These small inserts enable you to adjust the bike\u2019s geometry<\/a> between multiple pre-determined settings.\u00a0<\/p> Let’s take a closer look at flip chips, the pros and cons of using them, and whether you should get a mountain bike with flip chips. We’ll also take a detour into the use of flip chips on gravel bikes.<\/p> The majority of flip chips found on full-suspension mountain bikes<\/a> give the rider a choice between two or more geometry settings. However, the adjustment offered is often relatively minor in the context of the bike\u2019s overall figures.\u00a0<\/p> Typically, they can:<\/p> These adjustments often have knock-on effects for other geometry figures. That means flip chips can\u2019t be used to tweak specific values independently.\u00a0<\/p> Although the adjustment offered by a flip chip is often no more than half a degree, or a couple of millimetres, there\u2019s no denying flip chips do what they claim.\u00a0<\/p> Switching between multiple geometry settings enables you to find your preferred position and tweak the bike to suit different terrain or riding styles.<\/p> Other than the occasional grease, flip chips require no additional maintenance. They also add very little weight or complexity to the bike, making them a very low-impact addition.\u00a0<\/p> Some flip chips can also tweak the suspension kinematics of a frame, although these are less common. Often offering a choice between several levels of progression, these flip chips are useful for heavier riders wanting more bottom-out resistance, or those intending to run a coil shock<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p> How much difference half a degree in the head angle or 5mm in the reach really makes will depend on your needs. Mountain bike geometry tends to be pretty spot-on, so some argue flip chips are more of a gimmick than a real benefit.\u00a0<\/p> The adjustment usually isn\u2019t a trail-friendly affair, often requiring small bolts to be removed. This limits the on-the-fly usability of the feature and means you have to choose your flip-chip position before you leave your garage.<\/p> Most flip chips don\u2019t isolate specific geometry adjustments and instead have a knock-on effect on all of the key metrics of a bike\u2019s geometry.\u00a0<\/p> This means that, for example, you can\u2019t steepen your bike\u2019s seat angle without also steepening the head angle, lengthening the reach and raising the bottom bracket.<\/p> Chainstay-length adjustments \u2013 mainly found in the dropouts \u2013 have minimal effects on the rest of the bike\u2019s geometry.\u00a0<\/p> A flip chip isn\u2019t a feature that will make or break a good mountain bike.<\/p> While some argue they offer only minor adjustments and are more of a gimmick than a real, usable feature, it\u2019s impossible to deny that they work.\u00a0<\/p> They also don\u2019t add any weight, maintenance or complexity to the bike, and as they come as standard, they don\u2019t cost you anything extra as a rider.\u00a0<\/p> So, whether or not your next bike should have a flip chip is up to you. Do you want to choose between multiple geometries, or are you happy to ride your bike with the stock geometry it was designed with?<\/p> There are multiple ways to adjust your mountain bike’s geometry<\/a>. <\/p> Geometry-adjust headsets offer reach and head-angle adjustments.\u00a0<\/p> Aftermarket offset shock bushings can also slacken or steepen head or seat angles.<\/p> Like most forms of geometry adjustment, headset angle cups and offset bushings interact with other geometry figures.<\/p> Flip chips aren\u2019t exclusive to mountain bikes. Some gravel bikes<\/a>, such as the Rondo Ruut<\/a> and Cerv\u00e9lo Rouvida<\/a>, also feature flip chips.\u00a0<\/p> Gravel bike flip chips are mostly found in the fork dropouts, adjusting the bike\u2019s trail measurement. Trail refers to the distance between the front contact patch and the steering axis when measured at 90 degrees to the steering axis.\u00a0<\/p> A longer trail measurement equals more stable but heavier steering. This could help to make a gravel bike more capable on rougher, faster singletrack.\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Flip chips make it easy to adjust your mountain bike’s geometry \u2013 but are they all they’re cracked up to be? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":61093,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/what-are-mountain-bike-flip-chips-the-pros-cons-and-whether-your-next-bike-should-have-them.jpg",1600,1067,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/what-are-mountain-bike-flip-chips-the-pros-cons-and-whether-your-next-bike-should-have-them-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/what-are-mountain-bike-flip-chips-the-pros-cons-and-whether-your-next-bike-should-have-them-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/what-are-mountain-bike-flip-chips-the-pros-cons-and-whether-your-next-bike-should-have-them-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/what-are-mountain-bike-flip-chips-the-pros-cons-and-whether-your-next-bike-should-have-them-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/what-are-mountain-bike-flip-chips-the-pros-cons-and-whether-your-next-bike-should-have-them-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/what-are-mountain-bike-flip-chips-the-pros-cons-and-whether-your-next-bike-should-have-them.jpg",1600,1067,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Flip chips make it easy to adjust your mountain bike's geometry \u2013 but are they all they're cracked up to be?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/61092"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61092"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61092"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What adjustments do flip chips offer?<\/h2>
Mountain bike flip chip pros and cons\u00a0<\/h2>
Pros<\/h3>
![\"Flip](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2023\/10\/Propain-Rage-3-CF-Mix-Highend-wheel-size-flip-chip-b456976.jpg\")
They help you find your preferred position <\/h4>
They require no additional maintenance<\/h4>
Some flip chips can adjust suspension kinematics<\/h4>
Cons\u00a0<\/h3>
![\"Close-up](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/02\/Canyon-Spectral-CF-9-geometry-adjust-flip-chip.jpeg\")
Flip-chip adjustments are often minor<\/h4>
They don\u2019t offer true on-the-fly adjustment<\/h4>
They don\u2019t isolate specific adjustments\u00a0<\/h4>
So, should you get a mountain bike with flip chips?<\/h2>
![\"Merida](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2024\/02\/Merida-One-Forty-500-full-suspension-mountain-bike-18.jpg\")
What other ways are there to adjust my bike\u2019s geometry?<\/h3>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2022\/04\/Canyon-Strive-CFR-headset-cups-6ae5962.jpg\")
Wait \u2013 what about gravel bikes with flip chips?\u00a0<\/h2>
![\"TwinTip](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/39\/2019\/08\/Rondo-Ruut-AL-04-1e2c3ec-e1569487324694.jpg\")
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"