Been riding this frame for a year now and am very pleased. Tried 3 other frames before choosing to stay with the VP-Free. It has 8.5 inches of travel via a Fox DHX 5.0 shock, and have never bottomed it out. This frame is light compared to other DH frames, therefore easier to pedal and manuever. The rear end has 150mm spacing, which is great for the chainline... no need for constant gear adjustment. In general, the frame is stiff and feels nice and solid. I also like the bottom bracket height, since I can go over things no problem, but it's not too high. I'd recommend this frame for freeriding and downhill. I even did some dh races on it! The only slight problem I have, that many companies do, is the lack of ISCG mounts around the bottom bracket. Those are necessary to mount certain chainguides. I used an adapter and it works fine, so this issue is not a biggy. I give the frame a 9/10.