We expect that the most common application for Sidekick will be on bikes with 130mm+ or more of travel.

While most of our development and testing was focused on longer travel Enduro and DH bikes, we did also test on shorter travel trail and all-mountain bikes. Both the improved suspension performance and increased rolling speed are notable on all platforms. However, as you move to shorter travel XC and trail bikes, the increased weight of Sidekick and slightly slower engagement do become more of a consideration. 

We'd strongly recommend Sidekick for any rider who is focused on improving their speed and comfort while reducing their fatigue on the downhills, regardless of bike travel.

If you are on the fence about adding Sidekick to your short travel bike, consider the following:

Initial feedback from riders who have used Sidekick on shorter travel bikes is really positive; with most riders saying they feel like they are getting better use of the limited amount of travel they do have. In this application, the shortest 12 degree setting for the pusher would probably be the most appropriate. The potential drawbacks for some riders with shorter travel bikes are that (1) Sidekick is a bit heavier than a traditional hub and (2) potentially slower engagement may be less ideal for technical climbing sections where a lot pauses in pedal strokes are occurring. In short, if you setup your short travel bike leaning more towards the current "downcountry" trend, we would expect you would really like and benefit from sidekick. Whereas if you setup your short travel bike leaning more towards "XC Race", the engagment speed and weight penalty may be more of a consideration.