Unanswered Too heavy for 120mm travel?

[Beekeeper]

Just a basic question,

I weigh 100kg and don’t really do jumps etc but I’m more concerned about comfort on very rocky trails.

considering my weight, would a 120 suspension e.g. Cube Stereo hybrid 120 be a bad choice? I don’t want to be bottoming out all the time.

 

[Rusty]

It is all a matter of perspective. Weight is not the issue.
I was XC and distance racing until recently and found a 120mm travel bike to be perfect for that, but that was because most of the trails were in the G1 - G3 range. Bombing down a G4 occasionally and I would find issues - not because of the 120mm travel or my weight (110kg average) but due to the 120mm travel bike having a steeper head angle which is great for more aggressive steering. As I started play riding more and doing G3 - G4 mostly I moved to a 150mm travel bike to handle the drops better.

Took a quick look at the Stereo 120 HPC and that has aFox 34 Rhythm fork with, 120mm travel and Fox Float DPS EVOL shock with 120mm travel. Both are very adjustable and with volume spacers can give you a plush ride that will firm up enough so you don't bottom too often.
That is - dependant on the trails you are riding.

Me, with the added weight of a eMTB and that there are a lot of gnarly bits and step-downs on the trails I ride prefer 20 or 30mm more. Not that I use it all that often, but the more relaxed geometry leads to less 'Oh shit' moments.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I think @Rusty has you pretty covered there.

As long as the fork is adjustable, rider weight shouldn't correspond to fork travel.

It should be possible (in theory) to adjust the fork to perform similarly for a 50kg rider or a 100kg rider.

I think you'd run into more problems with some of the cheaper forks which don't let you vary the damping correctly or add/remove tokens to vary the air spring (assuming we're sticking with air springs).

Just don't go too heavy on the mead over the festive season or you might be a 120kg rider.

 

[Beekeeper]

I’m thinking then that the Cube hybrid race 625 would tick all the boxes as my next bike. This also has Fox suspension. £3699

 

[steve_sordy]

Just a basic question,

I weigh 100kg and don’t really do jumps etc but I’m more concerned about comfort on very rocky trails.

considering my weight, would a 120 suspension e.g. Cube Stereo hybrid 120 be a bad choice? I don’t want to be bottoming out all the time.

As long as the suspension is capable of being adjusted and you do it properly, there is no reason why you should be bottoming out all the time or being battered either.
Read this:

Bikerumor Suspension Setup Series: Full Series PDF - Free Download!

Last week, we wrapped up our six-part suspension setup series. But, we realize it’s not always practical to hunt down the particular session you need,…

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