Which travel is right for you?
Whether you’re just getting into mountain biking, you’re returning after a few years off, or you’re an everyday rider looking to get a new bike, the million-dollar question that everyone eventually asks is “how much suspension travel do I need on my mountain bike?”
To answer that question, we should first consider the advantages of a full-suspension mountain bike; these bikes :
When deciding on your suspension travel, you also need to consider the type of bike and terrain that you’ll be riding. Answering the questions below will help to indicate your bike needs for this year and the years to come.
The point of these questions is to find a bike which meets your needs for most (about 80%) of the time. Remember, though, that it’s possible to use a bike outside the category for which it was designed; you want to get a bike that is appropriate for what you usually want to do.
You should also consider your mountain biking skills as well as your shortcomings. For example, are you always first to the trail summit but last to the bottom? Try a bike with more travel. In contrast, if you’re typically the last to arrive at the top, but the first to get to the bottom, you may want to try a bike with less travel, but which will be more responsive while climbing. This bike will also help you gain bike-handling skills and thus become a better rider overall.
Discover our range and discover the advantages of each of our platforms.
If you’re having doubts or finding it hard to make choice, come in and speak with the experts at Devinci retailers; they have the answers to all of your biking questions!
If you’d like to read more about the different ranges of suspension travel and what they mean once you’re out on the trail, check out our friends at Bikeradar; they have a great article and an excellent YouTube video on the topic.
In general, trail bikes feature 120-130mm of travel; trail bikes are a good compromise between cross-country bikes and enduro bikes. This means that trail bikes are super versatile and allow you to drop into the maximum number of trails with confidence. They are the ideal bike for rides where climbing is as much a part of the fun as descending.
Both the Marshall and the Django by Devinci offer 140mm of suspension travel in the front; however, the Django provides 120mm in the back while the Marshall provides 130mm.
Devinci also offers the Kobain, a “hardtail” trail bike; this semi-rigid (or fixed rear) bike offers 130mm of front suspension travel to provide maximum comfort.
You probably already guessed from their name: the all-mountain bikes are designed to tackle a bit of everything on the mountain. They usually feature about 150mm of suspension, which makes these bikes – like the trail bikes – fairly light, as well as agile and comfortable for long days in the saddle.
The Troy is Devinci’s all-mountain go-to bike; it offers either 150mm or 160mm of front suspension travel, depending on the configuration that you choose, and a rear frame that allows for 140mm of travel.
The Troy’s versatility makes it a great option for just about every trail network in the world.
Representing the final frontier before the hard-core downhill bike, enduro bikes typically offer 150-170mm of front suspension, sometimes even 180mm.
When you’re riding an enduro bike, there’s no concern about starting down difficult trails, rough downhill sections, or jumps in the bike park. The only limit is your skills.
The Spartan HP features a 170mm suspension, and the frame allows for 160mm of rear travel. The all-new Chainsaw in its enduro configuration features a fork of 170mm of travel and also 170mm of rear travel.
Downhill-dedicated, maximum strength, big travel. In order to take on the most difficult descents, you need a bike like the Chainsaw DH – and a chairlift or a shuttle rig to get you up the mountain – equipped with a 190mm, dual-crown suspension fork.
With a downhill oriented mountain bike, there’s no doubt: the only limit to speed is the rider! The Chainsaw DH can comfortably reach speeds much higher than any of our mountain bikes. And it can also navigate across the gnarliest lines with ease and stability.
Sharpen your reflexes with the Devinci Chainsaw DH and its 170 or 180mm of rear suspension travel.