Downhill bikes
Discussion
I had a go on one last night.
Holy s
t! I need to get one of these machines!
There is a guy who rides around my local trails on a Trek Session 8 - he is ridiculously overbiked as there are probably only one or two 30 second sections where it makes any sense, some decent gradient, 3 decent sized jumps, a 'mogul' type sections and some fast bermed corners. At the very bottom of this section there is a big, nasty jump which has an awful takeoff and a worse landing. I tried it once and broke half a dozen ribs and punctured a lung - with discretion being the better part of valour I ride around this section now...
I ride the whole woods on my trail bike - there is plenty of single track and a bit of fireroad riding to get around, so my bike ( a Giant Trance with 120mm travel front and rear) is perfectly suited.
Me and this guy are are reasonably friendly and we often exchange pleasantries as I blast past him with my saddle up at shoulder height as he wheezes his way around the woods on a 45lb bike with 9 gears and suspension travel that wouldn't look out of place on the Dakar rally.
So last night I came down the afforementioned section - it was dry, dusty and I was very committed. The jumps were dismissed, i rode light on my feel over the moguls with heels down and arms bent and railed round the berms and got to the bottom grinning and feeling pretty good about how I'd dispatched this fairly tricky little section with aplomb.
Anyway at the bottom is downhill man with his massive ridiculous bike. He smiles at me and presents his bike. "Try that on this" he says with a knowing look in his eye.
I take it from him without a word being spoken - and begin to push this behemoth up the hill, a few sweaty minutes later I'm at the top of the hill.
I launch myself down.
Jesus. H. Christ.
I've never ridden any DH bike before, let alone this one - but that first run down the hill was far far faster than I have done it on my trail bike.
The jumps where just so so easy, the landings planted, assured and the cornering was nuts. You know when you drive something really focussed - like a Caterham and you don't so much 'drive it' - but merely 'think it' - and it responds? Well it was like that. I never had any appreciation for the complete night and day difference that DH oriented geometry makes.
I got to the bottom. I didn't even say anything to DH man. I just turned around and pushed this wonderous thing back to the top of the hill.
More speed than last time. Bigger jumps than I had ever done before. Even more speed through the corners and by the time I reached my rib breaking nemesis I just knew I was jumping it. There was no drama, there were no broken bones - there was just distain for whatever terrain lay in front of me.
Damn it was awesome. I need to get myself a DH bike.
There is no other point to this thread other than sharing that experience. My wife just rolled her eyes when i arrived home wild eyed and blabbering like a lunatic. She doesn't understand.
Holy st! I need to get one of these machines!There is a guy who rides around my local trails on a Trek Session 8 - he is ridiculously overbiked as there are probably only one or two 30 second sections where it makes any sense, some decent gradient, 3 decent sized jumps, a 'mogul' type sections and some fast bermed corners. At the very bottom of this section there is a big, nasty jump which has an awful takeoff and a worse landing. I tried it once and broke half a dozen ribs and punctured a lung - with discretion being the better part of valour I ride around this section now...
I ride the whole woods on my trail bike - there is plenty of single track and a bit of fireroad riding to get around, so my bike ( a Giant Trance with 120mm travel front and rear) is perfectly suited.
Me and this guy are are reasonably friendly and we often exchange pleasantries as I blast past him with my saddle up at shoulder height as he wheezes his way around the woods on a 45lb bike with 9 gears and suspension travel that wouldn't look out of place on the Dakar rally.
So last night I came down the afforementioned section - it was dry, dusty and I was very committed. The jumps were dismissed, i rode light on my feel over the moguls with heels down and arms bent and railed round the berms and got to the bottom grinning and feeling pretty good about how I'd dispatched this fairly tricky little section with aplomb.
Anyway at the bottom is downhill man with his massive ridiculous bike. He smiles at me and presents his bike. "Try that on this" he says with a knowing look in his eye.
I take it from him without a word being spoken - and begin to push this behemoth up the hill, a few sweaty minutes later I'm at the top of the hill.
I launch myself down.
Jesus. H. Christ.
I've never ridden any DH bike before, let alone this one - but that first run down the hill was far far faster than I have done it on my trail bike.
The jumps where just so so easy, the landings planted, assured and the cornering was nuts. You know when you drive something really focussed - like a Caterham and you don't so much 'drive it' - but merely 'think it' - and it responds? Well it was like that. I never had any appreciation for the complete night and day difference that DH oriented geometry makes.
I got to the bottom. I didn't even say anything to DH man. I just turned around and pushed this wonderous thing back to the top of the hill.
More speed than last time. Bigger jumps than I had ever done before. Even more speed through the corners and by the time I reached my rib breaking nemesis I just knew I was jumping it. There was no drama, there were no broken bones - there was just distain for whatever terrain lay in front of me.
Damn it was awesome. I need to get myself a DH bike.
There is no other point to this thread other than sharing that experience. My wife just rolled her eyes when i arrived home wild eyed and blabbering like a lunatic. She doesn't understand.
It makes it easy to go a lot faster, jump higher and not fall off or have things on me or the bike break I'll take that kind of easyness.
Rule 55 is always adhered to when on my bike however;
Rule 55 is not possible on one of these things - even when taking into account rule 5 to the very best of your ability.
Rule 55 is always adhered to when on my bike however;
Rule 55 is not possible on one of these things - even when taking into account rule 5 to the very best of your ability.
I never use my downhill bike..... If I had regular uplifts close by or a chair lift I would. But if you don't you just never get enough riding in. To get the most out of it you need to race so you get to use uplifts, but then you only ride one track... Pay a fortune and get a maximum of 10 runs in.
Sell your giant and get a 6" enduro. My pitch is a great halfway house. I ride roughly the same stuff but just miss out on racing and proper downhill courses but I do ride loads more in a day.
I'm not saying dismiss it. Just think what's around to ride locally.
Thinking about it. I love riding mine, just wish I still lived in the alps...!!
Sell your giant and get a 6" enduro. My pitch is a great halfway house. I ride roughly the same stuff but just miss out on racing and proper downhill courses but I do ride loads more in a day.
I'm not saying dismiss it. Just think what's around to ride locally.
Thinking about it. I love riding mine, just wish I still lived in the alps...!!
Mr Gearchange said:
...
More speed than last time. Bigger jumps than I had ever done before. Even more speed through the corners and by the time I reached my rib breaking nemesis I just knew I was jumping it....[with] distain for whatever terrain lay in front of me.
Damn it was awesome. I need to get myself a DH bike. Just as soon as I get out of hospital
EFA More speed than last time. Bigger jumps than I had ever done before. Even more speed through the corners and by the time I reached my rib breaking nemesis I just knew I was jumping it....[with] distain for whatever terrain lay in front of me.
Damn it was awesome. I need to get myself a DH bike. Just as soon as I get out of hospital
Currently I have three bikes; a 100mm travel 29er hardtail which is generally teh go-to bike, a 150mm travel AM bike for trail centres, hills and mounatins (to pedal up and down) in UK and Europe, and an 200mm DH rig.
Of all the bikes, it is the DH rig that makes me happiest. It is a clown of a bike, an absolute rollercoaster ride of fun. Don't get me wrong, I love the other two bikes, but neither of them encourage you to mess around and play like the bad influence that the DH bike is.
Just about everything I ride could be done on the AM bike. In fact, the hardtail would do it although the law of averages means it would be Russian roulette with the frame - they always snap eventually and it's not too clever when they do - but it's just not as fun, even if it wold mean developing (perhaps) more skill. Then there's stuff like tyre choice - unless you want the faff of swapping tyres, you always have to compromise between pedally tyres and ones that are pinch-flat and bombproof.
I've cased stuff and stayed on the bike (and most importantly remained uninjured) on the DH rig that I could not have done (and probably would not have attempted) on my other bikes.
Of all the bikes, it is the DH rig that makes me happiest. It is a clown of a bike, an absolute rollercoaster ride of fun. Don't get me wrong, I love the other two bikes, but neither of them encourage you to mess around and play like the bad influence that the DH bike is.
Just about everything I ride could be done on the AM bike. In fact, the hardtail would do it although the law of averages means it would be Russian roulette with the frame - they always snap eventually and it's not too clever when they do - but it's just not as fun, even if it wold mean developing (perhaps) more skill. Then there's stuff like tyre choice - unless you want the faff of swapping tyres, you always have to compromise between pedally tyres and ones that are pinch-flat and bombproof.
I've cased stuff and stayed on the bike (and most importantly remained uninjured) on the DH rig that I could not have done (and probably would not have attempted) on my other bikes.
P-Jay said:
I can't help looking at old Demo 8s on eBay... seriously good value now, even if they're pretty crap by modern standards.
And we've got a proper bike park opening next month...
Well I was about to say, aprpos of 'modern' that IMHO, unless you have money burning hole in your Troy Lee shorts, a bagfull of skills and speed and your heart set on a particular DH sled, I'd seriously consider the OP starts cheap and works his way up.And we've got a proper bike park opening next month...
I've ridden with lads who've paid 3 or 4 hundred quid for an old Kona and they will be having 99.99% as much fun as I am on my (almost) no-compromise, custom built Intense rig. Don't get me wrong a nice rig is a pleasure to ride and less of a chore to clean and fettle, and it is nice getting appreciative comments, but you also have the sneaking suspicion that the comments you don't hear will include things along the lines of "all the gear and no idea", or "nice bike! <whispers>shame he can't ride it</whisper>". Justifiably so in my case.
But all that is a long way from what IMHO it's all about; playing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQBYPH5yQ4I
Nice story there OP.
I've never ridden a DH bike, or indeed, any full-suspension bike. I'm still in Hard-Tail terretory on a 2011 carbon Scott Scale 35.
Would love to try out full-sus to see what the differences are. Bet that bumpy cornering will be much more enjoyable than the sketchy tail-out slippage which can happen regularly on my HT.
I've never ridden a DH bike, or indeed, any full-suspension bike. I'm still in Hard-Tail terretory on a 2011 carbon Scott Scale 35.
Would love to try out full-sus to see what the differences are. Bet that bumpy cornering will be much more enjoyable than the sketchy tail-out slippage which can happen regularly on my HT.
I think the most impressive thing about it was the cornering speed it could carry.
I'm always wary of the front washing out on my bike - which it does quite a bit when really pushing on, fast cornering usually has me thinking "bloody hell - that was close" as the bike starts to understeer towards a tree.
This thing has me thinking "bloody hell - I can go through there a lot faster than that".
The lumps and bumps that often have me hanging on for dear life just seemed to disappear, and huge liberties could be taken with jumps and drops that needed a huge dose of caution on my trail bike.
I fully appreciate that if I do get one it won't get a huge amount of use - but I don't care, I can't remember the last time I wanted something as much as I want one of these
I'm always wary of the front washing out on my bike - which it does quite a bit when really pushing on, fast cornering usually has me thinking "bloody hell - that was close" as the bike starts to understeer towards a tree.
This thing has me thinking "bloody hell - I can go through there a lot faster than that".
The lumps and bumps that often have me hanging on for dear life just seemed to disappear, and huge liberties could be taken with jumps and drops that needed a huge dose of caution on my trail bike.
I fully appreciate that if I do get one it won't get a huge amount of use - but I don't care, I can't remember the last time I wanted something as much as I want one of these
Digga said:
P-Jay said:
I can't help looking at old Demo 8s on eBay... seriously good value now, even if they're pretty crap by modern standards.
And we've got a proper bike park opening next month...
Well I was about to say, aprpos of 'modern' that IMHO, unless you have money burning hole in your Troy Lee shorts, a bagfull of skills and speed and your heart set on a particular DH sled, I'd seriously consider the OP starts cheap and works his way up.And we've got a proper bike park opening next month...
I've ridden with lads who've paid 3 or 4 hundred quid for an old Kona and they will be having 99.99% as much fun as I am on my (almost) no-compromise, custom built Intense rig. Don't get me wrong a nice rig is a pleasure to ride and less of a chore to clean and fettle, and it is nice getting appreciative comments, but you also have the sneaking suspicion that the comments you don't hear will include things along the lines of "all the gear and no idea", or "nice bike! <whispers>shame he can't ride it</whisper>". Justifiably so in my case.
But all that is a long way from what IMHO it's all about; playing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQBYPH5yQ4I
I regularly got my arse handed to me by Teenagers on Kona Stinkys and Big Hits held together by hope and mismatched bolts. One totally without malice once asked me how I could "justify such a good bike" - I told him that one day I walked into my LBS and saw one from hanging from the wall, I fell in love with it, the cheeky way Cove branded themselves and wanted it - the only justification I needed was that I could afford it (I was single back then) so I bought it. He looked me up and down a bit, looked at his bike and I think decided he was happier being a 16 year old lad with a 26" waist and a old wreck of a bike rather than twice his age, a beer belly and the ability to afford a bike that didn't pass some sort of peer based justification test. I reached a point in life many years ago when I stopped caring about what people I didn't know thought about me when I was enjoying myself, most of the time I don't really care what people I DO know think about me when I've enjoying myself.
Anyway, I rode that bike on an amazing week in the Alps and a better one in Whistler, again, I wasn't exactly the fastest guy on the mountain, but in Whistler at least no one cares as long as you stick to the self-regulated 'rules' and about a dozen or so uplift days in between, I only live 30 mins from Cwmcarn so uplift days weren't difficult to arrange. But it became obvious that you can get bored of CC and unless you want to get into the racing scene your choices of venue are extremely limited and it's frustrating have such a wonderful machines laying idle week after week so I sold it. Even though I followed every trick for getting the most out for it, it went for less than half what I paid for it. Those 2 weeks and dozen uplift days or so cost me £3000 or so in bike depreciation or roughly £135 a for every day I rode it.
Bike Park opens next month, the guy who has designed and built it has says it's designed to be rideable on trail and downhill bikes alike - but if I can see a use for a big bike I'll get a Demo, I've always fancied one since I first saw guys sending huge stuff on them in 'Roam' - but I'll look to spend £500-£600, as you mention others are available for a bit less. If we decide to try to emigrate to Canada next year (it's a maybe) I'll buy another Shocker
GaryGlitter said:
Digga said:
GaryGlitter said:
A downhill bike, circa 1993.
When did we get soft?
Give a young, crazy kid that to ride at most DH trails and he'll hand you back a pile of bits within minutes.When did we get soft?
Peaty wouldn't ride that on contemporary tracks.
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