To Modify or Upgrade?

[ali4390]

In Summer last year I bought a Carrera Kraken, which was primarily going to be used to improve fitness levels. It did the job just fine but a couple of months ago I discovered downhill mountain biking and am now hooked.

At the weekend I was struggling slightly around the quicker corners as the front felt like it constantly wanted to wash away, and the bike didn't seem to like some of the really rough terrain. I've noticed the tyres are not the in the best condition so will be getting upgraded soon, but am I best selling this bike and upgrading to a second hand full suspension jobby, or are there any upgrades that I can make to this that will make it adequate to cope when the going gets tough?

All I've done so far to the bike is to change the grips and give it a good service. I am a reasonably quick rider thanks to years of riding motorbikes, and whilst I undoubtedly have a lot to learn, I'm thinking I would benefit learning on something that is able to cope with proper DH slightly better, especially as I am planning to do some trails in Wales/Peak District etc over the Summer.

Any advice is appreciated.

[itsnotarace]

Upgrade (to different bike)

[anonymous-user]

i must sound like a broken record but when I you say "proper dh", unless its a case of uplifts, full face helmets and a power ranger costume, do you really mean black grade trail centre routes or nice singletrack/xc?

if its genuinely the former, you need a new bike, Giant Glorys, Kona Stabs etc come up for sale frequently in the usual places.

if its the latter, the Kraken is fine though £200 on some custom wheels from Merlin would transform it. Mavic XC717 rims on SLX hubs would be the best value for money/performance upgrade.

[ali4390]

pablo said:

i must sound like a broken record

pablo said:

i must sound like a broken record

I see what you did there

I'm wanting to get into proper DH with full face, helmets, armour, uplifts etc but will also be doing some trail riding as well. I would assume it would be better to get a DH bike which can be used on both?

As I would by buying second hand, how do you recogise a good buy? There are that many bikes, components, upgrades etc that I can't keep up with what's hot and what's not.

[nammynake]

If you want a 'proper' DH bike then there is no compromise - it will be practically unrideable on trails with any kind of incline. They are not designed to go up. If you want a bike to handle downhill AND trail riding then you need to be looking at an all mountain bike with 150mm+ travel. Something like the Canyon Strive.

[ali4390]

nammynake said:

If you want a 'proper' DH bike then there is no compromise - it will be practically unrideable on trails with any kind of incline. They are not designed to go up. If you want a bike to handle downhill AND trail riding then you need to be looking at an all mountain bike with 150mm+ travel. Something like the Canyon Strive.

That is one good looking bike!

[ali4390]

Have you got anymore suggestions for bikes that would suit what I am after? I've looked at things like Cannondale Jekyll but they are way too much for my first bike. I would be looking at something second hand that's maybe a few years old whilst I get into it.

[anonymous-user]

Lapierre Zesty would be my first choice but they are great bikes and dont come up for slae that often, Giant Reign would be ideal and are a but more common s/h. Spescilaised Pitch would be ideal too.

Dont get fixated on a brand or bike though, especially if you are lookiong s/hand. wander over to www.singletrackworld.com and see what peopel are selling.

[ali4390]

pablo said:

Lapierre Zesty would be my first choice but they are great bikes and dont come up for slae that often, Giant Reign would be ideal and are a but more common s/h. Spescilaised Pitch would be ideal too.

Dont get fixated on a brand or bike though, especially if you are lookiong s/hand. wander over to www.singletrackworld.com and see what peopel are selling.

I'm not particularly bothered about the brand etc, just want something that will suitable for what I'm after.

Stupid question but is there a name for the type of bike I would be after to make searching easier? Would it be a trail bike as opposed to DH? I don't know enough about the bikes at the moment to be able to look at an ad and tell what it's primary purpose is.

[R2FU]

ali4390 said:

Stupid question but is there a name for the type of bike I would be after to make searching easier? Would it be a trail bike as opposed to DH? I don't know enough about the bikes at the moment to be able to look at an ad and tell what it's primary purpose is.

As nammynake said below, the term that gets used for the kind of thing it sounds like you are after is "all mountain".

Not that you necessarily want to buy a brand-new bike, but somewhere like this www.leisurelakesbikes.com is worth having a look as they sort the bikes by category, cross-country, all-mountain, free-ride etc. The obvious difference is amount of suspension travel but the geometry, weight etc also change depending on intended purpose.

Personally I think there is a natural tendency to think you need more suspension travel than you really do and the extra weight it tends to bring is quite a price to pay, so worth trying a few bikes before you spend your hard-earned. Good luck.