Ok so I have a ht which I love riding and will always do so, I’ve also been trying to find a suitable full suspension bike as I like the idea of having both. This is where things get a little awkward for me as I can’t seem to find anything that I like or that suits me.
I have been through a lot of bikes trying to find something that I like riding as much as my ht. The problem I think is rear travel on a 150 mm bike it’s just far to much rear travel for me at the other end of the scale a 120mm bike feels right at the rear but I don’t feel I have enough travel at the front .

Any way after so much rambling I guess what I’m really saying is does anyone run something like a 140mm fork on a bike with a 120mm shock if so what are they and how do you feel it rides ?
Sorry for the essay but it’s been doing my head in so thought I’d open it up here and see everyone thought.
Cheers paul

Genesis Grapil?

I know what your getting at as I was in a similar position a while back. I settled on an old intense 5.5 with pro pedal as it’s light, to me, and rides so well it feels like a ht in some ways but doesn’t batter my back like my bfe!

Orange ST?

How tall are you? As tbh I eventually gave up on FS as once you’d got the saddle at a height for my 34″ inside leg every bike just felt like I was ‘balancing’.

Get a comfy HT (Ti or carbon) instead.

Cheers guys I like the look of the grapil but while I’m in This chopping and changing scenario I’d prefer to buy second hand and as yet I bet there are not many of those around

Santa Cruz Nickel? Have seen a few second hand ones knocking about and would fit the bill nicely with a 140 fork up front. Think they’re 125 at the back or thereabouts.

Cheers brigante good idea I havnt come across one of those yet

My old nicolai helius cc was great, 140 pike with adjustable rear up to 130 from 100 . Handle anything
There is a. Nice secondhand frame on here for c £600 in classifieds I think.

Hi, my bro once ran his giant trance with 140mm forks and found it to be really good. I have had a cube ams 130 before which was 130 at the rear and had revs on the front 120/ 150 which made it best of both really.

I’m running my trance X at 140mm and I love it.

Cotic Hemlock… Works best with a bit more than 140 up front though, I ran mine at 150 with a tall headset for a while, then switched to Lyriks. Bloomin brilliant and perfectly matches the 120mm rear (I’ve run it with the long-travel rocker on the back and it didn’t gain much at all, but lost out a lot)

When you think about it, there’s no reason that suspension should be matched, the 2 ends have very different workloads.

I’ve been told by a few guys that the Orange 5 works well with a 140-160 fork.

If you got a fork like a Fox Talas up front you can have 120-140-160. 😉

Actually I’d second tricky dicky and go for a Helius CC. It’s what I’ve got myself and it’s bloody marvellous. Can’t believe I didn’t suggest it in the first place. STW’er in not recommending own bike shocker!

gmex619 – Member
I’ve been told by a few guys that the Orange 5 works well with a 140-160 fork.

The Five is a 140mm travel frame, rather that the 120 the OP is thinking of

I’ve got a Santa cruz nickel for sale on here with a 140mm fox float fork up front and it’s got a kashima rp23 at the rear and it’s is fast as hell over everything. The nickel uses a fairly long stroke shock for the 125mm travel so really makes good use of its travel and the 140mm travel fork slackens the head tube angle more than you’d imagine to make it feel like there’s far more travel available than what you’ve actually got when it gets rough

If you’re interested pm me

Ross

I’d second Northwind’s Hemlock suggestion. I’ve had a few bouncy bikes (Giant VT, Heckler, Cove G Spot) and the Hemlock is the one I’ve kept the longest AND I still have no desire whatsoever to change it. It’s bloody ace.

120mm rear / 160mm front here too.

yeti 5 works well with 140mm, have also run it at 150mm

I’d go with the Nickel suggestion, Paul. But what I’ve ridden a lot over the last 18 months until I cracked the frame was a Cannondale Rize 120 carbon with TALAS forks wound up to 140mm. Lovely ride – plush but tight if you know what I mean. Nice and light too. It really was the most versatile bike, do anything, go anywhere. I seem to remember somebody in Singletrack (the mag) saying 3 or 4 years ago that if he had to choose just one bike, then this would be it.

Looking at getting the frame repaired now. Love this bike too much to lose it.

Did you ever get my email about your Mondraker rolling chassis, by the way?

Mike

what about a stumpy using propedal would stiffen the rear shock up and still ride real nice

I am also running a Trance X, with a 150mm fork (reduces to 120mm). Cheap to buy the base model and simply upgrade the fork to a longer/adjustable travel option. Apparently a lot of people run Trance (original and X models) with a longer fork.

I was looking at Salsa Horsethief the other day, that’s 120mm rear and designed for up to 140mm front. (29er).

Pivot 429 100 mm rear / 100mm – 120 mm front

Pricey though

Expensive but Santa Cruz TRa, up to 140mm forks, 125mm rear.