Current bikes: Yeti 575 & Commencal Meta 6 (and a Scandal 29er but that's not relevant here!)

Both bikes are XL
I'm 6' 6" and the best part of 18st when kitted up

Yeti is set up as a xc/all purpose machine – sub 30lbs. Commencal has been set up for throwing about, a few uplift days etc probably 36lbs+

Commencal has been back for a warranty replacement so I'm going to sell the frame and get something new. Reasons are that a) It's a bit short in the top tube and b) I fancy a change.

What I did like about the Commencal though was the plushness of the rear suspension compared to the Yeti. A few months ago I had a conversation with TF Tuned as they were servicing the Yeti's shock and I said I wished it was a bit plusher, a bit more like the Meta 6. They intimated that the Commencal was a better design for a big guy as the Yeti's single pivot design "batters the hell out of the shock".

I was possibly considering a 20" Alpine 160 as the Commencal's replacement, but again that's a similar design to the Yeti.

My question basically is:

Are there some suspension designs that would suit me better than others?

Thanks in advance

ps I am also considering just getting a DH Frame but I guess the same point would apply.

What is the ratio of stroke length to wheel travel on each bike? I'd suggest that for the bigger rider, the lower the ratio the better. I'm 14st before kitting up and finding that mt Turner is near the limit with it being a 3:1 ratio on the rear. (6" bike with 2" shock). If you get a bike with a longer shock or less travel (or both) then the shock isn't going to be working as hard. Don't Foes do something with a massive shock on it to get a 2:1 ratio?

Hi Onzadog, for stroke length I guess you just measure the barrel of the shock before compression????

measure the eye to eye length fully extended and compare the eye to eye length fully compressed. Or you could just measure the eye to eye length and have a google if it's a common shock. For example, a 165mm Fox is 1.5" stroke, a 190mm fox is 2" stroke.

Thanks, will do. Yeti in the shop at the moment but will see what I can find online too

They intimated that the Commencal was a better design for a big guy as the Yeti's single pivot design "batters the hell out of the shock".

Why's that? Maybe because the side loads go straight into the shock rather than through the linkage first?

Speshalized fsr is best bcoz it has 4 bars so it's aktiv if u hit things but u dont get jaked of from breaking and peddels wont bob

Stop trying to be funny – you sound like a retard!

Might be best to call TF Tuned back and ask them what they meant, but I suspect it's down to how the rate changes through the stroke as well as the Commie being a lower rate overall as well. Don't discount the Alpine 160 just yet.

if you have a bike with a 3:1 ratio and one with a 2:1 ratio

the 3 :1 bike has less shock movment so higher spring rate,, it also needs more damping as it has to do the same work but in less travel, possibly has less oil volume so the oil will heat up and or degrade quicker ,,

bigger spring rate,, more load in bearings in the ends of the shock,,

also any slack in the system,, movement in bearings or slack in the damper is magnified by 3 at the swinging arm

bikes with poorly designed of worn out Swinging arm pivots tend to put a lot of side load into the shock,, which is not good,,

a well designed rear end should put little or no side load into the shock

The other thing to consider is how the linkages modify the rate.

The "divide travel by shock stroke" thing gives you the average rate. The instant rate at a particular point in travel may be much more or much less and is governed by the geometry of the linkages.

The Commencal linkage probably allows much more variation on this to give different suspension characteristics than the Yeti, so the stress on the shock under big impacts is less. Both are single pivot bikes, but they're set up to work in different ways.

Orange use a relatively long stroke on the Alpine. One of the few airshocked bikes I've ridden and gone "this isn't bad at all". It's also very happy with a coil shock on it, which is no bad thing if you're a big lad. I'm at the opposite end of the range (10stone) but the demo one I tried I really enjoyed. Fantastic handling, climbed fine, not bad on the weight, very stiff laterally.