[Jabo]

Last week I was in a shop being helped both by a sales person who has xc race experience and a bike mechanic.
I was looking at some Konas and the racing dude told me that a 4 inch travel was better for what I was looking for than a 6 inch.
I told him that I am looking for a bike that I can climb well with and be able to take on "epic" rides.
The mechanic was shaking his head in disgust while racer was talking.
Mech man said that all the 6 inch travel bikes were kicking ass in BC over the race bikes with 4 inch. Also, he said that most of the companies are switching to 6 inch anyway.
But.... I'm not racing.
I just want a good bike that would go a long distance for me.
Would a 6 inch just be a pain in the ass on the climbs?

 

[skatetokil]

It depends on the fork, the build, and the rear shock. I have an AC with 6.3 inches of travel, and when I had an XC build with a psylo a stable platform shock and skinny tires, it climbed better than my hardtail. As my riding progressed (and I started breaking the spindly parts) I turned it into a FR bike, and it now can't climb for crap. The super t on the front and the heavy tires are like dragging an anchor up the mountain. . . but now I dont really climb anyway so I dont care. I think 6 in will be more versatile in the long run if you ever want to do other things than xc and don't want to own a crapload of bikes. With resort riding growing the way it is, you might be happier on a bike with a little more squish, but who knows.

 

[Jabo]

Trust me... I don't WANT to climb, but it would be nice not to kill myself on hills- and not because I'm not in good shape, because I am, but I don't want my bike to slow me down.
thanks!

 

[Biscuit]

The primary difference between MOST 4 inch and 6 inch travel bikes is:
1) weight
2) geometry

An XC racer will usually push you towards a lighter XC friendly bike.
A DHer will tell you a 6" bike climbs great (compared to a DH rig).

Ask some people who actually do the type of riding you plan on doing.
My "trail" bike is a 6" travel bike with very light parts, triple chainring, 2.35 tires and a DH geometry.
Weighs in at about 30lbs, climb's excellent (better than my old enduro) and descend's like a *insert witty analogy here*.

What I'm trying to say is, two inches of travel has little to do with how a bike climbs/descends. IMO it's tires, geometry, suspension. In that order.

What is your budget also?

 

[rooftest]

What kind of riding do you do is the key question here.

 

[sanjuro]

The best all-around bikes is the 6 inch travel with air springs. A bike like the Specialized Enduro or the Santa Cruz Blur LT is good for most things. As long as you have $4000+.

Is your price cap $2000? Now the magic question is "how good are"? Are you looking to get your climb in? Or for the biggest drop you can do? A cheaper 6 inch travel bike won't be so light or pedal efficiently. A cheaper 4 inch bike won't hold up to big air.

The worse thing any sales person can do is project someone else's bike onto you. What other people do should not be relevant to your purchase. If you keep both wheels on the ground most of the time, think about a 4-5 inch bike. You can get bigger but unless you spend the bucks, you will be looking at a 35lb bike.

 

[Jabo]

No... my "price cap" is not exactly 2000.... but not too much beyond that. Unfortunately I have a full time job and really can only get so much riding in on my weekends. I'm not looking for a miracle bike here. I'm no downhiller or freerider. I ride trails, and I want one that I can take for long distances, as well as hold its own in the twisties if I can. Sounds like I want too much, but as far as I'm concerned, anything would be better than what I've got.
And by the way, the comments about the difference in fork travel affecting my climbing ability was a question that came to me later. I didn't ask the shop this question.