Suspension travel

[Hobo Mikey]

Can you have to much travel.
At the moment I have a Whyte with 150 of travel but feel I need more because of my 15 stone on top of the bike. I am not a big air time guy but do like the idea of getting a bit more airtime and like drop offs.
so I keep looking at the Whyte E180 RSX with more travel but someone said It would be overkill. I ride bike parks regularly. I think just because it’s there you don’t have to use it all by going large but at the moment I am using all my travel by going small.
opinions please.

 

[Doomanic]

Can you have too much travel.

Yes.

because of my 15 stone

Ha! Fucking lightweight!

I am using all my travel by going small.

I would suggest your suspension set up needs some work. You may need to add some tokens to fork and shock to get a bit more progression.

 

[yorkshire89]

I really like a big travel FF Ebikes. It will give you more confidence on rougher trails, and can help on jumps/drops if you want to build up confidence. They give you a bit more room for error too if you are casing or landing nose heavy.

But they can feel overkill on some trails, and the extra weight will make them a bit less playful. Really depends on what you ride and what size of drops etc.

 

[RustyMTB]

Pump it up, stick a couple of tokens in. mess around with it, they put loads of adjustment in for this reason.

 

[Tubby G]

Yeah I’m on Fox 36 with 150mm travel, much heavier than you and enjoy my airtime. Rarely bottom out and don’t feel the need for more travel

I do like firm suspension though and run around 15-20% sag

 

[Mteam]

Can you have to much travel.
At the moment I have a Whyte with 150 of travel but feel I need more because of my 15 stone on top of the bike. I am not a big air time guy but do like the idea of getting a bit more airtime and like drop offs.
so I keep looking at the Whyte E180 RSX with more travel but someone said It would be overkill. I ride bike parks regularly. I think just because it’s there you don’t have to use it all by going large but at the moment I am using all my travel by going small.
opinions please.

you can have too much travel, but I wouldnt say 180mm is too much travel, but equally you shouldnt be bottoming out 150mm travel all the time either . Sounds like your suspension could be better tuned for you, possibly some volume reducer tokens to ramp up the spring rate at the end of the stroke would be beneficial, or maybe just more air pressure or more compression damping.

The odd bottom out is to be expected and all suspension setup is about compromise.

I wouldnt be buying a whole new bike just because what you mention. But if you just want a new bike anyway, then go for it.

 

[CjP]

Can you have to much travel.

opinions please.

No but like anything there are pro’s and con’s.
Way more pro’s in my opinion.

 

[B1rdie]

There must be a reason why dirtjump and slopestyle bikes have short travel forks...
Long travel , IMHO, has more to do with riding at high speed through rough terrain than doing big jumps, its because the muscles cannot respond to terrain impacts as fast as the suspension does (but for tap dancers). On most jumps, its the body, not the suspension, that will sustain the impact from landing.
Other downsides of big travel forks for jumping, are: the demeanor on precision steering, if you have a narrow kicker, holding the line into it gets more difficult because the front end is bouncing more. And because the control of "picth" angle, that meaning front/rear balance at take off is also more prone to mistakes.
But its on the climbs that long travel forks become a real pita.

 

[Mikerb]

Agree with most of the above ( @B1rdie )...except the "front end bouncing" bit!!
I have the E160RSX and a 2020 E180 RS. I assume the latest E180 is not greatly different but have not had a ride on one.....but assuming the same characteristics apply, it is a very different bike to my E160RSX and even more so I suspect, than the E150.
As has been said a bove, so much depends on the terrain you ride. The E180 as a package is much more than just longer suspension travel. Your E150 is a trail bike so will be a good all rounder, the E160RSX is what I would classify as trail/enduro and would probably be a good option to consider if you wanted a new bike. The E180 is enduro.........happiest blasting downhill on super techy terrain..........but much more of a handfull on twisty singletrack and it takes really good cockpit tuning and technique to make it a respectable climber. The slack head angle, long wheelbase, and long plush suspension travel make pedalling less efficient than a trail bike for example. .......although I was susrprised to find that fitting 150mm cranks improved that aspect quite a bit. The E180 is probably good on bikepark jump trails..........but thats not my bag so dont know. On the plus side mine gives a magic carpet ride ( Fox Factory 38/Fox Factory X2) on the roughest terrain, and enables a lots of room for error on features like (unexpected) drops where a shorter travel bike would have you OTB! My E160 RSX comes close in terms downhill gnar ability but is much faster and more manoevrable on more mellow terrain and singletrack.
You can of course upgrade your bike.............up the fork to 160mm..........or go for a better 160mm fork.

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

I think you can have too much travel. Particularly when more travel ends up with fatter stantions.

You can easily end up with a fork that too stiff and unsuitable for certain types of riding.

I think damping is more important that travel. What fork do you have?

 

[steve_sordy]

Look for the suspension tuning thread. It has all you need to get the best from your existing suspension.; it sounds like you are not at the moment. If you are then still unhappy, then go ahead and spend a load of money! But if you still fail to set up the suspension properly you will have wasted your money.

 

[Hobo Mikey]

Look for the suspension tuning thread. It has all you need to get the best from your existing suspension.; it sounds like you are not at the moment. If you are then still unhappy, then go ahead and spend a load of money! But if you still fail to set up the suspension properly you will have wasted your money.

I think I might have a play around with the set up and yes have a look at tuning suspension thread.
Trouble is I am useless at doing stuff like that and afraid I might make things worse. A new set of forks that fit my bike would be cheaper than a new bike which to be honest my bank manager would prefer.

 

[theremotejuggernaut]

Can you have to much travel.
At the moment I have a Whyte with 150 of travel but feel I need more because of my 15 stone on top of the bike. I am not a big air time guy but do like the idea of getting a bit more airtime and like drop offs.
so I keep looking at the Whyte E180 RSX with more travel but someone said It would be overkill. I ride bike parks regularly. I think just because it’s there you don’t have to use it all by going large but at the moment I am using all my travel by going small.
opinions please.

Had a quick look online and it looks like you've got a Zeb RC?

My experiences WITH the RC damper haven't been particularly inspiring.

Actually, my experience with RS air springs haven't been great either. I went through a1 B1 c1 air springs, woth and without a luftkappe and still couldn't get it working right.

Something like a Luftkappe may help as it will allow you to run more pressure while maintaining some small bump compliance.

I never got on with the Luftkappe personally. I ran my fork with no tokens and although the luftkappe helped, it still made the fork too progressive for my liking. I bought an Everflow aorr spring in the end. It's amazing.

I'm 10 and a bit stone however so at 15, progression is probably what you need.

Next up is the RC damper. It's fine for bimbling around but I found that it sucked at just about anything even remotely aggressive.

There are plenty of options for replacement. Charger damper is the obvious one. I settled on a Fast Components damper from TF Tuned. Couldn't really tell the difference between that and the Charger to be honest.

(Technically, I wanted a charger as I liked it in the Pike Ultimate. Lockdown meant I couldn't get one. Bought the Fast damper and was impressed).

It sounds to me like you need to tune the air spring first to give you the support you're lacking and then look at the damper to give the feeling you want.

More travel isn't going to fix anything I don't think.

Throw some tokens in there for a start. Once you've got the bottom out resistance you're looking for, decide whether you're getting enough sensitivity on the small stuff. If not, look at luftkappe or similar to increase the size of the negative spring. Once your air spring is feeling good, look at a better damper.

 

[Doomanic]

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fox-suspension-38-float-factory-grip2-boost-fork-2022/rp-prod214210

Use code FLASH15 to get an extra 15% off.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Can you have to much travel.
At the moment I have a Whyte with 150 of travel but feel I need more because of my 15 stone on top of the bike. I am not a big air time guy but do like the idea of getting a bit more airtime and like drop offs.
so I keep looking at the Whyte E180 RSX with more travel but someone said It would be overkill. I ride bike parks regularly. I think just because it’s there you don’t have to use it all by going large but at the moment I am using all my travel by going small.
opinions please.

I have a Levo, 160/150 and I fluctuate in weight between 95 and 110kg so more than 16 stone sometimes.
I aint gonna pretend that I have suspension sussed but I do try to get it right and spend a lot of time on it.
I have a lyrik ultimate up front and everytime I think I have it dialed, I get faster and have to sort it out again but at least I have a baseline.. overall the fork is the easier end to setup..
the shock though, that gives me trouble. I have ended up with a megneg, gnar dog token and overpressurised it to 350psi to get it not to bottom out on even small drops.
like I say, everytime I change the setup, I get faster and have to change it again and when I get it right, it feels great.

just play with that suspension.
alternatively, NEW BIKE DAY !
then play with that suspension

 

[steve_sordy]

I think I might have a play around with the set up and yes have a look at tuning suspension thread.
Trouble is I am useless at doing stuff like that and afraid I might make things worse. A new set of forks that fit my bike would be cheaper than a new bike which to be honest my bank manager would prefer.

If you make it worse, just reverse what you did and have a go in the opposite direction!

 

[irie]

If you make it worse, just reverse what you did and have a go in the opposite direction!

This ^^^

But only change one thing at a time.

 

[Doomanic]

Where's the fun it that?

 

[cappuccino34]

Buy/rent a Shockwiz and a shock pump.
Install the app, follow the instructions very carefully and exactly. Do some riding how you normally do. Follow any suggestions made in the app.

You'll be amazed at how much better you can make your bike ride, assuming that you have adequate adjustment available.

 

[Mikerb]

the best method I have found if you are starting from scratch:-
1. Find out what "tune" you have on the fork and shock. You can use the code on the shock/fork to check the relevant brand website. That at least tells you the starting point. You can only change that by sending it to a suspension specialist but it tells you something a bout how the brand thought it would need to be tuned for the type of use the bike is intended for and in line with the geo/ kinematic of that particular bike.................keep in mind it is likely biased towards an average weight rider. Whyte tend to use a lighter tune than some other brands so if you are more than avarage weight ( say 90kg +) the chances are you will need to stiffen things up!!
2. Set SAG for the shock first, then the fork. Set SAG seated if that is you most used riding position.........set SAG in the ready position if that is you most used riding position. Set SAG with all user suspension controls fully open. I usually aim for 25% SAG on the fork and 30% on the shock ( assuming the fork has more travel than the shock)
3. Next set rebound on the fork.......all other controls fully open still. Set to a middle setting and do a short test run on a decent bit of trail. Then repeat with rebound 2 clicks less.........and a gain with 2 clicks more from the middle position. See which setting feels best........if more rebound feels best, increase it by 2 clicks and go again ( the reverse if less felt better). Having decided what rebound setting is best repeat the process with the compression (low speed) setting.
4. Go through the same process for the shock.
5. Now do a full trail that includes whatever drops/jumps are typical for your rides. This is now to test whether both fork and shock have enough progression to prevent bottom out. If the fork/shock are bottoming out too often, now is the time to consider adding tokens/spacers or if you have user high speed compression controls.........adding a couple of clicks of HSC.

If the a bove sounds a bit of a faff............just consider that what you will have achieved is a fork and shock set up that suits your weight, your riding style, your type of riding.

 

[RustyIron]

At the moment I have a Whyte with 150 of travel
...so I keep looking at the Whyte E180 RSX with more travel but someone said It would be overkill.

The primary consideration would be what is going to happen to your head angle. Conventional thinking is that increasing travel will slacken it out to make it better at downhill, as the expense of climbing.

Let me just tell you the experience on my primary bike. It started off as 140mm, with 64.6 degrees of head angle. I was a bit hesitant to bump it up to 160mm, putting the head angle at about 63.6 degrees. The modification gave me everything I expected in the downhill, and the bike still handles great when climbing and negotiating low-speed chunk.

Someone said you're running a Zeb? You can get a longer air spring for about fifty bucks. Personally, I wouldn't go 20mm rather than 30mm. But whatever you try, if you don't like it, you're not out that much money.