One of Pink Bike's Prediction for 2012...Sorry to lazy to sanitize ...hehehe

Less is More: More riders will use bikes with less travel

While I can't argue that a downhill bike lets you get away with mistakes and line choices that would spank you hard on a shorter travel bike, there is something to be said for mastering that same terrain on smaller rig. More and more riders who would have previously spent most or all of their saddle time on a downhill bike are discovering how much fun they can have on a shorter travel bike, but why? Part of if is a fundamental change in how many riders look at their riding.

A trail bike, or whatever you want to call it, means that you get more saddle time instead of sitting on a lift or in the back of a truck. Don't take me the wrong way, racing and riding big bikes with buddies will never get old, but there is no way that those long travel beasts can give you the same bang for your buck when talking about amount of time spent on singletrack.

Manufacturers are also waking up to the idea, with more and more designing trail bikes that agressive riders can feel comfortable on. The idea of such a bike is far from new, but we all win when big players like Specialized put out bikes like their 145mm travel Stumpjumper FSR Expert EVO, a mid travel machine with geo that allows you to charge hard. Many brands, both big and small, are designing similar bikes that allow a skilled rider to work the terrain more, with many discovering that they are actually faster in a great deal of places on their shorter travel bike.

But here's the clincher: these progressive bikes are showing riders that it isn't about outright speed, but rather outright shits and giggles. And when are you having the most fun? When your bike is sliding around, loose and spraying dirt behind you, a point that is much easier to reach on a mid travel trail bike than on a full fledged DH sled.

Slack and low geometry combined with short stems, suspension technology that lets you have your cake and eat it as well, and dropper posts that allow you to squeeze every last ounce of flow out of the trail are all factors that will ensure that these evolved trail bikes will continue to gain in popularity. - Mike Levy