Wheel Size, Suspension Travel and Trail Personality A few days ago I sat in on a meeting with Joe and a handful of industry types talking about the progression of modern geometry, wheel size and travel. The discussion polarized on a development 29” chassis with 160mm of travel and how it rode like a chair lift bike. I have a lot of riders coming off 26” bikes questioning how much travel they require on 27.5” or 29” bikes. Rider personality is of course critical in this decision – but understanding how to compare apples to apples is equally empowering. Where a 120mm 26” bike seems like it would kill me if I tried to ride it fast; I am confident in large terrain and speed with a 120mm 29”. My 26” pleasure bikes were typically 160mm for local riding and my personality. 27.5” bikes I enjoy a range of 130-150mm depending on the chassis and 29” bikes seem to have a real sweet spot around 120mm (I do think the additional travel on the Tallboy LTC helped me progress my 29” skills quickly though!) This is all variable on skill, personality, and aspiration and as those change my ideal bike spec changes as well. The larger wheels provide a feel of additional suspension as well as having improved angle of attack allowing them to roll over obstacles more efficiently. The larger wheel slows the steering input minimizing the “nervousness” suffered by low travel, XC geometry 26” bikes in the past. Geometry is changing quickly and even some of the manufacturers are taking shots in the dark. 26” geometry doesn’t translate to the larger wheels (nor does it go the other way too well). Years on the race course, as well as our product development projects keep BikeCo as THE cutting edge. If you’re looking at a new setup work with a resource that offers competent understanding to insure you get the most out of your purchase. Demand More – with BikeCo
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 19:24:36 +0000
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