Quote:
Originally Posted by macker
Just my experience but I haven't had a problem with a 4 inch travel bike on anything in the local area including Prairie View, Prospector, Baldy, Razors Edge, Seeya, Toothless, Billy Dog, SHAFT etc. I guess part of it is I started on a hardtail at Moose Mountain and was forced to learn to ride without relying on travel. I would say if you are riding West Bragg Creek travel can actually slow you down and a solid hardtail or short travel bike is better suited for those trails. Anything over 5 inches of travel is overkill for 90% of the trails most people will spend 90% of their time on. I still pull out my hardtail from time to time but for me 4 inches of travel is a happy medium  . Too much bouncing around will slow you down on the trails and will make climbing harder than it needs to be on the majority of the trails around here. |
Life's not a race. Bigger travel bigger smiles. I too grew up riding a hardtail with a Z2, a 110mm stem and 22" wide bars. Could I navigate Razor's on one? Sure. Would it be as much fun? Absolutely not.
For the 4" travel crowd, what bike would you recommend? Who even makes a 4" travel trail bike these days that isn't geared toward cross country racing? Trek Superfly, Giant Anthem, Specialized Epic... 70° head angles and 100mm stems? Yuck. Talk about a confidence shattering body position!
I wholeheartedly agree that being over suspended can slow you down - if you're pumping corners and working the terrain. But that travel will also make it easier. In my experience most beginner riders will benefit way more from a confidence inspiring bike than they will from a low travel race bike.
We'll have to agree to disagree on the trails here being smooth. The trail networks in Fernie, Golden, Revy, etc. are all way smoother than here. They're all built on a base of decomposing trees and loam - ours are rock. Suspension exist for two main reasons: bailing you out on a massive g-out and smoothing out rough terrain. Letting off the brakes and straight-lining Baldy is as rough as it gets anywhere so may as well have the suspension to let you do it safely.
The funny thing is a year ago I was full on in the camp of "it's an xc bike, it's suppose to be sketchy". Clinging on to my 26" wheels and 120mm bike. Then I got a modern bike and it changed everything. Turns out you can have your cake and eat it too!