DH racing seems to becoming a rare thing for me these days and I can no longer deny that I am over-biked with my scalp. So, I’d like to make it a little bit more user friendly. I’m loathed to sell it as a I really love the frame but for the few times I get to do some real DH competition I can’t justify having it just sitting in the garage looking pretty.

I want to shed some of its weight, make it a little bit more ‘flickable’. It will always be a beefy, bouncy gravity machine but I was considering some single crowns, lighter wheel set etc.

Anyone ever tried single crowns on a ‘big’ downhill frame, make any difference to triples and any recommendations for forks?

I ran Domains (180mm) on my 222 for a while. Couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but much preferred the feel of Boxxers with less travel (170mm).

The Boxxers are much more flexy (32mm tubes), so perhaps that has something to do with it…

I’ve got ti 66s on a Session 8, they’re fine.

The real difference was how much nicer they are than the bog standard Boxxers they replaced.

Ran totems at 180mm on a socom for years. Same A-C as boxxers so didn’t upset the handling any.

So whilst you could save some weight, it’ll still ride like a DH bike, so I don’t see how that helps you? DH bikes aren’t crap uphill etc. cos of the weight!

Surely sell the frame / fork and buy something slightly more lightweight with less travel?

Nukeproof Mega?

DH bikes aren’t crap uphill etc. cos of the weight!

I know. Maybe I’m just trying to make the bike look less ‘dickheadish’ when I just roll up to some mediocre trails with it. It could clearly go the other way though.

I can’t bring myself to sell it. I spent a fortune on building it up and it’s only 10 months old with about 2 hours of actual riding time on it (such is the nature of Downhill).

Incidentally, I would never dream of riding it uphill in any sort of formation but I just wanted to put a bit more spring into it. I’m probably barking up the wrong tree with the SC forks idea.

I’ve thought about doing it a few times on my glory. I dont race ATM so I quite fancy the idea of a bit more agility and a more playful nature. Whether or not it happens is another issue.

I put old 170mm 66s on my v old Intense M1 frame… it was a pig to ride anywhere other than the alps. It was still a pig but with a slightly better turning circle. The only effect on the bike was it looked like its been stolen and bodged together with bits that dont belong on it.

Sell it and get something useul.

You don’t need a downhill specific bike to race downhill anyway.

Sell it and get something useul.

You don’t need a downhill specific bike to race downhill anyway.

Beefy single crown fork, air shock with some kind of lockout and a dropper post is all you need. And some bigger legs maybe. It’ll go anywhere then, I used to ride trail centres, DH and XC on my Stinky with triple clamp forks back in the day and while it has less rear travel than a Scalp it probably wasn’t that far off in the weight department, so it can be done.

so it can be done.

Not sure why you’d want to though.

agreed. Geo is so shit on any DH bike that any real pedalling is just grim

No, but having the right tool for the job does make life easier.

You don’t need a downhill specific bike to race downhill anyway.

That much is true but whilst competing in the BDS for the past 5 years I’ve always been glad of a full on DH machine. Not competing at that level anymore so no need for it but I don’t think I can part ways with it. If I can just make it a little more ‘playful’ I’ll be much happier about keeping it.

Geo is so shit on any DH bike that any real pedalling is just grim

I never said anything about pedalling. I certainly won’t be doing any of that but most of what the British isles has to offer in terms of going down fast does not require a world cup standard of bike.

If you put long single crown forks in it, it won’t make very much difference at all in how it rides TBH. Save a small amount of weight, gain a bit of steering lock maybe, some differences in descending depending on the fork choice That’s it though, all the dominant characteristics of the bike will be the same.

I ran 66’s on my Demo 9 for a while and it worked pretty well. Admittedly, they were the original ones so were mega long.

As others have said, it’ll still ride like a pig, not that I can talk because I lug an SX Trail around on all trails. I’ve just put some much lighter wheels and gone tubeless and its made a fair bit of difference. The bike does feel more spritely, although I accept it’ll never feel like a light weight trail bike.