# What is a short travel/long travel bike?



## drew15a (Jun 8, 2015)

I've been seen the phrase "short travel" and "long travel" and I'm not quite sure what it exactly means. Some short travel bike are 120mm...what does the 120 refer to?

Thanks!


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## White7 (Feb 9, 2015)

the 120mm is suspension travel(how much the suspension will compress),,,IMO long travel bike start at say 150mm and up

Long travel bikes are more geared towards all mountain,free ride and downhill
while short travel are more XC type bikes

basically


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## drew15a (Jun 8, 2015)

Awesome...Thanks!


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## lazarus2405 (Jul 16, 2011)

To add to that, the bike's overall geometry has a huge impact on how it handles different situations, in addition to how much the suspension can compress in response to bumps. Usually geometry and travel go hand in hand with the intended purpose. For example, there are 160mm bikes with full-on long, slack Enduro race geometry, and 150mm bikes with more mild trail bike handling. 

The travel number in part helps communicate the intended use, though that's not a hard and fast rule.


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## JoePAz (May 7, 2012)

Personally I consider short travel to be 4" (100mm) of rear travel. 5" to 6" (125 to 150mm) as mid travel and anything longer as long travel. That said I ride a 29er HT with a 120 mm fork as my "short travel" bike and a 5" 125rear/130 front as my "long travel, Big bike" and I have 7" bike for shuttle runs. Most people would consider a 125 mm bike as "short travel" but to me it downhill slaying bike that can climb. This means I can ride it all over if I want to be fast on the downhills and give up on some on the climbs. The 7" bike rocks downhills, but can't climb well. My HT is the fastest on the climbs and takes more work on the rocky downhills, but can be ridden anywhere I chose to ride it. I may have to walk the worst downhills, but overall it covers terrain very fast.


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## White7 (Feb 9, 2015)

drew15a said:


> Awesome...Thanks!


you're welcome,,,so what are you getting


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## drew15a (Jun 8, 2015)

I currently have a short travel...Felt 620 from 2009. When I bought the bike 7 years ago I didn't know what I was buying...then I never used it. So its about time to figure all this stuff out. 

With the way the trails are in northern Ohio I will probably stick with what I have. If I venture to areas with more downhills then I'd consider looking at long travel.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

lazarus2405 said:


> ...the bike's overall geometry has a huge impact on how it handles ...


And conversely, a huge impact can affect a bikes overall geometry.


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