Getting In To Dowhill Biking - Where To Start?
Discussion
I've just bought myself a used Santa Cruz DH bike. I know it's far from ideal for the road but I'm getting a little out of shape so it seems like a great way to push myself a bit to trim down while not being out for hours on end.
Having said that, I'd like to actually use it for its use case - downhill biking. I'm a total newbie, I'm not looking to start doing back flips or anything of that nature. I would like to go to a park though where I can find my feet, go down a hill, over a few jumps, etc.
Can anyone recommend a park for someone like me? I'm in the North West, I've read there are a few Wales and the rest are down south. Wales would be my preferred option but I'm open to all suggestions.
Having said that, I'd like to actually use it for its use case - downhill biking. I'm a total newbie, I'm not looking to start doing back flips or anything of that nature. I would like to go to a park though where I can find my feet, go down a hill, over a few jumps, etc.
Can anyone recommend a park for someone like me? I'm in the North West, I've read there are a few Wales and the rest are down south. Wales would be my preferred option but I'm open to all suggestions.
If you've got a proper downhill bike i.e. Santa Cruz V10 then you'll ideally want somewhere you can either get an uplift or a bike park which is small enough to push up for. I'd also suggest you might want to start on the blue or red trails and work up. For me going straight into DH seems a bit crazy, I'd start with a trail bike and go from there. That will also improve your fitness, a proper DH run is quite a full on experience physically. (I'm an over weight 40 year old though)
At the top !
Seriously, good helmet is a must.
Used to do the NEMBA series, loved it right up until the Scott downhill team turned up and overtook me at head height.
Ohh, your in the north west. What about Whinlatter https://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/whinlatter-forest...
You dont have to start going flat out (they do have brakes), just go and build your speed gradually.
Seriously, good helmet is a must.
Used to do the NEMBA series, loved it right up until the Scott downhill team turned up and overtook me at head height.
Ohh, your in the north west. What about Whinlatter https://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/whinlatter-forest...
You dont have to start going flat out (they do have brakes), just go and build your speed gradually.
Edited by Gary C on Friday 29th January 16:26
Gary C said:
At the top !
Seriously, good helmet is a must.
Used to do the NEMBA series, loved it right up until the Scott downhill team turned up and overtook me at head height.
Ohh, your in the north west. What about Whinlatter https://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/whinlatter-forest...
You dont have to start going flat out (they do have brakes), just go and build your speed gradually.
Thanks, that’s the kind of place I’m after, I’ll definitely start out with the “lower grade alternatives”Seriously, good helmet is a must.
Used to do the NEMBA series, loved it right up until the Scott downhill team turned up and overtook me at head height.
Ohh, your in the north west. What about Whinlatter https://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/whinlatter-forest...
You dont have to start going flat out (they do have brakes), just go and build your speed gradually.
Edited by Gary C on Friday 29th January 16:26
The bike is a 2015 Santa Cruz v10. I’ll be getting used to it and getting my fitness back up on local trails before going for a proper downhill run.
whatxd said:
Gary C said:
At the top !
Seriously, good helmet is a must.
Used to do the NEMBA series, loved it right up until the Scott downhill team turned up and overtook me at head height.
Ohh, your in the north west. What about Whinlatter https://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/whinlatter-forest...
You dont have to start going flat out (they do have brakes), just go and build your speed gradually.
Thanks, that’s the kind of place I’m after, I’ll definitely start out with the “lower grade alternatives”Seriously, good helmet is a must.
Used to do the NEMBA series, loved it right up until the Scott downhill team turned up and overtook me at head height.
Ohh, your in the north west. What about Whinlatter https://www.visitcumbria.com/kes/whinlatter-forest...
You dont have to start going flat out (they do have brakes), just go and build your speed gradually.
Edited by Gary C on Friday 29th January 16:26
The bike is a 2015 Santa Cruz v10. I’ll be getting used to it and getting my fitness back up on local trails before going for a proper downhill run.
Wales is what you want.
We don’t have any mountains down south!
whatxd said:
The bike is a 2015 Santa Cruz v10. I’ll be getting used to it and getting my fitness back up on local trails before going for a proper downhill run.
Have fun on that.Not to take away from your new toy, but you've basically bought a monster truck to use for nipping to the shops. Or a sledgehammer to put in a picture frame nail.
It's probably going to be 35-40lbs, 200+mm travel, no dropper post, a 7 speed DH cassette (gearing for going downhill, fast, and only that).
If you're truly just starting out and want to get into MTB you'd have been better off with a hardtail or a shorter travel FS bike. If you enjoy pedalling that around on the flat, let alone uphill then good on you.
This is what your bike is designed to do:
https://youtu.be/JtKWTsBlO-0
Which, I'm guessing, you're not going to be doing anytime soon
A proper downhill bike is a thing of awesome on the right trail, at speed.
In the wrong conditions, they are terrible. That said, I last did a downhill race in the early 2000s.
(Not counting 5 Megavalanches 2013 onwards)
Injuries were a factor and why I stopped.
Downhill has taken a bit of a back seat to enduro in My opinion, mostly as an enduro bike is way more usable for every day riding and where I would have suggested starting for gravity assisted riding.
You can climb on an enduro bike, do all day rides and still have more suspension than we had back in the day.
If you have no experience of MTB I'd start at a trail centre, ideally on a rigid or short travel bike.
In the wrong conditions, they are terrible. That said, I last did a downhill race in the early 2000s.
(Not counting 5 Megavalanches 2013 onwards)
Injuries were a factor and why I stopped.
Downhill has taken a bit of a back seat to enduro in My opinion, mostly as an enduro bike is way more usable for every day riding and where I would have suggested starting for gravity assisted riding.
You can climb on an enduro bike, do all day rides and still have more suspension than we had back in the day.
If you have no experience of MTB I'd start at a trail centre, ideally on a rigid or short travel bike.
Edited by james0 on Friday 29th January 20:25
To be honest, a good x-country bike would be what I would have chosen (still have a 1999 trek fuel which is fine for almost all UK stuff, and even up to 10,000ft in the Alps), but hey who cares 
Lakes have plenty of bridleways that you can use your bike on (though some have had unrideable steps put in).
Just get out there with some mates, its an epic sport.
Then book a summer trip to Morzine and you can downhill all you like (until you stack it) without having to cycle up hill
Really good gloves and shorts as well to reduce road rash.
Be considerate of walkers, when I started we were a rarity on the hills (it was about 1985) and walkers were bemused by us, but as time rolled on and a more 'Californian' element arrived, things started to get a bit grumpy which is why Whinlatter and Gisburn (https://www.gisburnbiketrails.com/) are better if you really want to fly.
Lakes have plenty of bridleways that you can use your bike on (though some have had unrideable steps put in).
Just get out there with some mates, its an epic sport.
Then book a summer trip to Morzine and you can downhill all you like (until you stack it) without having to cycle up hill
Really good gloves and shorts as well to reduce road rash.
Be considerate of walkers, when I started we were a rarity on the hills (it was about 1985) and walkers were bemused by us, but as time rolled on and a more 'Californian' element arrived, things started to get a bit grumpy which is why Whinlatter and Gisburn (https://www.gisburnbiketrails.com/) are better if you really want to fly.
https://www.descendbikepark.com/ likely to be nearest uplift unless you can get to the north Wales (Antur, etc) quicker.
Once DH racing returns though you may as well just enter any local events, you usually get plenty of practice time on top of race runs.
Once DH racing returns though you may as well just enter any local events, you usually get plenty of practice time on top of race runs.
Bike Park Wales Kermit run, it's about 5km long and is designed for beginner downhill riders.
Will you need a V10? No but it's a way into that side of things and unlike a lot of places, the slower rider on the track takes priority, so if someone faster catches you up, they'll have to wait until you get to one of the crossing points to get past you.
I'd say a good full face is essential, like motorbikes the cost is down to you but would you rather put your head in a £50 helmet or a £250 one?
If you're of the more mature....age.....then i'd venture to say body armour might be a good idea as the older you get the less you bounce.
Also, maybe look for some coaching locally to help you get to where you want to be quicker.
Will you need a V10? No but it's a way into that side of things and unlike a lot of places, the slower rider on the track takes priority, so if someone faster catches you up, they'll have to wait until you get to one of the crossing points to get past you.
I'd say a good full face is essential, like motorbikes the cost is down to you but would you rather put your head in a £50 helmet or a £250 one?
If you're of the more mature....age.....then i'd venture to say body armour might be a good idea as the older you get the less you bounce.
Also, maybe look for some coaching locally to help you get to where you want to be quicker.
I’d echo what people have said - even a lot of the bike parks in the UK don’t warrant a full on DH bike, the average Joe is often quicker and more nimble on a decent single crown enduro / trail bike.
Dyfi / Revolution and Antur Stiniog get steep on certain trails, I don’t think pedalling a V10 around would be my idea of fun - it might get you fit though! We did ‘Stiniog before watching Hardline a few years back and one of our party had a full DV bike. It only really came into its own on the section of double black when it got steep with big rock step downs and he could just let it rip.
Dyfi / Revolution and Antur Stiniog get steep on certain trails, I don’t think pedalling a V10 around would be my idea of fun - it might get you fit though! We did ‘Stiniog before watching Hardline a few years back and one of our party had a full DV bike. It only really came into its own on the section of double black when it got steep with big rock step downs and he could just let it rip.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
I'd agree with the sentiments that the V10 is overkill for the road but there was method to my madness. I don't have the time for long rides, only an hour a day really so I thought I'd get a more extreme bike that I'd have to push myself on to get the most out of the time I have. Being able to take it to bike parks is a plus point and something I really want to try.
slopes said:
Bike Park Wales Kermit run, it's about 5km long and is designed for beginner downhill riders.
I've just watched a video on youtube and that's exactly what I'm after I'd agree with the sentiments that the V10 is overkill for the road but there was method to my madness. I don't have the time for long rides, only an hour a day really so I thought I'd get a more extreme bike that I'd have to push myself on to get the most out of the time I have. Being able to take it to bike parks is a plus point and something I really want to try.
I'd missed quite what you were saying.
Yep, BPW is probably a good bet once we're back to some sort of normality as they're really geared towards trail bikes so lots of blues/reds (plus that new green) to build confidence. Bit of a trek but good if you can make a weekend of it. They have coaching too which I'd strongly recommend to get the basics right.
For general riding though, crikey. They're usually geared so they're just about pedal-able on the flat, you'll be pushing up any kind of hill. I'll spare more words but this recent video summed it all up nicely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQGY7CBUpg
Yep, BPW is probably a good bet once we're back to some sort of normality as they're really geared towards trail bikes so lots of blues/reds (plus that new green) to build confidence. Bit of a trek but good if you can make a weekend of it. They have coaching too which I'd strongly recommend to get the basics right.
For general riding though, crikey. They're usually geared so they're just about pedal-able on the flat, you'll be pushing up any kind of hill. I'll spare more words but this recent video summed it all up nicely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkQGY7CBUpg
I would recommend that any money you plan on spending should be spent here first - https://ukbikeskills.co.uk
I can guarantee it will be the best money spent if you're serious about getting into the sport. Tony is a genius and a few sessions with Tony and the team will improve your skillset more than anything else you can spend money on.
I can guarantee it will be the best money spent if you're serious about getting into the sport. Tony is a genius and a few sessions with Tony and the team will improve your skillset more than anything else you can spend money on.
Unknown_User said:
I would recommend that any money you plan on spending should be spent here first - https://ukbikeskills.co.uk
I can guarantee it will be the best money spent if you're serious about getting into the sport. Tony is a genius and a few sessions with Tony and the team will improve your skillset more than anything else you can spend money on.
Cycling instruction !I can guarantee it will be the best money spent if you're serious about getting into the sport. Tony is a genius and a few sessions with Tony and the team will improve your skillset more than anything else you can spend money on.
Now I have heard everything
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