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tell me about - downhill bikes

32 posts & 22 voices | Started 11 months ago by dti | Latest reply from GW

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dti - Member

I have agreed to help my son buy a downhill bike - apparently my 2007 Giant Trance X2 is not up to the job - not enough travel - braking etc.
etc.

He has a budget of around £850 which may just stretch to an entry level new(ish )Big Hit or there are many about at this price from 2005-8 but I am not sure what to check out as I will not be able to test them to their intended use.
There is one local bike with a crack on one of the shock mounts (orange patriot) - can they be rewelded??

Any views/tips comments appreciated.

Posted 11 months ago #
RealMan - Member

Most won't be on budget, but some inspiration, and if you buy 2nd hand..

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/good-looking-dh-bikes

Posted 11 months ago #
tracknicko - Member

do not buy a cracked bike.

Posted 11 months ago #
mbydmt - Member

Southerndownhill is the place to buy second hand downhill bikes. Buy second hand you'll get a lot better. i.e Iron Horse Sunday - £800 for full build!

Posted 11 months ago #
Rob Hilton - Member

Big hits are a good place to start (I do happen to have one for sale ).

There are quite a few decent looking second hand options that pop up on http://www.southerndownhill.com/forum/ - think you need to log in to see the sales boards?

Posted 11 months ago #
davidtaylforth - Member

You'll do better than a big hit for £850. A Giant glory may be a good starting point, you never seem to hear about any problems with them.

Posted 11 months ago #
arthurcrabstick - Member

Have a look here lots of second hand DH bikes [url=http://www.southerndownhill.com/]null

Posted 11 months ago #
wbss - Member

If looking at glorys make sure you get the 'DH' version.

There are some with freeride angles that just aren't as rad.

Posted 11 months ago #
mbydmt - Member

Yes you'll need to sign up for SDH to view sales boards but well worth it.

Posted 11 months ago #
xiphon - Member

DH bike, by their very nature, get ragged much more than XC/trail centre bikes.

People will argue until their blue in the face about which ones are most likely to crack - so you just have to accept your new second hand purchase may or may not crack on the first ride. My DH bike is 9yrs old, and hasn't cracked yet.

How old/large/strong is your son - if he's early teens he might not have the physical strength to throw many bikes around - so a trail centre bike with larger brakes might just be right.... also, being light (8st or less I guess?), he might have difficulty finding the correct spring weight, unless he has air shocks.

Or does he just want a bike with 9" of travel each end, and 50 inch discs - just so he can tell his mates? (Serious question!)

Posted 11 months ago #
Rob Hilton - Member

Or does he just want a bike with 9" of travel each end, and 50 inch discs - just so he can tell his mates? (Serious question!)

Worth noting this!

I've helped out a lad lift his Demo 9 onto an uplift truck as could couldn't do it himself - I struggled cos it weighed a ton! A fair bit heavier than my mates large size Giant Glory Freeride (think Victorian engineering).

He also couldn't ride it, poss cos he was something of a beginner or it was way too much bike for his size/strength.

Posted 11 months ago #
dti - Member

Thanks for all the replies - particularly about the travel and disc bling. Apparently triple clamp suspension is essential!

looks like some testing needed.

Posted 11 months ago #
t-p 26 - Member

A good place to start! Better than SDH

Posted 11 months ago #
Gooner - Member

have a look/ask for advice on here;

http://www.descent-world.co.uk

is he only going to ride it d/h on uplift days etc
if he intends riding up as well he probably doesn't need a full on d/h bike

Posted 11 months ago #
kudos100 - Member

Unless he is racing or taking it to the alps a big hit will do the job nicely. So many people buy downhill bikes and never really use the bike for it's intended purpose.

There is nothing in england that really warrants having a downhill bike unless you are taking part in races or regularly doing 8ft+ drops and massive hucks to flat.

Posted 11 months ago #
mrmichaelwright - Member

How big is he

we have a small Big Hit frame in the garage (the wife has retired from gnar)

Also have wheels and a set of 66's (although i see he's after triples)

Posted 11 months ago #
xiphon - Member

t-p 26 » A good place to start! Better than SDH

DWR = 7451 Posts in 1188 Topics by 1170 Members

SDH = 806038 Posts in 62041 Topics by 22062 Members

I'd think SDH would be a more sensible place to start...

Posted 11 months ago #
100mphplus - Member

Although I understand the comments refering people to D-W, tbh that site is dead these days and a lot of the people who used to post regularly on there are on SDH now. So if you filter the crap, (which is obvious as they usually start their replies "I've never had one, but I've heard..."!!), there is a lot of sound advice on there.

Also those figures quoted above aren't the full facts as D-W had a total site re-build last year and everyone had to re-register so the count No's went back to zero. If it were total for the whole period D-W has been running it would muller the SDH figures.

There are quite a few 'mini DH bikes' around these days too, like the Commencal Supreme range, which are plenty man enough for 95% of UK tracks and also enable you to pedal up them too, which is pretty difficult on a full DH bike.

If you Def want a full DH bike, for £850 I'd look at the following;-
1) Santa Cruz V10 (ver 2) - Rolls Royce of DH bikes in the mid to late 00's. Need to check the back end bearings are 'tight' though and if not, negotiate discount to buy a new kit that is ~ £100 from Stiff.
2) Giant Glory - bomb proof DH bike,
3) Orange 222/ 223 / 224 - simple and cheap to upgrade.

Posted 11 months ago #
xiphon - Member

100mphplus +1 for the 222 suggestion

If you're ever up near Preston in Lancashire, you're welcome to test ride one...

Posted 11 months ago #
100mphplus - Member

I'd certainly try out an Orange but they are a bit 'marmite', you'll either love it or hate it.

Whilst I love the design of the Orange being an Engineer myself, I've always ridden 4 bar linkage and hate the 'direct mount' feeling of them. It's all personnal preference.

Posted 11 months ago #
xiphon - Member

I'm in the opposite camp - I hate the multi link multi pivot what-not.

Single pivot simplicity for me please.

Posted 11 months ago #
GW - Member

appologies if I've missed the OP's relevent post, but why are folk recommending bikes when we don't know the lad's age, height or weight.. or even where he intends DHing??

If it were total for the whole period D-W has been running it would muller the SDH figures.
you think?
it wasn't ever a very busy site and within SDHs first year it was busier but you'll be lucky if DW has had more than one or two posts a day for the past few years.. it died well before the "re-build"

Posted 11 months ago #
dti - Member

Thanks again all

He's 15 - about 10 stone - still growing - getting bigger than I am - we have plenty of big hills around here - he has done a few uplifts in Carno and South Wales and is hoping to enter a few events in the summer.

Posted 11 months ago #
scottidog - Member

I've got the freeride giant glory as there were a lot of them around second hand when I was looking so it was easy to get a good deal. Cost me about £700 i think, then another £200 ish for some second hand 888s triple clamp forks.

I'm no pro but I reckon I generally get around pretty well and I am so far from finding the boundaries of what the bike is capable of it's a joke. I've ridden it at Fort Bill, Glencoe, Hampsterley, Cwm Carn, Rheola, Stile Cop, Wharncliffe, Moelfre and Nant Gwythern and it's been great on all of them. Will be racing it this summer and taking it to the alps. Amazing piece of kit.

Posted 11 months ago #
scruff - Member

I have a modified 2010 Big Hit, didnt have any problems with OEM kit apart from the chain guide which was rubbish. Mine was £1100 ish brand new. Friends have bought 2nd hand Giants / Kona / Commencals, alot available but you need to weed out the well used / abused ones from decent stuff. A 15yr old lad will be able to handle a big bike I reckon, he'll have a fluffy beard within a year.

Posted 11 months ago #
nickf - Member

For that sort of money you could get something decent. I got a 4 year old Stab for £700, with excellent condition 888VF2 forks, a rebuilt shock, new wheel bearings and good rims. Tatty as you like, but very serviceable. I use it in the Alps and love it to bits.

But (and it's a big but) it weighs probably 50lbs. For your son it would probably be a liability rather than a help.

My other Alps bike (I have a place out there, so I can sort of justify it) is a Patriot. You can make it as slack as you like - mine is set up as a mini-DH bike - and it copes with just about anything, though obviously if what you need is a proper DH bike, the Patriot's not the right choice.

If you absolutely must have a DH bike, a 223 (or 224 if you can stretch a bit) would be a good choice - they're simple, strong, unchallenging, and cheap.

Posted 11 months ago #
100mphplus - Member

If it were total for the whole period D-W has been running it would muller the SDH figures.[quote]

you think?
[/quote]

I know, as the D-W site owner is a friend In its day it was world renown before Pink Bike and SDH took off.

SDH has actually been going for nearly as long as D-W in various guises, but was regarded in the same light as MBUK forum for it's 'knowledge base' :wink:.

I could even tell you the reasons why everyone buggered off to SDH and Pink Bike if you really want to be bored silly

Posted 11 months ago #
supertacky - Member

DW was over moderated by a bunch of middle aged megalomaniacs.

There I said it.

Posted 11 months ago #
beicmynydd - Member

If you go for a big hit make sure it's got a 26 inch wheel at the back the 24 is limited in tyre choice.
I have got a big hit 3 and for the price it's superb

Posted 11 months ago #
kimbers - Member

if your patient and look out for it its easy to build up a decent dh bike for that money
pinkbike, sdh, ebay, classifieds here can point the way

while a lot of sh dh bike may have been thrashed a lot of people buy a dh bike and for whatever reason never rid ethem properly, too heavy, too slack, too hard to get to trails, uplifts are expensive etc etc
you can pick up some barely ridden gems - you can tell as they often have full original spec, that are great bases for upgrading

eg
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SPECIALIZED-BIG-HIT-1-2010-DOWNHILL-BIKE-MEDIUM-VGC-/170652089041?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item27bba83ad1#ht_1388wt_881
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kona-Stinky-2009-Downhill-Mountain-Bike-/250841728294?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item3a67550526#ht_1128wt_881

Posted 11 months ago #
juiced - Member

mrmichealwright whats your email addy?

Posted 11 months ago #
GW - Member

Steve, Wouldn't call either of them "friends" but I've known Jon (and Dave/SDH) for a very longtime too and being a user of both SDH and DW from the start am well aware how long they've been going. I meant was thread wise (not hit wise, sorry) apart from the very start SDH has always had more topics per day whether you find the subject matter beneath you is entirely up to you.

with regards to the DW tiff, someone else bored me silly (oooh.. er )at the time

Posted 11 months ago #