Hi, I am looking to start doing some uplift days and some DH (cwmcarn, FOD, Gawton etc). I currently have a nice and strong trail bike (140×150/160). I’ll never be the fastest and don’t plan on racing. I’ll just use my trail bike to start with and see how I get on.
Would an FR bike do the job? I know they’re not DH bikes but would probably be more versatile? I’d either buy used or from one of the german direct sales companies (YT or Canyon). Any help mucho appreciated. Thanks.

Need? Since when has ‘Need’ been a factor in the decision process. It’s all about want for the 2011 season.

entirely up to you but IMO unless you regularly race DH you don’t “need” a DH bike and even then I’ve seen people podium at DH races on XC bikes.
not too long ago 150mm front and rear was a DH bike and IMO that’s still eoungh to get a very fast time on any DH track under the right rider.
It’s nice to have a proper DH bike though but def a luxury.. think of it like skis or a snowboard (ie. it’ll probably spend far more time stored away and cost you shed loads more to ride but give you an immense grin when it’s time to get it out)

hmmm. Good points GW, I have a nice trail bike (IMO) and wonder if I’ll be a bit too careful on it. I’m expecting crashes hence looking at used/cheaper bikes (would love a knolly podium to go with the endo though!).

No, but 180-200mm of travel is fun…

Just use your current bike, if you get into it properly then buy a dh bike. Or if you have loads of cash then buy a dh bike now.

I cant justify a dh bike cos Id probably ride it once per month, if that. When go to proper dh spots like (which isnt very often) hamsterley/inners/alps etc. I just put some sual ply tires on my hardtail and mince down on that, its still good fun

i wouldnt bother mate

dt – haven’t ridden my DH bike for about 3 months (and I have 3) sometimes it’ll be ridden every day for a fortnight, sometimes every weekend for a month, sometimes not at all. it doesn’t matter. Over an 8hr day out on the hill in the UK there’s only about 30mins of actual riding time anyway (even with uplifts).

get a alpine160 like me i wanted a dh bike and thought well it wouldn’t work against all the climbs round here where as the alpine does it great up hill and down, its built for the job lot, especially if you go for the cane creek ;p

I did my first uplift on a 26lb Soul, every one since has been on the Hemlock- though I’ve invested in a cheap set of rock solid wheels and some DH tyres for it, and it was already more than averagely capable.

It just depends on what you want to get out of it really IMO. If you really want to go massively fast, or do the hardest courses, or you want the skills compensation then it’s going to be a good idea but modern “trail bikes” are so ridiculously competent… If a knobber like me can go and ride down a world cup course on a 5 inch full suss then so can most people I reckon.

That said, I’m not fast and maybe I’d be faster on a DH bike (maybe not, it’s headology that slows me down). But if I’d been in the last wc round at fort william I’d not have been last, and I was far from slowest at innerleithen last time. I’d sooner be slow on a trail bike than a DH bike

Cheers all. chris, the bike I have is a capable as an alpine but that has got me looking at the bloods though, thanks.
Maybe I’ll set my forks out to 160 and have a go and see how I get on!
Things like this http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2090
or this; http://www.canyon.com/_en/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2095 for ~£1700 are getting the juices running though. It’s like a disease isn’t it?

just get one and don’t look back

I personally would choose a FR rig if going down this route, although i think it’s a very personal choice.

What is your 150mm trail bike? I wouldn’t rush to buy anything new until you work out what you want from it. I rode my strange alpine five as a DH/uplift bike for a year or so before I bought a session. It was (and still is) a great bike for a DH, but if you only ever push or get a lift up it makes sense to have more travel. It was an uplift day at inners that finely convinced me to invest in a DH bike – I could feel the frame/forks flexing for the first time and didn’t have the stamina/strength to enjoy the full length of the runs/day.

Now I have the session I’m not sure that I enjoy riding it more than the alpine for normal DH riding (which for me is Wharncliffe), but then i’ve always liked riding bikes that feel ‘stretched’. It’s why I ride a hardtail for nearly all my xc riding. I haven’t yet pushed the session to anywhere near it’s (rider restricted) limits, but then when I first bought the alpine it felt like too much bike.

i ride cwmcarn reg with my DH bike, if your only going to ride gawton,FoD and Cwmcarn i wouldnt bother wasting ur money fella. i sold my DH and my XC (4″) and bought a 160mm bike which will cope with all the DH i do.
cwmcarn have been re-serfaced with only one small rock garden.
most DH really dont need 200mm travel IMO unless they are dropping massive drops and doing huge jumps.
keep your cash and upgrade ur bike and buy some nice bling outfits

Originally I was of the opinion that a DH bikes was not need, it is a luxury for sure and as mentioned above like skis and stuff it just get’s cracked out for the events it’s designed for………

But it is nothing like, even a well setup trail bike or FR bike, phenomenally fast, great handling just a whole different riding experience, when I took mine over to the Alps this year it was absolutely stunning so much fun, I was pretty speechless as to how good it was compared to what I though was a well setup trail bike, it was even pretty nimble on the twisty stuff.

mandog is right, if you have the coin then just get one and don’t look back.

ETA – in answer to youe question yes you need one 🙂

yer if u want a full on DH bike to get you started go for something like that but pushing is boring imo ;p like you say tbh i would try the 160 trvl first and see how you go and you will save money 🙂

I’m riding a Knolly endorphin with RP23 and float 36′ (dialled down to 150 currently) I have got it how I want it now (I can’t spend any more on it!). It’s pretty capable and plenty strong. Maybe just get a coil shock for DH then? Shall I go for full pads and FF etc?
No new bike for me? I am getting married next year though so may meet some resistance.

OK, I wouldn’t class myself as an authority on this kind of riding at all, but have gone down a similar route to you over the last year or two so thought I’d share my experience anyway.

Started out with a cheap old (but new) Big Hit frame. It was great for riding down steep stuff it didn’t handle brilliantly, weighed about as much as my car and was a bit too small for me and undersprung so scared me witless on any sort of jump.

Got the chance to buy a Lapierre Froggy (180mm travel F&R) cheap, upgraded fork to a Totem. This pedals MUCH better and handles lovely, but even with some XC-ish kit on, it still weighs more than a lot of DH race bikes – so can struggle on flatter DH trails.

So in conclusion I suppose I’m trying to say that travel isn’t the whole story and freeride bikes aren’t as versatile as you might think if they weigh nearly 40lbs.

If I were looking now (which I ‘m not, honest!), I’d also consider the Cube Hanzz – great VFM and very nice looking. New Big Hit looks good and very upgradeable too.

This post gives rise to the question, are “trail bikes” generally as strong as DH bikes, but with merely less travel, or are they something completely different? I don’t think you “need” the extra travel but you do need a bike that is laterally stiff and can handle riding closer to controlled crashing than your average flowy singletrack.

My “DH bike” from 2000-2002 had 5″ of (effective) travel at both ends whereas my current trail bike has 6″, but a triple chain ring. But the DH bike was much more overbuilt than the trail bike, much more important.

If you’re going to get something for this kind of use you may as well get a proper dh rig over a freeride one. It may be a bit heavier (quite often weights of similar dh and fr models are very similar though) but is likely to be less good downhill to due to differing geometry etc.

Basically if you’re going to do it go the whole hogg and do it right 🙂 You can plenty of decent dh bikes in reasonable condition for around the £1k mark if you know what you’re looking for and don’t rush.

The real question is…are you racing as in, are you trying to go as fast as possible? If you are then sooner rather than later you will need a DH bike.
But there’s nowt wrong with starting off on a capable trail or FR bike and then if/when you feel its not you but the bike slowing you down then upgrade.

FWIW I started racing DH about 10 years ago on a Sub-5 (they really were guaranteed for UK DH!) and after half a season of Dragons upgraded to a proper (but cheap) DH bike (due to the Sub-5 holding me back and frequent breakages) and then to a Santa-Cruz Bullit when that bike broke. I’m still riding and racing the bullit as the bike is still more capable than I am (and in my opinion 5 to 6 inches is just right for the tracks I ride and the way I ride them).
I’m still riding the bullit

i would get body armour and a full face some good deals on descent gear ATM. perhaps get wider bars and a 35mm stem if u already havent , i think im much fast on my trail bike with fox’s 36 RC2’s than my big heavy norco with 888 RCV. the RP23 BV feels really nice so i wouldnt bother with a coil spring shock.

If you are wanting to go down hill fast on UK DH courses, then I’m not sure why FR bikes are being mentioned. They have steeper angles, shorter wheelbases and higher bottom brackets, so unless you are wheelie dorpping to flat, riding steep high A frames etc then there’s no point buying a FR bike. It’s not that they’ll be carp, but if you are going to spend the money, you might as well have the correct type of bike, or just stick with what you have for now.

I don’t like regurgutating reviews but Dirt just gave the Scott Voltage FR a great review for DH use. Obviously not all FR bikes are the same though.

Thanks for the advise guys. Am I not correct thinking that a FR bike would be more suited to DH than my normal trail bike though?
FF helmets; POC or urge? I likes em both can’t find anywhere to try them on though.

Neither then, get one you can try on.

backhander – yes it might be more suited than your trail bike (models of each depending) but why are you thinking of an fr bike instead of a dh one if thats what you want it for?

if you like POC look on descent gear, prices tho that POC stuff wont go wrong with fox tld and alpinestars

personally id look out for a sh frame in good nick on pinkbike or somewhere and build up the rest on the cheap because whatever bike you buy its gonna get a battering
cwmcarn and the like have good uplifts but moelfre etc its a farmers trailer and your bike will get scratched and knocked

and lean towards a dh bike if you can though with angled headsets and teh right components most fr frames are similar to dh frames

i ride a yeti 575 (146mm travel) with 160mm float up front i have raced DH on it at fort bill an many other tracks also had 3 weeks on it in the alpes 6 inch travel bikes are the best.i do have a DH bike but hate pushing up hill as not many ski lift in the uk.

My FR bike was no better than a normal trail bike downhill certainly not the noticable difference I get between between trail and DH bike.

I thought the FR bike would be ace DH hence I invested but was a little disappointed, not helped I suspect that true Freeride isn’t really something that appeals so never tried it at what it was designed for, not the bikes fault just I bought the wrong thing 🙂