Does anyone on here have any real world experience of a DMR bolt long.

The downhill bike has been sat in garage since Alps trip at start of July and I have mostly been riding my Saracen Zen hardtail. However I tend to ride that pretty hard and have just cracked the frame at the headtube. My thinking is I visit the Alps once a year and that for most of my riding the Bolt will get me up the hills (albeit slowly) but when the going gets rough it should be able to handle it. All the bits off of the saracen should swap over nicely (lyrics, zee 1×10 etc etc) and then I can flog the DH bike. I also have two sets of wheels in garage, so would be able to swap from lighter Sun 27’s over to my old faithful Mavic 729s for any downhill sessions.

So anyone got one?

I’ve had one for about 4 months now and love it. I have a steel hard tail that I use for flat xc stuff but four anything else I use the bolt. Mine is built with slx 1×9 and brakes along with flow rims and sektor coil fork.

Sounds like the perfect frame for what you want. With the lock out activated you can winch up most climbs but be aware that you can’t run a front mech so single ring is obligatory.

Being fit add and strong is definitely beneficial to get the most out of it as it is a little heavier than some depending on how you build it. That said, it is well balanced and assuredly composed on downhill sections. I don’t push it to anywhere near it’s limitations but I can’t see how you’d ever break it.

I have been using it for all my rides lately as I don’t mind about a slow painful uphill but if I was bothered about keeping up with my mates on an xc route the bolt probably wouldn’t be the bike to do it on.

How much realistically d’you think it weighs?

Been looking on and off at one of these for ages now.

Thanks for input thurso.

What shock are you running on it?

Ive got one as my Downhill bike. I love it. I couldn’t justify keeping a full blown DH bike anymore as I no longer race and i rend to ride short DH tracks (Aston Hill) so I opted for the bolt. It’s taken everything i’ve thrown at it including some very big drops, gaps and rock gardens and I have no concerns about its ability to handle the rough stuff. It accelerates really quickly which makes it much more fun to ride than a big 8″ travelled DH bike.

Best bike i’ve ever had.

Great bikes, but you need the lockout on the standard shock for going uphill. I swapped the shock for a CCDB inline, which made a massive difference.
Heavyish – about 32 lbs built up – but not noticeably so.
Very stiff rear end, and it goes like a rocket, exactly where you point it 8)
I have mine set up 1×10 with a narrow-wide ring. As you get no chain growth, I’ve not had to fit a chain device. Lost my chain once in a year.
Seems to suit 140mm forks best. I tried some at 160, but the front felt very wandery.
Be aware that even the ‘long’ frame had a very low standover height, so if you’re anywhere north of 5’10” or so, you’ll end up with a lot of post showing.

Nickc – I believe the frame is around 10 pounds, so you’re giving away 3 pounds to most other trail or enduro bikes, but that’s possibly an unfair comparison depending on what you want to use it for.

Thanks for all the responses.

Looks like I might just have to get one. 🙂

Cheapest place when I was buying was Winstanleys – I paid £700. Think it might have gone up a bit now.
Also worth checking the Upgrade Bikes outlet as they often have clearance frames at very good prices. A few weeks after I bought mine they had a Bolt along with a very small scratch for £499!

I’m just using the standard x fusion shock. It’s not something that i’d ever change as I don’t think the standard of my riding justifies the expense. I find the lockout useful and the shock feels good to me throughout it’s travel.

I’ve never weighed a bike and have no means to do so. I’ve a steel Orange R8 hardtail with a mix of xt and xtr so needless to say it weighs a fair bit more than that. The stability and predictability that the weight brings on the downhills makes up for the fact that the hills can be hard work. I’ve found that as I’ve gotten used to it the extra weight hasn’t really had any affect other than to make me fitter.

Here’s mine. I’ve since put flow rims, 2.4 maxxis ardent/advantage and a chainguide.