regular or long travel

[crixal]

what is the difference in regular & long travel? can you put regular travel suspension on long travel a-arms or the other way around?

[Scro]

No, you can't use regular travel shocks with long travel a-arms (or vice versa). Alot of people think that you will get more travel with LT suspension. This is not true. You can get just as much wheel travel with ST as you can with LT.

The difference is the amount of shaft travel. A LT setup will have more shaft travel, which means you can more finely tune the shock with it's compression and rebound adjustments.

[ALAMX37]

Well this doesn't sound logical to me. If you achieve more shaft travel in turn you have to gain some wheel travel, the shock doesn't move without the wheel.

Originally posted by ALAMX37
Well this doesn't sound logical to me. If you achieve more shaft travel in turn you have to gain some wheel travel, the shock doesn't move without the wheel.

its a longer shock body idk about the long shaft but if it is that too then travel is the same because of the mounting points. LT the shock is usually closer towards the end of the a-arm

[Scro]

Originally posted by ALAMX37
Well this doesn't sound logical to me. If you achieve more shaft travel in turn you have to gain some wheel travel, the shock doesn't move without the wheel.

The mounting points make the difference. Like he said, the extra shaft travel is gained because the mounting point on the arm is farther out. It's all about leverages and ratios.

Read up in the suspension sticky thread. I'm sure it's been discussed in there by 400exrider707.

[coryatver]

Long travel means longer shock. You don't get any more travel. The longer shock smooths out the spring rates and gives a different leverage ratio but it is not really needed if you get standard shocks set up correctly they work just as good. Long travel setups are usually $400 more than standard setups for some reason

[NacsMXer]

Originally posted by coryatver
Long travel means longer shock. You don't get any more travel. The longer shock smooths out the spring rates and gives a different leverage ratio but it is not really needed if you get standard shocks set up correctly they work just as good. Long travel setups are usually $400 more than standard setups for some reason

Yeah it just seems like a longer shock body to me, which in turn allows for more precise valve tuning with the LT.

IDK about more shaft travel, maybe with some shocks. I went from 16 inch ST PEP ZPS shocks to 19 inch LT PEP ZPS shocks and the shaft lengths looked about the same...I actually thought the LT shock shaft would be longer before I compared them side by side. But the LT shocks are just so much more forgiving and less harsh than the ST ZPS shocks were. It's definitely in the improved leverage ratio and valving that made the difference over ST I believe.

[crixal]

thanks to everyone who replied. great info. i don't race, i'm just a regular rider so i would probably fine going w/ some regular travel? i would like maybe another inch wide or so. can you get regular wider?

[trailrider894]

so to pretty much sum it up you can go faster and jump higher with LT.

[Scro]

Originally posted by trailrider894
so to pretty much sum it up you can go faster and jump higher with LT.

Not really. There are plenty of pros at the GNCC's that used to run regular travel shocks (stock shocks at that!), and we're inside the top ten.

[trailrider894]

i was talking about mx stuff. and i am aware of the differences in st and lt and the differnt applications they work better for. i'm just trying to make it simple.

[Scro]

Originally posted by hondarider11
Yeah about that. In xc you are not doing even close to the size jumps people do in mx and the only thing stock about those shocks is the bodies.

Notice I didn't say anything about the internals;)

[duke416ex]

Originally posted by hondarider11
Yeah about that. In xc you are not doing even close to the size jumps people do in mx and the only thing stock about those shocks is the bodies.

Jumping is not the only way to test shocks to the limits. I would say that many xc riders bottom out shocks just as hard as mx riders.

[Extremeracer167]

actually probably more. Most GOOD MX riders wouldnt bottom out there shocks to begin with....thats called being smooth. In GNCC, the fast guys hit the logs, ruts, rocks, South Carolina creek crossing, stuff like that harder. And to maintain rideable suspension for the lower speed stuff, this is kind of where you sacrifice bottoming resistance. I have not gotten a chance to ride any of the new high/low speed adjustable shocks yet. But My Axis shocks before would bottom on big stuff fairly often.