Most of you who know me well have heard me say there’s no need for rear suspension on a cross country bike, especially one with proper sized wheels. I still believe that to be true but I’m realizing now that there’s something more to this full suspension thing. Big wheels almost made me give up on squishy bikes forever.
My last one (FS) also had big wheels but was far too long in the rear and steered like a truck. That bike rode well in some situations but lacked the quickness and maneuverability that I like a bicycle to have. It was pretty much a Michaux race only rig. It got the job done but wasn’t nimble enough to be fun to ride. After less than a year of use that bike was replaced by a steel hardtail.
The more bikes I ride the more I realize that it’s all about the geometry and design of a bike rather than the category it fits into. For the last couple of months I’ve been riding (pretty much daily) a four inch travel custom Engin bicycle with the rear end of a Ventana El Rey. Having personally owned more than twenty true mountain bikes of all styles and ridden the tar out of every last one I’ve developed a sense for what works. This monster bike drew has built for me does it all well and has yet to show any limitations.
One of the great things about a dialed in squishy bike is the balance front to rear. I also like the ride of a fully rigid bike in tight singletrack because the angles of the bike do not change in turns. With a front suspension hardtail your fork will dive when pressing hard in a turn. This steepens the bikes angles at a time when you need front wheel traction the most. Not an issue when going slow but at high speed this can lead to disaster. On my squishy bike I’m able to commit to a turn at higher speed than any rigid bike I’ve tried. My fork dives in the turn but so does the back end of my bike. So the only ride feature that changes is lowering of the bottom bracket which just adds stability.
Honestly the prospect of riding a four inch travel 29er again seemed boring. I like trails, I like the way they feel when I’m riding on them. I figured that being aboard such a beast I would lose touch with some of that feel but it’s the opposite. It must be because my tires stay on the ground more. Whatever it is, it works for me because I’m having a great time on it. Thanks to Drew and thanks to the rain that’s pinned me indoors so I could write about my bike instead of riding it.
