|   Long-travel and "trail feel" | Mossy
Mar 27, 2003 3:16 PM | | Does anyone else think that bikes with long travel (more than 4-plus inches) sacrifice quite a bit of that connected-to-the-ground feeling that hardtails and FS/xc bikes tend to have in spades?
Tested my pals freerider last weekend and yes, it absorbed trail shock well, but is that really the end-all of mtn biking? In the tight stuff, the bike wallowed and was slow to change direction.
Over technical terrain, yes, I could just let go of the brakes and point it in the right direction, but isn't picking lines part of the fun?
Not trying to bait anyone here, just wondering what the fuss is about. Again, I do ride in Santa Cruz where the trails are pretty loamy. |
| Picking lines w/ full suspension | Papa Wheelie
Mar 27, 2003 3:51 PM | | Well... with a FS bike, you still have to "pick your line". The thing is, you just pick a different line on a FS bike than on a rigid bike. I'd also like to add that it is still very fun to pick these different lines... since these new lines quite often would be diffucult, impossible, or just too dangerous without suspension. Keep in mind this is all relative to your skill level, terrain, mood, health insurance plan, etc. But basically, for me, it comes down to this. I ride a certain set of lines on my FS that I won't touch on my HT. Both lines are fun. Some jobs require a razor blade and some jobs require a chain saw. Maybe that wasn't a good analogy.
My FS bike has somewhat sloppy handling in the slow and tight stuff but that is ok with me. I've learned to adapt. I still have a good time.
Also I am not a racer, I only ride for fun. That might have some bearing on your equipment.
I think the be all end all of mountain biking isn't hardware, but rather having the time to ride daily. I'd rather be out in the woods on a Huffy every day than at work inside on an Aeron chair under flourescent lights. |
| Chainsaw/razor=good analogy... | JimC.
Mar 27, 2003 4:08 PM | | I'm with you except I don't have a HT, I'm on a mission from God to find a bike that does it all. Of course, none will, but boy it's fun shopping. Until then, my Bullit rides technical OK as like you I've adapted, but uphill technical is a "challenge" shall we say. Downhill, it feels like a feather and handles like a dream.
One small point, the 5th element progessive shock removes lots of boing in pedalling, so technical and climbing is easier than my older FS bike with Fox RC on it (boing!)
Jim - it's all good riding :) |
| Depends on the damping. | Dougal
Mar 27, 2003 11:30 PM | | It depends on the fork and shock dampers, what type they are and how they're setup.
Say a bike has a FOX vanilla rear shock and a marzocchi Jr T on the front. Both of these run with very little low speed damping, hence they wallow a lot and give almost no feedback to rolling ground.
Compare that to a bike with a romic rear shock and a manitou TPC front fork. Crank the low speed compression dials in on each end and you can dial in exactly how much "feel" you want from the suspension. More feel gives you less wallow, but too much starts to feel harsh.
Dougal.co.nz |
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