Full Sus MTB Guide | Tredz Bikes

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Is a full-suspension mountain bike right for me?

If you’re new to the world of cycling, we highly recommend taking a look at our bike buying guide overview or our mountain bike buying guide to help you decide what type of bike is right for your needs.

When you’re choosing a full suspension mountain bike, there are a few things to look out for which can help you to work out the quality and performance you can expect from a particular model.

Suspension travel & usage

Depending on the type of mountain bike riding you’ll be doing, you may want to have longer or shorter suspension travel on your bike:

Travel	Usage	Pros	Cons
Up to 120mm	XC	Lightweight & efficient pedalling for long-distance rides	Short travel is less capable on rough & demanding trails with large jumps & drops
120 – 150mm	Trail	Lightweight, balance of climb-friendly efficiency & rough-descent capability	More weight than a shorter travel bike & less efficient climbing. Less capable on descents than a longer travel bike
150-180mm	Enduro	Capable of covering difficult & technical downhill sections. Wide enough gear range for climbing	Heavier & significantly less efficient at climbing compared to shorter travel bikes
180mm +	Downhill	Designed for highly technical & high-speed descents, with big drops and large jumps	Heavy, and inefficient at climbing. Limited gear range means most climbs will require pushing the bike

Frame material

Full-suspension MTB frames are mostly made from either aluminium or carbon fibre, with each material having its own benefits & drawbacks.

Aluminium is lightweight, stiff, strong, and easy to manufacture. Manufacturers often develop their own aluminium alloys, such as ALUXX by Giant. Aluminium is found on a wide range of bikes, from entry-level & enthusiast bikes, right the way up to top-spec racing bikes.

Carbon fibre is lighter, stiffer, stronger, and more expensive than aluminium. The most affordable carbon bikes typically use medium strength carbon fibres, while the most expensive bikes use stronger ‘high modulus’ carbon. Carbon fibre frames are found on enthusiast-level bikes, right up to high-performance bikes designed for racing.

Groupset & drivetrain

Mountain bike groupset components are typically supplied by either Shimano or SRAM, with additional manufacturers like Formula, Hope, Magura, Tektro and TRP supplying brake systems. Shimano & SRAM both produce a range of groupsets to suit different budgets. The hierarchy table here compares the different Shimano & SRAM groupsets to determine which bikes offer the best performance.

A bike’s groupset, or drivetrain, is where the biggest difference in component quality is seen. A complete groupset comprises of the following parts:

Chainset (aka Crankset)
Bottom bracket
Brakes
Brake levers
Shifters
Front & rear derailleur
Chain
Cassette


Professional	11	12 AXS Eagle 12 AXS Eagle
	12	11 11
	11
Enthusiast	12
	11	10
	10	11
Entry	9	12 Eagle
	9	9-10
	9	9-10
	7	7-10

Wheel size

You’ve probably noticed that a lot of mountain bikes come in a choice of wheel size, mainly a 27.5 inch wheel (also known as a 650B wheel) or a 29inch wheel (known as a 29er). Although there are still bikes which use 26 inch wheels, these are gradually being phased out on all but the smallest bikes. The difference between these wheel sizes can have a dramatic effect on the way a bike feels and handles out on the trail.

27.5inch wheels are smaller and lighter than 29er wheels, which makes them more agile and gives the bike a more responsive & playful nature. On the other hand, the smaller wheel size rolls less efficiently than the larger size, making the bike more prone to losing speed over rough ground and making it a little slower when climbing.

29er wheels have a bigger rolling radius which makes them naturally smoother over rough ground. For this reason, a 29er mountain bike often requires less suspension travel than smaller wheeled alternatives. The downsides are an increase in weight, and the larger diameter wheels generate stronger gyroscopic forces, making the bike more stable, but less agile and responsive whilst manoeuvring.

26 inch wheels were once the go-to wheel size on adult mountain bikes. However, they are now typically only found on the smallest frame sizes, and on junior bikes. 26 inch wheels are lightweight and give the bike very agile handling. The downsides to 26 inch wheels are their poor rolling resistance on rough ground, and the reduced contact patch due to the smaller wheel circumference.

Suspension components

Mountain bike suspension components (i.e. the fork or rear shock absorber) are also a way to identify the quality of a bike. While Fox and RockShox are the most common manufacturers, there are a number of brands producing suspension components for mountain bikes.

Entry level full suspension mountain bikes (up to approximately £1300) may come supplied with a fork & rear shock supplied by SR Suntour, X-Fusion or RockShox. These components will allow a limited amount of adjustment, including:

Coil spring preload / air spring pressure adjustment
Lockout switch
Rebound damping adjustment on models towards the top of the price range.

Mid-range & enthusiast bikes (up to approximately £3500) use components from brands including Fox, RockShox and Manitou. At this level, suspension components have features like:

Preload adjustment / air spring pressure adjustment
Rebound damping adjustment
Lockout switch
Multi-position ‘mode’ switch
Components towards the top end of the enthusiast price range may also feature compression damping adjustment as well.

Top of the range & competition spec bikes (over £3500) also use components from Fox, RockShox & Manitou, with a few select models using parts from Ohlins. At this price, suspension components have features including: