It is one of the most frequent doubts for the beginners of this discipline or those who consider buying a double suspension bicycle to attack the most technical descents. How much fork is necessary to practice enduro? Is a fork with 150 mm better? With 170 mm? With 180 mm?
Although there is a mostly accepted route standard, the truth is that finding the ideal for each
Rider It will depend on several factors: your physique, weight, form of form, technical level or type of routes you make.
In addition, the forks and dampers themselves can be customized in several ways, modifying the millimeters of travel, without the need to change model. That is why it is easier to find your own suspension configuration, as professional tightenings do.
Serial suspension on Enduro Bicycles
Currently, most
Enduro bicycles They offer standard a 160 mm or greater route on each of the axes. In general, the fork adds even 10 or 20 mm more depending on the model, up to 170 or 180 mm. This little decompensation tries to provide greater absorption of the first impacts with obstacles, rocks, etc., which always takes the front wheel.
The trend in recent years has been to increase the route of the suspensions, especially in 27.5 ”models. With recent arrival and implementation in the enduro of the wheels of 29 ”, the routes were contained or even dropped to 150 or 140 mm on the rear axle.
But the great advances in design and geometry have caused the new enduro bicycles of 29 ”to also offer 160 or 170 mm, balancing their behavior by relaxation of angles, both of the direction and the armchair tube, and shortening the pods in the rear triangle.
How to adjust the suspension based on height and weight
Starting from this standard, it is possible to increase or decrease the path of both suspensions to adapt to the physical parameters of each cyclist. Specifically at your height and weight. The professional cyclist Heather Imiger explains in
This Mtbr.com article That a slightly corpulent person who uses a size S for his bicycle will need less travel, around 150 mm, to make enduro routes.
Simply lowering this parameter you can have a more manageable and agile bicycle. Instead, a
Rider More corpulent or heavy that has to roll with a m o l bike should not spare on a route. More cyclist's weight implies a greater compression of the fork bars or the shock absorber race and it is probable to fall short of travel with 140 and 150 mm before very technical drops and with large jumps. The reduction of
SAG or prehundimiento From the suspension at this point it is a solution to not stop.
How to adjust the suspension based on the type of Rider
The needs of greater or lesser suspension in enduro also depend on what type of
Rider You are. If you mark the difference in the increases or in the transition plains between declines, then you may not need to have 170 or 180 mm travel. Having more contained suspensions with systems that contaminate the pedaling little, such as the Split Pivot of the BH Lynx or Giant's teacher, will contribute a plus of stiffness and agility to quickly roll through these sections.
On the other hand, if you trust everything or you are a regular to the
Bike Parks, we recommend customizing your suspensions for this purpose, with 170 mm tours and compression and rebound settings for each situation: low speed (pedaling and small obstacles) and high (cuts and jumps).
How to adjust the suspension based on the technique
Beyond whether you are a more climber or more low cyclist, in the enduro you have to know how to handle the bike very well in any situation. This also influences the choice of some suspensions or others and their adjustments.
Related in part to the physical and weight section, a bicycle with minor suspensions will be much more agile and manageable than a larger route. Therefore, for Riders with a limited technique or that are
Starting on Enduro Routes It is more convenient to have suspensions of 140 to 160 mm, rising to the next level (160-180 mm) as confidence and experience in the descents are gaining.
How to adjust the suspension based on the route
Finally, and not least, there is the choice of adequate suspension according to the usual enduro route that is carried out. For low -slope or short -and -out routes without obstacles probably a double suspension of 170 mm or more is unnecessary and even counterproductive, since you will not be able to take advantage of that long route in the absorption of irregularities of the land.
In addition, a longer travel suspension usually weighs more due to the greater diameter of the bottles and the length of the forks bar. In the shock absorbers a larger route also implies a larger size of the body and the air sleeve. Or what is the same, more grams to the scale that will not justify so much route for that simple land.
On the contrary, go down with an All Mountain or Enduro with suspension tours of 140 mm and 150 mm by the most complicated clues of a
Bike Park It implies a lower absorption and stability and increases the risk of suffering a fall. In this case, it is not necessary to spare to increase the suspension route, minimum above 160 mm.
Conclusions
The current enduro encompasses a wide range of bicycles, assemblies and types of suspensions. Also of various types of routes: more technical, sinuous, more rolling,
Bike Parks, etc. Taking these factors into account, your strengths such as
Rider And the possibilities of adjustment of the suspensions, you can find your configuration and ideal tours.
Thus, less technical cyclists should opt for shorter suspension tours, from 140 to 160 mm, while at a more experienced level it is advisable to opt for long routes and greater possibilities of customization and cushion behavior. Do not forget that ultimately these general recommendations should be varied depending on the type of route and the physicist of the
Rider.
Currently, most Enduro bicycles They offer standard a 160 mm or greater route on each of the axes. In general, the fork adds even 10 or 20 mm more depending on the model, up to 170 or 180 mm. This little decompensation tries to provide greater absorption of the first impacts with obstacles, rocks, etc., which always takes the front wheel.
The trend in recent years has been to increase the route of the suspensions, especially in 27.5 ”models. With recent arrival and implementation in the enduro of the wheels of 29 ”, the routes were contained or even dropped to 150 or 140 mm on the rear axle.
But the great advances in design and geometry have caused the new enduro bicycles of 29 ”to also offer 160 or 170 mm, balancing their behavior by relaxation of angles, both of the direction and the armchair tube, and shortening the pods in the rear triangle.
Starting from this standard, it is possible to increase or decrease the path of both suspensions to adapt to the physical parameters of each cyclist. Specifically at your height and weight. The professional cyclist Heather Imiger explains in This Mtbr.com article That a slightly corpulent person who uses a size S for his bicycle will need less travel, around 150 mm, to make enduro routes.
Simply lowering this parameter you can have a more manageable and agile bicycle. Instead, a Rider More corpulent or heavy that has to roll with a m o l bike should not spare on a route. More cyclist's weight implies a greater compression of the fork bars or the shock absorber race and it is probable to fall short of travel with 140 and 150 mm before very technical drops and with large jumps. The reduction of SAG or prehundimiento From the suspension at this point it is a solution to not stop.
The needs of greater or lesser suspension in enduro also depend on what type of Rider You are. If you mark the difference in the increases or in the transition plains between declines, then you may not need to have 170 or 180 mm travel. Having more contained suspensions with systems that contaminate the pedaling little, such as the Split Pivot of the BH Lynx or Giant's teacher, will contribute a plus of stiffness and agility to quickly roll through these sections.
On the other hand, if you trust everything or you are a regular to the Bike Parks, we recommend customizing your suspensions for this purpose, with 170 mm tours and compression and rebound settings for each situation: low speed (pedaling and small obstacles) and high (cuts and jumps).
Beyond whether you are a more climber or more low cyclist, in the enduro you have to know how to handle the bike very well in any situation. This also influences the choice of some suspensions or others and their adjustments.
Related in part to the physical and weight section, a bicycle with minor suspensions will be much more agile and manageable than a larger route. Therefore, for Riders with a limited technique or that are Starting on Enduro Routes It is more convenient to have suspensions of 140 to 160 mm, rising to the next level (160-180 mm) as confidence and experience in the descents are gaining.
