That's a fair point, Justin. The Spectral certainly didn't slow me down on the way up and indeed when we did a spontaneous climbing challenge on a challenging technical section I was the only of the group to clean it.
On the other hand, intuitively I feel like for example my Reign 29 with 145 mm rear travel doesn't have any less traction while still providing that encouraging/energetic feel of more anti-squat. I have no way of quantifying this but even if the perceived advantage is purely psychological I'd argue that a little extra free motivation makes for a nicer climbing experience.
In the end every suspension design is a trade-off and it's a matter of personal preference whether the designer's trade-off aligns with yours.
Thanks for adding some nuance with your comment!
June 3, 2022, 9:51 a.m. - Niels van Kampenhout
That's a fair point, Justin. The Spectral certainly didn't slow me down on the way up and indeed when we did a spontaneous climbing challenge on a challenging technical section I was the only of the group to clean it. On the other hand, intuitively I feel like for example my Reign 29 with 145 mm rear travel doesn't have any less traction while still providing that encouraging/energetic feel of more anti-squat. I have no way of quantifying this but even if the perceived advantage is purely psychological I'd argue that a little extra free motivation makes for a nicer climbing experience. In the end every suspension design is a trade-off and it's a matter of personal preference whether the designer's trade-off aligns with yours. Thanks for adding some nuance with your comment!