SevenInches said:
I've always considered 3:1 pretty low. Many mass production bikes have ratios higher then 3:1, the V10 for example (3.3:1). Higher then 3.5:1 is too high in my opinion. I bet why a lot of downhill bikes still use 2.75 in stroke shocks is they are lighter? Plus, 2.75 inch stroke shocks are still adequate to handle 9 inches of travel (3.3:1).
3:1 is not "pretty low", while it may be common, there are 2:1 bikes out there, and a lot of 2.something:1 bikes. I'd say that 3:1 is just a "standard" for lack of a better word.
Most 9" bikes use a 3" shock these days...
2.75 was more popular when 8" of travel was standard on most DH bikes.
Our real limiting factor is that no one makes shocks over 3" stroke really (except for avalanche) and that it is difficult to fit that long of a shock into existing frames, so a bike has to be effective designed around the shock (like the foes mono), rather than just putting in a 3" shock into a bike that can accept a few different kinds of shocks.
Not that we need shocks over 3" of stroke, it's pretty good for 10" of travel, and we can't really squeeze out much more travel out of the rear, and pretty much no one will run forks over 8" for a long time anyhow...