Watch out I've got carried away and copied stuff out of dirt magazine. Might still not be what you're looking for but interesting reading none the less.
Maximum fork travel can be found hidden in an FAQ on Last's website-
CAUTION - Maximum fork lenght (axle to crown) is 560 mm for the Herb AM and 570 mm for the Herb FR. Run the frame only with the original shock. Fitting other shocks need to be approved by LAST.
That fork length thing rings true with the whole beefed up down tube.
160mm lyric A2C = 545, 180mm totem = 565
I've seen that chain reaction do some Last stuff but not sure why they don't have the herb listed. Maybe the could source one for you and send it over? Not sure.
Dirt mag did a sort of mini review of "the fastest trail bikes on the planet". If you're not familiar with Dirt magazine and their review methods etc this sentence might help - "flat singletrack; gently dipping singletrack and downhill were chosen and each bike went against the clock. Uphill unsurprisingly was not part of the test. Uphill is all about the engine and light weight and if uphill is part of your clock then you are wasting your time on these words." They are downhillers who don't mind riding back up the hill.
Last Herb AM
Reason for inclusion - Because of its potential to destroy most 160mm bikes downhill, is super well built, faultless suspension setup, with a neat 135-150 rear wheel width option. Built to last by a small german company.
They ain't mainstream and the bikes are not skinny light or flexy. What more reason to take one down the woods for hammer? Abso-f-kin-lutely. The herb does come as a complete build. The build too is pretty full on. What the last illustrates is that good suspension systems do exist. Let's get the word synergy in here. that doesn't mean a blonde on a two-year meth binge either. What it means is a shock and suspension system working together. Would it work as a UK trail bike? It's the flipside to the cannondale (rz140) even though it has the same amount of travel. A more diverse pair of 140/140mm bikes you could not find.
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The cannondale and the last are the extremes of the 140mm. One provides a stepping stone into hard trail riding, the other a springboard into trail downhill...and much more.
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On the trails over here the last was bossy, commanding and fastest everywhere.
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conclusion - (flat singletrack and mild descending - all bikes were very similar
Downhill. The track chosen was rooty, tight, technical and steep in places. It was also pretty fast.
It all came down to three bikes The zesty was a flying machine. We had already clocked faster times over an out-the-box giant glory downhill bike at
Pleney, Morzine. Out of corners the 26lb lapierre zesty is lightning quick and felt like it was carrying huge speed. It was and posted the fastest time of the day so far. The orange five is also sub 30lbs and features the imperious Cane Creek Double Barrel shock. It took 3 seconds out of the zesty consistently. Remember we were running the same wheelset and tyres. But then the five had the bigger fox 36 fork and coil shock.
The last is some way over 30lbs and even though it was keeping up on the flatter sections we just knew on an extended loop against the clock for an hour the weight would show. On the downhill we were also surprised at how slow it felt out of corners. All testers felt as if they were not carrying enough speed to test the times of the five and the zesty.
That feeling turned out to be one of comfort and a need to go considerably faster as the artisan german put a crushing four seconds into the five. We were left with no doubt as to what the fastest bike was. In terms of descending the Last is simply the fastest bike on the planet right now.
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However if you choose to go riding hard - riding trail centres with with the occasional uphill natter and full chat workrate on the descents, then the out-the-box Last, with sublime suspension design, great sizing and stability, will take on all-comers of any size or travel. We think it's better than most 160mm bikes as well.
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Look at it! more like a dh bike from the late nineties. this 140mm bike from the german artisans proved to be the fastest 140mm we have ever ridden down a hill. The decision between it and say a (specialized) Enduro or an Orange Alpine 160 is a big one. Better suspension than the spesh, lighter weight and better sizes than the alpine. Do you really really need 160mm?
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Final word has to go to the orange five, simply rapid everywhere. The five wins on suspension performance simply because it's easy to ride and uses the mid-stroke better. The zesty, just as quick across the ground, would benefit from a shorter seat tower for steeper switchbacks and a slightly slacker head angle, which would give a better wheelbase. Dijon (lapierre) and Halifax (orange) are currently at the top of the 140mm game for all-round trail riding.
The orange five was set up with cane creek shock, 160mm fox 36, 1x9 gearing and crozzmax sx wheels.
The lapierre zesty was set up with prototype monarch shock tune, 1x10 gearing, 140mm fox forks.
Last herb i believe was the set-up on their website.
I might try and scan the article if anyone is interested. Had the cannondale rz 140, cube stereo, ghost 7500, lapierre zesty custom build, last herb am and orange 5 custom build.
