas this year on my 13.5kg 150mm bike and my time was only 15min longer than what it was in 2011 riding a 10kg 29" hardtail with similar fitness.

 

Trail bikes have opened the door to whole new world of mountain biking to me.

 

I can probably ride all my current favourite obstacles and technical sections on a XC bike, but the trail bike inspired the confidence to get me to the level I am currently at.

[rudi-h]

So what you guys are basically doing is telling me not to save the R15k...

 

And then there's the Pyga, Santacruz 5010, Jeckyll, Yeti 75SB, YT Carpa, Spez and all those other bikes on the enduro thread... seems like i'll have to save a lil bit more!!!

Edited July 21, 2014 by rudi-h

[Hairy]

trail bikes are tougher ..... well that is my reasoning ..... I might have broken a few XC frames just riding along before, to date the Trail / AM Rigs have been great.

[(Deon)]

My problem is I work facing the bike. It has a spot in the bay window where the light catches it just in the spot that says, "Let's go!"

 

My story is that on the Reign I bought in 05, it was specced with a 120mm fork. I swapped this out a year later for a 140mm Fox Vanilla RLC - transformed my riding.

 

Then a year later swapped it out for a 160mm Fox VAN RC2.. do I have to state the obvious.. I've not looked back and still ride the same trails over the same distances. All day treks or shuttle days, bring it.

 

In short, stop saving money you will inevitably land up spending on the wrong bike.

[droo]

In short, stop saving money you will inevitably land up spending on the wrong bike.

 

Thread closed. You know what you want, go and buy that one.

[Paul Ruinaard]

One of the biggest regrets was selling my Santa Cruz Nomad. It had 180mm up front (Rock Shox Totem) and 167 mm at the back. I sold it for no reason other than blind stupidity and its still owned by a mate of mine whom i couldn't prize it away from with dynamite.

 

I used to use it whenever i cold - like all of the posts said - it was the most fun most smile bike i had. It was really brilliant and it is sorely missed.

 

I cannot describe to you the feeling of throwing the bike in versus picking your way through something. You just never worried and were confident it would catch you.

 

I then rode in Whistler a number of years ago and I was using there gumball squishy tires at 2,4 inches, and then i understood why they could do the crazy sh*t they could. Don't try and pedal those tires though as the rolling resistance is horrendous.

 

But the combination has made me a fan of high specced trail and enduro bikes, and i was eternally converted.

 

You can never go wrong with 40mm more travel. even 60 to 80 mm more these days feel like 100mm in terms of the stability of the fork under pedaling. So at 140mm these days you are riding what was the best in terms of platform stabilization technology even 3 years ago - which means that you might as well get the extra travel and work a bit harder.

[GLuvsMtb]

I'd like to hear from guys that own BOTH 100mm XC bikes and 140mm/160mm trail bikes. (full suspension only)

 

I'm very seriously considering buying a trail bike. I'm a reasonably capable technical rider and I enjoy single track, drop offs and jumps a more than open gravel roads...

 

So my question is this:

My gut tells me to buy a 140mm trail bike, more fitting to what I like to ride. The issue is that the pricetag of well specced 140mm trail bike is roughly 1.5X higher than that of a 100mm XC/marathon bike for the same spec.

 

Using Giant as an example (in an attempt to simplify my point), these are the ball park prices:

Giant anthem advanced 27.5 +- R42k

Giant trance advanced 27.5 +- R58k

 

Then when I look at Nino Schurter on TV, he manages to ride virtually anything that I can ever hope to ride and most of the time he does it with a HT, nevermind a 140mm trail bike...

 

So my question is that if I would buy a Giant Anthem instead of a Giant Trance and add a dropper post, then I've effectively saved R15k.

 

So what do I get for the extra R15k

 

is it:

1) Is it durability? bigger jumps/drops without the worry of my frame cracking?

2) Is it more forgiving? Will a 140mm bike save my ass where I would have fell on a 100mm bike?

3) Is it more fun even though I can ride the same trail on both bikes?

4) Something else that I haven't thought of?

You buy quite a bit of confidence with more travel. It is important to ride the various bikes out there as well. I went to a ride before you buy day a year or so ago to go shopping for a new steed for BC Bike Race that I did last year. I wanted a 29er with between 100mm and 140mm travel. I listed my bikes of preference to test as follow:

- Pyga Oneten29

- Santa Cruz Tallboy

- Specialized Epic

 

I ended up buying a Specialized Stumpy FSR with 130mm travel. I rode the 140mm EVO model as well, but 140mm travel felt like a little too much bike for me at the time. The Pyga felt like the rear was somehow disconnected, the Cruz was ok but didn't "feel" like my bike and the Stumpy had my name on it. I have to date not changed a thing on the Stumpy as it came perfectly specced with proper AM tires, a dropper post and a proper groupset and wheels. I must admit that right now I am hovering over the "order" button on a certain online bike shop for a Pike 140mm... perhaps I am ready for more bike afterall...

[Hairy]

You buy quite a bit of confidence with more travel. It is important to ride the various bikes out there as well. I went to a ride before you buy day a year or so ago to go shopping for a new steed for BC Bike Race that I did last year. I wanted a 29er with between 100mm and 140mm travel. I listed my bikes of preference to test as follow:

- Pyga Oneten29

- Santa Cruz Tallboy

- Specialized Epic

 

I ended up buying a Specialized Stumpy FSR with 130mm travel. I rode the 140mm EVO model as well, but 140mm travel felt like a little too much bike for me at the time. The Pyga felt like the rear was somehow disconnected, the Cruz was ok but didn't "feel" like my bike and the Stumpy had my name on it. I have to date not changed a thing on the Stumpy as it came perfectly specced with proper AM tires, a dropper post and a proper groupset and wheels. I must admit that right now I am hovering over the "order" button on a certain online bike shop for a Pike 140mm... perhaps I am ready for more bike afterall...

Glad you are enjoying the bike ... what ever happened to your old Zula?

[GLuvsMtb]

Glad you are enjoying the bike ... what ever happened to your old Zula?

Sold her to a friend. It gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling when I see how my friend enjoy the bike.

[Slowbee]

*troll alert on*

 

great thread guys ! Very interesting reading

 

*troll alert off*

[Spoke101]

In answer to your questions...

 

1-yes

B-Yes

3-Yes

100-Yes

 

 

100- Reasons for YES

 

Carbon wheels

dropper is WAY more than just 1k (so the difference will be about 10k)

frame is stronger.

FAR better fork in the Revelation than that crappy FOX on the anthem

FAR better shock in the Monarch RT3

XX1 vs Deore XT - 2 levels above, basically

Carbon bars & stem

 

 

In short - the Trance is a FAR better bike, and can be used for multi day events with no trouble at all.

 

The only reason Schurter can do that on the bike he has is because, well, he's just so damn GOOD.

 

EDIT: As Droo says - it's also in the geometry. The trance WILL save your ass when you get it wrong, far more than a 100mm XC race bike will (personal experiences as well) as the numbers just work more to your favour - in addition to the suspension travel.

 

Also - the increased travel doesn't mean decreased efficiency. Yes, it would at some point, but with the updated suspension platforms, Monarch shock and revelation at the front you'd be able to pedal as far, as fast as long on the Trance as you could on the Anthem - and arguably more comfortably.

 

So - if you're thinking of the Trance Advanced - DO IT. It's a FAR more versatile bike than the Anthem, and if you want to go big(ger) you can always slap a bigger fork on the front for those DH days, seeing as the Trance SX advanced has EXactly the same frame, but a 160mm fork on the front.

 

I some how think the "Giant trance advanced 27.5 +- R58k" the OP is referring to is the Advanced 1 as I'm pretty sure the Advanced 0 is over 80k.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

 

I some how think the "Giant trance advanced 27.5 +- R58k" the OP is referring to is the Advanced 1 as I'm pretty sure the Advanced 0 is over 80k.

Ah. My error then! What's the spec difference?

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Fox 32 Talas CTD Performance with 15mm thru-axle, OverDrive 2 steerer 120-140mm suspension fork

Fox CTD Performance rear shock

Shimano Deore XT 2x10-speed componentry

Giant Contact Switch-R dropper seatpost with remote

Giant P-TRX1 27.5 WheelSystem, tubeless compatible, 1675 grams

Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL

Color: Matte Composite/Gloss Black

 

Seems all my above reasons were based on the advanced 0 and not the 1.

 

Okay. Then.

 

Fox fork is slightly better than the one on the anthem, the frame is stronger and you get a dropper. The bike IS better than the anthem ito fun factor, but the spec is about equal.

 

My bad, bro - sorry about that!

 

Is it still worth the extra 15k? Imo - yes. Still has stronger wheels, frame and the dropper. Plus you're guaranteed to have more fun on it.

[rouxtjie]

Will 40mm more make you 3min gap legend....NO

Will 80mm featherweight, tupperware make you sit on Nino's wheel....NO

 

Buy what you will ride the most, can afford to purchase AND maintain.

 

Then pull the trigger on the one with the nicest colour scheme

 

Easy.

[hayleyearth]

Rudi, I dont know "if you save R15k" cause the specs of the bikes are so different.

 

I had a 120mm (crap spec) XC and since I have my 150mm I have not been back on the other one. (I must actually service it and just sell it.)

 

I agree 100% with what Brian F said above!

After riding my bike now for over a year I still get off and almost everytime say "damn I love riding this bike".

 

Also don't get your mind set on just 140mm, look at the 150mm/160mm frames too. If I had to buy one now it would either be the YT Capra or Tracer T275 (luckily I don't have to choose now) both are a bit pricey though AND difficult to got into SA. The Pyga is a great buy too (don't know the cost). I dont know if with your history with Commencal you will consider that again, but their latest bikes are really awesome.

 

You are welcome to join me/us on a ride (yes on the Spruit) and you can feel my Intense. (Warning alert, you might not want to give it back... ). I might be able to get you to feel another (160mmF/150mmB) to feel on the same ride. (Both bikes will have flats on, unless you carry the pedal spanner with and change them.)

 

BIG NOTE THOUGH - I do not think my bike feels this awesome because of the 150mm - I do not think it is really the travel, but more the geometry that makes it great. (Yes in a way they go hand in hand, but adding travel to a crap designed frame will not improve it a lot) I think that is why the YT's also feel awesome, it is the well designed geometry.

 

Let me know when you want to join, I leave home everyday just after 4:15pm.