So I have been really interested in downhill/freeride biking but it seems to be an expensive choice,
After getting let down on a Specialized SX trail frame (the guy said he’d hold it for a few days then sold it for cheaper the day before I was going to get it!! 🙁 ) I decided to pull my dads old bike out of storage

Its working at the moment, but i’m looking to change the wheels and whole chainset next month so any suggestions (especially on wheels) would be great
What do you guys think?…

I’d keep that bike as is, and use it whilst you’re saving for something better. Whilst they were OK in their day, modern frames and shocks are in a different league.

Cut off/shorten the seat post (not slammed) & a shorter stem. Consider some wide bars. Then stick some decent tyres on it. I wouldn’t bother with swapping the wheels or chainset until you’ve killed those. Just make sure the spokes are correctly tensioned, everything is correctly tight and lubed up. Go out and thrash it until you can buy the bike you actually want.

That looks an interesting “DH / FR” bicycle…!

It’s no dh/fr bike so don’t go launching any huge gaps on it. But as said before shorter stem, wider bars remove that water bottle before it removes your nuts, and drop the seat a bit. Most importantly go hit some trails and hhave some fun.