Booked into a lads trip to the Alps in the summer.
Planning to be Jedi'd before I go.
Dilemma is what bike?
Will my Blur LT be trashed? Should I brave the classifieds and buy a downhill bike?
Thinking orange 224 or such like...
Does this seem like lunacy or just a fine example of:
Bikes needed = bikes owned + 1
Rent a DH bike?
You doing just DH runs?
We were all on 160 or 170mm bikes in Morzine last summer and every one one of us wished we had DH bikes. If you're only planning on riding downhill, get a downhill bike.
Renting a DH bike for a week is eye wateringly expensive considering you could buy a 2nd hand bike, use if for a week, then sell it for what you paid
I think it will be gravity riding, but I could be tempted to do an alpine xc day if routes were available, but I have no idea on that...
Everytime i've been (5) baring once I've been on a 140mm-160mm bike. The first time I went on a DH bike, which was good but in all honesty I preferred the times i've been on the shorter travel bikes. Depends what you're doing. Last time I was there we rode all the dh stuff but was able to access so much more because we were on lighter much more efficent bikes.
For the record i've got a Blur LTc and thats what I'll be taking this summer.
The blur will be fine, I think the most benefit is to be had from riding a bike you will ride at home. After going to morzine three times I bought a dh bike but I use it here on uplifts and push ups too.
Lots of morzine/portes du soleil is decending on nice singletrack, mucho fun on any bike. The only true DH (like hell rooty big drops and lumpy as) is only a small percentage of the riding.
You'll be fine.
You'll be less beat up on a DH bike, it may hold you back later in the day due to tiredness.
But in all honestly IMO, there wasn't anything there I felt I couldn't do/scared to do/couldn't ride at good speed because of my 160mm bike.
I's not much more extreme if any than the UK, just longer tracks and you get in more because of the lifts.
Do an uplift day somewhere like hamsterley or moelfre for example, that will give you the feeling for how beat up you will get.
I hear there are plenty of braking bumps... But I get your point
Careful if you rent. A few years ago a friend rented a GT DH bike and about 10% of the chain was made up of SRAM Powerlink Connectors! Unsurprisingly the bike was back at the shop most evening with a problem of some sort!
they're right, renting is massively expensive. Fine for a day but would certainly be cheaper to buy before you got hen sell on when you get back.
As said it really depends on what you're planning to do. Gravity riding can cover quite a few styles of riding.
If you're going to just ride the designated DH runs in Morzine/Les Gets (so runs like the French National, Canyon, Mont Chery, Plenny etc), then you can do those on Blur LT but I personally wouldn't find that much fun. I think you'd have to be pretty tasty to ride those runs competently and still have fun on a short(er) travel AM/trail bike. What will happen is that you will get really tired really quickly and end up being a passenger on your bike, rather than relaxed and in control.
If however, you're going to use the lifts to get you up to altitude and then do a days riding single track in the higher parts of the PPDS, perhaps head over to other locations like Champery, then the Blur LT would be great for that kind of thing. Your best bet, other than having a guide to take you out, is to buy a book on the AM trail routes in the region.
You can hire a DH bike out there, but they do tend to be beaten up and badly adjusted. Buying a DH bike is a big commitment and not something to just do on a whim. The better bet would be something like an Orange Alpine 160 or a Patriot or equivalent. You CAN ride those more readily on DH courses without it being a handful and you can still pedal them around a 50km day using the lifts. this is based on the fact that they are quite a different beast to a 140mm trail bike.
buy a book on the AM trail routes in the region.
where can I get this book? had a look in the shops whenI was there but couldn't see any.
More info on routes for AM would be great....
You are missing out if you just do the DH runs. Did that the first time but the last time I went I searched high and low for GPS routes and got the VPTO?? book to the portes du soleil. Plenty of none lift assisted climbing though so I would rather have a big big bike that you can pedal than a DH bike.
So has anyone got some gpx routes?
I went on an Iron Horse 6.4 with 180mm Domain upfront and 160mm at the back. If I was going again I'd probably stick a 180mm coil on the back too.
Hired a DH bike one day but it felt a bit like it limited the fun. Yes it was great on the big runs but we tended to do a lot of the links between them (using the lifts to limit uphill of course!!). The Gambler my mate got was not in great condition. Tyres were awful and the brakes didn't slow it down much. However, I got a prototype (can't remember what it was, frame didn't have a name on it but think it was about £6k worth) with BOS fork and shock. Pretty much brand new. It was awesome!
The Passportes was fine on the AM style bike. One of the pro's mechanics out there did the full 80+km on a Session 88 but I didn't fancy trying that! The DH runs were still a great laugh but nowhere near as quick as it would be on a DH bike (wasn't much quicker on the hired one until the last runs of the day).
There is a huge amount of XC/AM/DH/whatever you fancy out there, guessing people who go every year still haven't found everything. Depending where you stay the owner may be able to help you out and recommend trails. We stayed with Flow MTB and they were great with that.
Going again I'd be more than happy with a bike that is slightly compromised when pedalling (but still can) and is very happy to be pointed downhill. The only reason I still have the IH 6.4 is because I'm hoping it'll be back this year.
From personal experience I would go with the Blur LT anyway.
Used a Blur LT for the last few years in Morzine and Austria. Plenty of travel at the rear. Went bigger rotors. What forks you got? I had Vanilla 130RLCs which were a bit twangy.
Had to hire a DH bike for a day when my cack handedness threaded the crank trying to put the pedal in. Much preferred my bike as knew how it handled and never felt under biked.
Use the Blur all over the UK on DH tracks too. Im an average downhiller (i.e. not the worst, but quicker than most) and dont think the bike holds me back.
It sounds like you'd be better off using your existing bike do some downs and ups and the bigger loops and maybe trying a rental downhill for a day.
The PPDS route is good for a day out. Its more or less waymarked. There's a couple of good loops off the back of the two Les Gets hillsides, worth doing if you don't mind a little climbing. Again they are way,aked and marked on the free map.
EDIT another point to add. You'll probably enjoy it more on a bike you are used too and get more from any coaching.
Cheers,
I'll take my blur then, and enjoy finding the stuff out there....
Interested in this too.
Heading out to do the PPDS this year, first time in the Alps. Im planning on taking my Blur 4X (with a coil shock which ups the rear travel to 130mm and 140mm coil pikes on the front)
Also heard pretty bad reports about rental bikes out there, both cost and condition.
Will defintely be planning on doing more XC than DH, so hoping the blur will be OK for the most part.
If anyone has links to gps routes or books of routes that would be very handy......
p.s. avoid the PPDS loop like the plague in my opinion. Waste of a day in one of the worlds best lift assisted places in the world. Way too much pedalling for eff all decent downhill. Designed for european lycra clad wooses. IMO
Was forced to do it a second time last year. Wanted to cry as we cycled up and past all the decent downhills.
Dilemma ? 
Why do folk who've never ridden DH (or a DH bike for that matter) over here think they "neeed" a DH bike for riding in the Alps?
you'll ride exactly the same way over there so if you're not a DHer here you still won't be there even if you spend a fortune trying to "look" the part
you'll ride exactly the same way over there
I must have missed the massive lift assisted hills where I live.
Everything in Morzine and surrounding areas was bigger, faster & longer than anything I've ridden in the UK
Why do folk who've never ridden DH (or a DH bike for that matter) over here think they "neeed" a DH bike for riding in the Alps?
I don't think anyone has said that (me included, although I did ride/race DH for several years so I guess I don't fall into your category anyway) but if they did then I do agree with you.
The point I was making, at least, is that riding something like the French National or the 'off piste' tracks on the Plenny on a 140mm trail bike is doable and may be enjoyable for a decent rider, but it's not going to be much fun for anyone else.
If you're going to do lift assisted trail riding or just shuttle Chavanne for a week, then the 140mm trail bike would be ideal.
It's well worth getting a guide if you want to find some good trails away from the main areas.
Everything in Morzine and surrounding areas was bigger, faster & longer than anything I've ridden in the UKspeak for yourself, the only difference is the duration of the descents. the UK has equally rough, fast, technical, steep etc. DH tracks they're just shorter here.
Bit harsh GW. If you dont know, you will always er on the side of caution. And anyway, you wont ride the same. You will try things not possible on your normal trails most likely (i.e. drop offs, gap jumps etc- unless you dont want to of course)
My first trip I took a Klein Attitude with 80/90mm forks and tiny disk brakes (others had v-brakes). We spent the whole week purely on the DH tracks. Admitedly it was quite difficult and i wouldnt recommend that. The lack of a decent full face and body armour was my main concern though.
Year after took a GT LTS DH 1996 to ease the pain. 100mm of up and down movement (not excatly working to its best) sorted me out for the next 2 years.
Last 5 years used a Blur LT as hiring too expensive and that bike is meant for 'All Mountain'. One bike for all my riding is what i wanted.
Have just got a Pitch which is better, but mostly cause the forks on the LT were a bit wangy.
Can keep in sight of my mates with massive DH rigs (cant exactly keep up, but am having fun trying)
GW
Chill, please.
I like riding bikes. My dilemma is more about what I'll get the most out of for the week i'm there. If I bought a DH bike it would get used now and then, so just wanting to find out if I bought a well used/loved dh bike, would I enjoy that more than taking chunks out of my ltc?
I'm running 160 lyrics and I love pointing downhill, but I'm no Peaty....mores the pity
What will happen is that you will get really tired really quickly and end up being a passenger on your bike, rather than relaxed and in control.
i 2nd that,ive done it out there on a shorter travel bike a few times,which yes is all rideable-doable,but after 3 days of continous dh i was foooked felt like i'd been twatted,its just a bit more tiring than a dh bike .
160 forks! Ideal. No problems whatsoever with that.
The c bit of the LTC would worry me. But thats more my naeivety probably.
It will take a bashing thats for sure. Expect stones to jump up and clonk every part of your frame, paint loss on the chair lifts/chain stay/etc. (unless you get anal with the heli tape), possibly a ripped rear mech, loss of spokes etc.. Not saying all that will happen, but be preapred some of it might. If that bothers you, buy a crappy DH bike and sell it on when done with it. Sold my GT LTS for pratcally what I paid for it after 3 years of thrashing, on EBay.
FWIW, I probably rode a little tamer when I was in France compared to when I am at home on local trails, simply because if I fall off and hurt myself, I waste a holiday, rather than just going home and coming back to local trails the next weekend.
You will try things not possible on your normal trails most likely (i.e. drop offs, gap jumps etc- unless you dont want to of course)What? Why the hell would you suddenly be trying gaps and stuff you wouldn't try at home just because you're on holiday?
^My thoughts. As I said in my previous comment, I was actually the opposite; more timid than normal.
GW - Member"Everything in Morzine and surrounding areas was bigger, faster & longer than anything I've ridden in the UK "
speak for yourself
I was speaking for myself. Hence why I said anything I've ridden.
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