As an armchair pundit I can see that the suspension will work well right up to the point where you have to stand on the pedals on a descent – the very point where you want the suspension to work.

I'd like to be proved wrong by those who've actually owned them though, how did they work?

PJM – you're right – typically URTs stiffen when you stand on a descent – not ideal but worth the compromise for some for the fact that they climb well out of the saddle and the suspension is ok when in the saddle.

That said, since you can ride a hardtail downhill happily enough, it's not like that makes it unrideable. As ever it's about compromises. For some they were great (seemingly this is the OP!), for others they didn't make sense.

there is one plus thing about the URT, that is the fact there is zero chain growth so they can be used as a s/s

if that is a plus point 😕

I'd love to have a Mantra…

to hang on the wall (or ride around slowly posing on). Would have to be the right fade paintjob though – that blue one just doesn't do it.

Yeah, except that you usually have to still use a tensioner since few actually have horizontal dropouts so you could just as easily do the same on any other full susser (assuming a sprung tensioner)

As I alluded to, they work well for SS because of the compromises – when honking along out of the saddle as you have to do at times on a SS, the suspension doesn't bob to any noticeable degree. On a geared more conventional full susser, you'd just use a more sensible gear to work to the suspension's strengths and spin smoothly.

Aracer – it's going to be repainted to something more 'Klein' 😉

This thread does remind me a bit of people who say things like 'You'll die if you ride at a trail centre with less than 6" travel' though 😉

The compromise is obvious though, often you need suspension performance at the point when your body stiffens and you stand on the pedals. I can imagine that if you know what you're doing then the suspension works okay, but if you show it any fear it's over the bars time.

Having said that, my old Enduro sags under power and the head angle steepens slightly when you stand and back off too.

I have an enduro too – it's kind of the complete opposite of the Mantra as you pointed out 🙂 Makes life interesting 🙂

Paint job on that Klien is a winner though – there's one at an LBS in Canterbury that looks the cats in purple.

I want my Enduro painted in that shade.

Mine's going to be metallic purple. With gold Klein logos, to match team colours 🙂

Paint job on that Klien is a winner though – there's one at an LBS in Canterbury that looks the cats in purple.

It's a purple one I'm thinking off – then again I am into purple fade paintjobs on slab sided bikes…

*awaits shouting*

Whatever happened to Klein anyway? Didn't they get bought out by Trek and went all Ned Flanders?

Having searched, something like this

In the same shade as that Klein…

Clubber wrote, "typically URTs stiffen when you stand on a descent – not ideal but worth the compromise for some for the fact that they climb well out of the saddle and the suspension is ok when in the saddle."

An Idrive would climb well out of the saddle and work better on the descents… Or, tbh, any number of other suspension designs. Or any susser ever with a lockout. If it was the only solution to this problem, sure, but it's not.

Yep, true enough but idrives are heavy and have some funny anti-squat under power – compromises again.

Like I said, URTs have been superceeded. Lockout is one solution and with remote, the solution I have on one of my other full sussers 😉

They were shit. FACT

Lockout is one solution and with remote, the solution I have on one of my other full sussers

Better yet, travel reduction/suspension stiffening and lockout on a remote, as I have on my FS!

Scott then? Yeah, that is a good option. I just don't trust the Scott shocks though.

Had mine 4 years and not had any problems at all – shock has been serviced a couple of times, but just routine stuff (it's a Genius RC, so may be a little different to other bigger Scotts – I still love it and wouldn't even think about changing for something else).

My wanting an URT bike isn't too dissimilar to another person's wish for an old MG. Not the greatest but wanted.

Check the details of description. Carbon Fibre? DH? Slightly damaged BB?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GARY-FISHER-LEVEL-BETTY_W0QQitemZ260528582546QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_sportsleisure_cycling_bikeparts_SR?hash=item3ca8b6af92