If you like to explore mountain bike techniques such as cornering, jumping, climbing, or descending, you need a decent bike to do this. Having bikes with full suspension is going to help you so much. Better if it’s carbon to add the light feel when riding. That’s why let’s talk about carbon full suspension mountain bike that might be good for you.
- Part 1: MTB Carbon Full Suspension for Better Riding
- Part 2: 4 Recommendations of Carbon full Suspension MTB
- Part 3: Full Suspension vs. Hardtail
- Part 4: How to Do Bike Demo
- Part 5: Mountain Biker’s Guide to Buy
- Part 6: Conclusion
Part 1: MTB Carbon Full Suspension For Better Riding
Carbon fiber bike gives you an easy and light feel while riding. It’s all thanks to the material that is used, which it’s carbon atoms that the actual size is the same as human hair. When we put it all together it becomes yarn.
Carbon bikes offer you the lightweight yet strong vibe, but it could be perfect if you also use a full suspension bike. Why? Because that full-suspension feature will bring more good control, traction, and comfort when you do mountain biking. They give you a suspension fork up front and a rear shock where you cannot find this in hardtail bikes. This allows you to do more bike techniques like jumping and descending better.
Lightweight is usually related to not being sturdy and strong. People tend to think that light material means ‘less’ material, so it couldn’t take heavy load. But this is not the case for carbon fiber material. As long as you choose the right bike and brand, you’ll experience good things from your carbon fiber bike.
Moreover if it’s a full-suspension bike. It will be very helpful for you for riding in any area, any terrains, or any trails. It could be said that it would be a ‘perfect bike’.
Part 2: 4 Recommendations of Carbon Full Suspension MTB
A carbon fiber full suspension mountain bike can be the choice for riders who want to get a complete bike with a floaty vibe. Here are 4 recommendation full carbon full suspension mountain bike for you :
2.1 2021 Specialized Turbo Levo Expert Carbon
In 2021, Specialized released a carbon full suspension mountain bike that is going to give you the great sensation while biking, it’s Turbo Levo Expert Carbon. Well, some might be more familiar with the alloy material from this bike. But, Specialized chose to release the carbon version of this series. It brings more options for bikers who want to buy this bike series.
Specialized stated that Turbo Levo Expert Carbon offers serious weight with its advanced carbon front triangle. It also has a high level of technical capability with a FOX 36 fork and DPS shock. The full-suspension feature maximizes this bike as a fully-fledged progressive trail bike.
Don’t forget the fact that this mountain bike is an electric bike. It has Levo’s Specialized 2.1 motor that will amplify your pedaling input by a mind blowing 410%. The M2 batteries also provided plenty of range of energy so it won’t stop when you’re riding it for a long time.
It looks perfect, right? eBike with full-suspension and carbon material. Some reviews also said the suspension proved to be adapted well with all types of bumps. The thing is, with this kind of feature you need to pay more to get it. This bike costs about $8,750. Quite expensive. Also the full power Levo does not suit their auxiliary battery like the SL-series bikes are. It has a different plug and a different frequency, so you might be in danger if you try to put them together.
2.2 Santa Cruz Blur
A great bike if you like to race. With a price range for $3,399, this bike offers you the lightest and full-suspension carbon XC bike which is approximately 23lb as a set. Not only for race, this bike is also good at descending and it’s because of the nice geometry. It has 470mm reach and 68-degree head angle put on the front wheel to make you can weigh the tyres great at speed riding and corners.
Reviewer stated that the good thing about this bike is the great geometry gives fast yet stable handling. This bike also has comfortable suspension so you can pass all kinds of terrains with ease. Such nice advantages for a bike cost about $3,999. The downside is this bike use TwistLoc a quite bit on smooth-surfaced climbs, and this doesn’t seems good. Fox’s Transfer SL dropper also might not be likable for some people.
2.3 Bold Linkin 150 Ultimate
Bold offers you a MTB with a touch of pinnacle of innovation that focuses on technical and aesthetic designs to emphasize its advanced technologies on the bike. Bold proudly says this bike is for the one who wants a high-end experience of technology and design. Not only carbon fiber mountain bike full suspension, this bike also has Integrated Suspension Technology. It reduces the center of gravity for better handling. As the bike is pretty new, the price is still high which is £10,099.
The advantage of this bike is that the design is really beautiful. It’s simple yet classy and makes you look good when riding. The bike has TracLoc that is really useful for bikers. Also the hidden shocks are easier to service. While the disadvantages are that it’s expensive, the hidden shock’s adjustment is difficult, and the harshness from the frame and components.
2.4 Transition Spur X01
Transition release Spur that provides the feel of how a bike sticks with your body. It means this bike is so nice to control like you control your body parts. Good for fast riding so you can climb more, go farther, and descend anything you may encounter along the way. For the rear, it has 120 mm of travel that is designed to work with a 120mm travel fork up front. They adapted it with GiddyUp to include a one-piece flex stay rear triangle – a design that relies upon the flexibility of the engine through the rear stays. You can get this bike for £5,999.00.
Most reviewers don’t really have a major complaint of this bike. It has great geometry to make you comfortable while riding. This bike is also versatile and is good for downhill or uphill. Such a fun bike to ride and can act reactively. But the complaint is that it doesn’t have a 180mm rear rotor as the standard.
Part 3: Full Suspension vs. Hardtail
Discourse about comparing bike types will always be there among the riders. Just like the topic about full suspension and half suspension bikes (hardtail). The most visible difference that we can see from those types of bikes is that a full suspension mountain bike has a suspension fork up front and rear shock, while a hardtail bike only has a suspension fork. It will affect the way you go mountain biking.
To know which bike suits you, there are some aspects that need to be considered. Here are some comparison aspects about it
- Price
Full suspension bike is usually more expensive than a hardtail because it usually offers more features and components.
- Suitable Trail
Hardtail is more comfortable to ride on smooth trails, while it’s more flexible for full suspension bikes. But if you want more challenges in any terrains, choosing hardtail is okay too.
- Speed
Front and rear suspension from a full suspension bike does great at absorbing bumps, so you can carry more speed through technical sections of trail. If you want speed on any trails, a full suspension bike is better.
- Weight
Hardtail is lighter than a full suspension bike because it has fewer components and is simpler.
- Maintenance
Hardtail is simpler and has fewer features. That’s why it’s less expensive to maintain than a full suspension bike.
Part 4: How to Do Bike Demo
Mountain bike demo is a must thing to do for mountain riders. You need to know that ‘real’ feeling when you ride the bike that you’re going to buy. Here are 4 ways to do it :
4.1 Outerbike
Outerbike basically is an event solely for mountain bike demos. Many big bike brands are available at this event and open for bike testing, but not all areas have this kind of event. In US, the events take place at some of the most iconic mountain bike destinations like Moab. If you want to join outerbike, you need to take out some of your money. The price depends on the event itself. They will offer you a package for a certain price.
4.2 Bike Shop
Bike shops usually open for a bike demo. It’s a way to guarantee the quality of the bikes they sell. Bike testing this way can be practical because you can buy it right away if the MTB fits you, but it is a bit expensive. Most shops cost it with a range of $100 at most. If you’re okay with it and want fast service, then doing a bike demo in a bike shop is the best way.
4.3 Brand’s Demo Tour
Brand’s demo tour is usually done to promote their brand. If you’re a fan of certain brands or want a bike from specific brands, then joining a brand’s demo tour can be the choice. You can follow or subscribe to your favorite brands’ accounts to know more information about the events. It is usually held without asking for a charge, so it’s the most ‘cheap’ bike test method but still worth it.
4.4 Festival or Exhibition
MTB festivals or exhibitions often have bike demos on their series of events. You can get information about this kind of event from MTB social media accounts or MTB communities. It costs money, but cheaper compared to outerbike or bike shop.
Part 5: Mountain Biker’s Guide to Buy
There are some aspects that you need to know before buying a mountain bike, so you will get the best carbon full suspension mountain bike. Here are some aspect to guide you when getting a mountain bike :
5.1 Bike Usage
Make sure to know what your habits and preferences are when riding. Knowing the usage of your bike is going to help you to understand better the features that you need for your MTB. Different usages, different components. If you’re the type who explores riding techniques, it’s better to use carbon full suspension mtb because it’s a complete package bike that can go anywhere you ride.
5.2 Size of Wheels
Most brands release their bikes with 27.5 or 29 wheels. Both have their own excellences. If 29 wheels suit riders who prefer a faster bike, then 27.5 wheels suit anyone who prefers fun riding that needs big amounts of suspension. Just like what it stated before, choose a bike that fits your usage.
5.3 Structure of the Bicycle
If we’re talking about the structure of the bicycle, we’re mostly going to think about the main part, which it’s the bike’s frame. Parts of the frame consist of a top tube, head tube, down tube, seat tube, seat stays, bottom bracket shell, and chain stays. Those parts have their own size, and the size as a whole is called geometry. If you choose the right geometry, your biking experience is going to be more comfortable and fun.
5.4 Type of Bikes
Types of bikes here means either you bike is unisex or women’s bike. The ‘women’ part that usually are meant by bike brands are the geometry ratio and wider saddles. But, some women still prefer unisex bike over women’s bike because of certain reasons. So, it’s not completely only for women.. Anyone can use it. It’s just there are some components of the bike that are produced with women’s anatomy as the idea.
5.5 Is it Worth it
Make sure to buy the bike that is really worth it for you. It can be known by doing a bike test and choosing your bike based on the aspects above. By doing those, you can meet your best full suspension carbon mountain bike ever.
Part 6: Conclusion
MTB full suspension carbon really matches for riders who want a complete package ride. Not only offers the lightweight, but also the features and components that are really helpful for riding in any trails, any terrain, and any situation. We’ve already talked about some carbon fiber full suspension mountain bike that you might like. You can choose your carbon full suspension mountain bike freely as you want!
