Newbie help

[mozzy]

Hi folks. I'm new to mountain biking. I currently own a 2017 Cannondale Scalpel Si 6 alloy bike, on which I've done almost 700km's. I ridden a carbon bike and would like to upgrade to a carbon bike one day. I'm a small man, weighing only 65kg's soaking wet.

Whilst still shopping, before I bought the Cannondale, I was advised that because I'm so light, I don't really need something that has more suspension travel than 100mm. I don't remember where or who advised me on that info. Hence, the majority of bikes I've looking at buying are XC bikes, with 100mm travel forks. The trail bikes in general have more travel.

I don't intend to enter a race for position. If I do enter a race, it will be purely for fun. I pretty much intend staying a weekend warrior.

My question is, is the advice about not needing more suspension travel, due to my weight, sound? I spoke to someone else who said that I'd probably have more fun on a trail bike, (more travel) as opposed to an XC bike, which is more race focussed.

I'd appreciate sound advice please.

Thank you

 

[Oufy MTB (Roadie)]

I'm not sure if weight has anything to do with it. It is not only travel that is a factor but also geometry. If you want to xcm fast as possible then xc. But if you not worried about 'position" then 120mm and enjoy the downhills. I originally got a trail bike cos I thought I would enjoy trail riding and I did. But xcm bug bit me so now I have a xc bike. So it boils down to personal preference

[Prince Albert Cycles]

Stick to what you have . If the itch continuous get some steel wool

[Long Wheel Base]

I am not sure why they said a lighter guy won't use the extra travel, you set your suspension up according to your weight and riding style. So you can be 40 kilos and if you got 120mm travel and its set correctly then you will use all of it.

[mozzy]

It all depends on the riding you prefer. If you are a roadie you probably have enough travel there. If you enjoy the mountains you should consider 120mm plus.

Thank you sir. I don't enjoy riding on the road at all.

[mozzy]

I'm not sure if weight has anything to do with it. It is not only travel that is a factor but also geometry. If you want to xcm fast as possible then xc. But if you not worried about 'position" then 120mm and enjoy the downhills. I originally got a trail bike cos I thought I would enjoy trail riding and I did. But xcm bug bit me so now I have a xc bike. So it boils down to personal preference

Thank you

[mozzy]

Stick to what you have . If the itch continuous get some steel wool

Haha. Not sure the steel wool will do the trick though.

[mozzy]

I am not sure why they said a lighter guy won't use the extra travel, you set your suspension up according to your weight and riding style. So you can be 40 kilos and if you got 120mm travel and its set correctly then you will use all of it.

Thank you. That makes sense.

[Dirkitech]

Thank you sir. I don't enjoy riding on the road at all.

 

 

Thank you

 

 

Haha. Not sure the steel wool will do the trick though.

 

 

Thank you. That makes sense.

[Meezo]

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[Yo-Yo]

• I ridden a carbon bike and would like to upgrade to a carbon bike one day. 

A familiar line. 'one day' and by the end of the post you are set to head to the shops. Welcome to the world of mountian bikes. 

The whole XC vs Trail is a grey area but I would say the the advice about the travel and weight isn't exactly the best. The truth is that unless you are riding for a position or actively chasing racing results then a different category of bike might be a better option. XC and racing machines are great for those applications and people use them happily for all around riding but by the sounds of it a trail bike might be a better day-to-day option for you. Something that allows you to do the odd race and something that grows with you as you explore what kind of riding you like. You have said you are new to riding so you might want to hold off a bit and see how your riding, frequency and interest develops in the next 6 months. You might find riding trails might be your thing, you might want to see what the enduro races are like [not that scary at all], you might find that actually you're getting quite into the racing thing because at 65kgs you will fly up hills, XCO might be a your vibe. 

​In all honesty most people would be better off on a good short to mid travel trail bike rather than a pure XC machine. Not because of the travel but because they have different geometry, are more stable, can take on the variety of terrain we have here and more forgiving. This doesn't mean they are slow and not precise. If you look at how trends have gone recently you'll see that a lot of bike makers are using the benefits of evolution in trail / enduro type bikes. The Scott Spark has slackened out it's geometry and added more travel to the point where it is blurring lines between traditional XC and trail but it's still winning XCO and world cup events with their team riders and being ridden hard on other types of trails under a lot of different riders. 

 

Bikes like the Scott Spark, Trek Fuel are bikes that can do a race one day and then go out with friends and ride trails all day. Geometry is the biggest thing and a great set up frame with 105mm of rear travel that uses all of its suspension well can out ride and feel more capable than a 130mm or even 140mm bikes.

Suspension is there to make your life easier. No point having 170mm if you are xc racing and it's sucking your power and wallowing in it's travel. Taking on blue and black trails with a steep head angle and 100mm can be done and alot of XC guys ride steep tracks but it takes skill and is making your rides harder than they need to be if you're looking for fun - but this depends on your definition of fun and what you are riding for. 120 - 130mm forks and 110 - 130 at the back makes for a good range for most trails and won't leave you bouncing in a fun race. Lock out switches on your shocks can firm everything up in different ways and make the bike more racy on the flat xc tracks. Some bikes have flip chips and shape shifter technology to alter the bikes between one style and an other so you can have a tighter, geometry for one race and then change it for a weekend ride on the mountain with friends. 

What ever suspension you have, just make sure you play with it so that you are getting the best feel out of it for how you ride and using most of the travel all the time. A lot of people I see have 100mm forks and use about 70% of the available travel and then wonder if they need a bigger travel bike.

Take time with your decision, test ride a range of bikes, borrow friends bikes, hire a different kind of bike, get a feel, be honest about what you want out of a bike and then enjoy the ride. 

This is a basic but good wrap up of the 2 styles and cross over. 

http://ninerbikes.life/do-you-ride-cross-country-or-trail-understanding-different-types-of-mountain-bike-riding/

[marko35s]

The 'too light to need more than 100mm travel' line is basically rubbish*.

My youngster weighs in at around 45 kg and uses all the 160mm travel available on his bike.

 

Somebody was keen on selling a 100mm travel bike that day...

 

 

* This was originally a word that would have got me  banned but I thought better of it.