As I will be living within 20mins of a chairlift soon I thought I would indulge. I have heard that the 06 model has frame shock mount cracking issues. I have had a few Orange DH bikes and a Rocky Mountain but am riding a Pitch mostly now so fancy a matching pair 🙂

Ignore me

Never liked how they ride myself but got a lot of quick mates on them.

A mate of mine used t ride one – had a go at Inners once.

Very upright, very plush, pedals much better than the weight would suggest. Begs to fly every time you hit a bump 🙂

It didn’t feel as stable or “fast” as my 223 but it was a fun bike to ride.

They have a good suspension action if you want a smooth ride but I’ve never got on with them. Very inefficent under pedalling, hard to throw around and not really a dh bike. They’re not bad but there is alot better out there if you’re going to be near a ski lift. It might be worth considering what brand will give you good support in your new location, ski lifts = alot of abuse.

Ta chaps… on talking to a friend who has been out there working it seems the best trails are 30min downs and it isn’t as steep or gnarly as I thought so I might need something a nit more nimble.

In fact see here:5MB PDF Dirt article I’ll be living in Malaga. There is a lift, but it is expensive and they favor walkers!

Any suggestions, bike wise? Ether cheap new (I can get trade) or cheap second hand!

what size?

mate is selling a Kona Dawg and a RM Slayer. Another may still have his coiler frame lying about.
If you can get cheap trade why ask?

Reckon a simple single pivot bike would be best..Orange 5? Mate selling above has just bought one. We test rode it in Wensleydale/Hawes and it is a really nice bike.

Had a demo 8 and a 224, the 224 was a much nicer bike for DH and for stunts IMO, Demo was too much like riding a heavy sponge, although it did me reasonably well as a DH race bike for a season a few years back.

If you can get cheap trade why ask?

There is a bit of a gap between the cheapest you can get a bike at trade and a cheap second hand bike;

“Well known British brand DH bike”: £1840 inc VAT
Second hand DH bike: £1100

@djglover; I suspected as much and as I only weigh 65kg it may well be too beefy for me. I just wanted to try something different.
Word has it that the next 224 (225) will have a rocker link.

Very inefficent under pedalling, hard to throw around and not really a dh bike

Really? Seen a LOT of people riding them over here in the alps and they look very much DH.

Had one and loved it, soaks everythough up, beggs to be thrown about and in the air, its the 05 that snapped not the 06…. all in all I loved them and the design was perfect breaking under load! great suspension design

Is this Demo 7 dodgy, or is my name Pope John Paul?

Really? Seen a LOT of people riding them over here in the alps and they look very much DH.

Is that the real RHS?

Well, I’m not saying you can’t ride dh on them. But they definitely don’t have the handling feel of a dh specific bike. Other FSR dh bikes I’ve ridden do feel alot more stable than demos.

Yes. Its the ‘real’ RHS 🙂

#
flamejob – Member

Is this Demo 7 dodgy, or is my name Pope John Paul?

Dunno . . . but if it was a small I’d definitely be checking it out as it’s not far from me. To be fair, he/she has taken the trouble to clean it and take decent pics.

What about a Big Hit? Popped into Don Skene Cycles this weekend and was very impressed with the spec on this year’s Big Hit/SX Trail range compared to similarly priced Konas (of which I’ve always been a fan).

Word has it that the next 224 (225) will have a rocker link.

if its anything like the prototype that rowan sorrell is riding around on at the moment it will have…

Well that Demo 7 disappeared after I asked a question…. something smells!

if its anything like the prototype that rowan sorrell is riding around on at the moment it will have…

A little bird told me that Steve Wade only put the linkage on due to marketing pressures.

I think I want another 224, but its going to cost me £800 more than I want to pay.

I think I want another 224, but its going to cost me £800 more than I want to pay.

I have a frame (and forks) for sale at very reasonable price. Bit scratched but structually sound. Come to Switzerland to get it 🙂

RHS.. you have my interest.. I trust you have taken an electro microscope to it to check for cracks?

MAKE FOTO send email 🙂

This is my last one:

Oh why did I start looking at DH bikes again…

just seen this…

Flamejob – I know someone who should be selling a demo 7, almost unused. If you’re interested I’ll give him a call and see whether he’s still getting rid.

On a tangent, the Benalmadena cablecar isn’t all that.. It’s 10E a go but I think you can get a year long pass, the run down is more suited to all mountain type bikes, there is some more downhilly stuff in the Montes de Malaga and near Mijas.. A couple of days with Switchbacks Downhill will get you up to speed!

demo 8’s are really good bikes, 06 models don’t have the frame cracking issues that was the very early ones 05 i think.

they are plush, strong, pedal well, stable and i don’t think that heavy. mine has a DHX5 and Ti spring with 888SL ATA’s and isn’t heavy at all.

maybe not the best looking bike on the market but for the money it would have to be up there with the best of them.

I never did get why people said that the Demo 8 (2005-2006) wasn’t a DH bike. I had one for two years and it never seemed to hold me back. I was ‘competitive’ at the Masters level and maybe if I was a pro-elite rider I’d feel the difference, but at this level, i.e. anyone on STW, I can’t see what it is about the Demo 8 that is so wrong. I regret selling mine. The bike I replaced it with is utterly sublime, but costs twice as much and probably isn’t any faster.

Of course, that’s not to say that people won’t ‘get on’ with the Demo 8 or any bike for that matter. It comes down to personal preference but that’s a long way from righting a bike off wholesale as not being more than capable of riding DH.

@atlaz yeah… I’m interested!… though that Trek is very shiny

@jobbyheid did you go? got any photos? I heard you have to take your front wheel off to get in the telecabin? I was looking at this la torre downhill video which looks like a nice fun local race.

I actually like the look of the Demo.. but I may be able to persuade Mrs Flamejob that I ‘really need’ a new DH bike, and seeing that Specialized don’t bring the Demo in my money is on the Trek.

I’ve got one and love it. Mind you it does get me into a lot of trouble as it’s so confidence inspiring …

If you intend to go to Malaga, I’d check out what the local dealers are, I travel around Spain a lot and although roadies can find shops that sell just about any amount of bling, finding one that has a good range including high end mtb hardware is not so common. If you buy something needing bearings and servicing you might want to look at how easy it will be to get it serviced locally without lengthy waits while parts are sourced then fitted unless you are a handy mechanic with tools yourself.

05 demo8s cracked

06 are all good.

demo9 all the way for me

Current demo 7 if you can find one cheap. I did.

Flamejob: Its in shop currently having oil change in forks, headset changed and bushing changed on shock so no pics currently.

Whats your email?

@mAx_hEadSet – I’m pretty handy with the spanners 🙂

Jedi – You are just way more hardcore than me!

RHS – isn’t my email in my profile? flam3j08 [at] geeeeemail.com (poor attempt to circumvent spamage)