Looking for something gravity orientated for first time in few years.

I'm after ideas of what 2nd hand frames to keep my eye out for –

It must be around 6 or 7" travel – coil shock – good geometry – cheap (which usually means something from a 'big' manufacturer – no bad thing in my book).

So far Im thinking of an SX trail, Bullit, (currently got a heckler with a DHX5 coil which is great), or a Reign X (had a normal Reign, again, loved it).

Any common/widely available similar type frames ive missed? What to punch into ebay?

I've also been offered a very cheap Iron horse 7 point frame – my bugbear is it has a DHX5 Air which are awful…

Are these frames any good? Worth it, bearing in mind id have to source a different shock?

Cromag hardtail, I believe, is all you need… 😀

Nicolai Helius FR or better still, Helius ST.
couple of spare hangers too.
good luck finding one – try http://www.gravity-sports.co.uk and speak to Rich.

or a Chromag HT…………….. 😯

well in Neill 😀

yeah, after the 'lesson in hardtail riding post', full sussers are overkill

In fact, bugger it, you can borrow my carbon road bike, just ride it smooth dude

I've done the 'DH' hardtail thing – had an Alpine last summer.

Come on guys – anything useful to add?

What are the Reign X's like? My stock Reign was great, held back by shock, so with slacker Geometry and a coil they must be pretty nice, no?

how cheap ?

Can't go wrong with any of the mentioned choices. If you are here for a while, factor in tyres and brake pads!

I took a Bullit last year and it was bloody great fun. For me it was just the right amount of travel for getting me down in one piece. Where were you when I was trying to sell it this year?!?!

orange blood……….

How long are you going to be in Whistler for? A season, or just a holiday?
Will you be riding the Bike Park only or any of the other trails in the area i.e. the North Shore? Will you be pedalling up, or just riding down?

If you are being offered a good deal on the steel donkey, its well worth considering. The DW suspension works briliantly, and with a dexent coil shock would be a great bike. Like a mini sunday i guess.

Few of my riding mates were out there this year just gone – they have both bought Bullits for next years trip.

We all seem to have come full circle and after riding progressively lighter and more 'XC' type bikes for the past 5 years or so, we all want to start mucking about on jumps drops and DH's again.

I may give the IH a shot, cos it is very cheap at mates rates.

What are the Reign X's like? My stock Reign was great, held back by shock, so with slacker Geometry and a coil they must be pretty nice, no?

Reign X's are awesome. If you liked your Reign, you would love the Reign X. As you say, it's a Reign with a slightly slacker head angle and a better shock (well most of them have coil shocks fitted anyway). I love mine, in fact the only thing wrong with mine is that mine is one of the ones with the Fox DHX Air fitted, I want to put a coil shock on it. But the geometry is spot on, it's as quick as most anything down hills, yet can actually be ridden back up if needed! I've owned a Bullit before which was a nice bike, but suffered from being a bit flexy, and the very short back end meant it was less stable. Likewise the Specialised SX trail has a very short back end. Great for manouevrability but less great for high speed stability, and it can make you wheelie up hills all the time!

I'd reccomend the Reign X for defo out of all your choices, and even better, they seem to fetch very little money 2nd hand compared to Bullits and Spesh SX's as they are a relatively out of fashion frame. I've seen VGC ones fetch about half what you might expect to pay for a Bullit on Ebay. Just get one with the coil shock though, cos as you probably know, the DHX air does blow through its travel a bit too easily.

Not ridden the 7Point, but ride a 6Point with a PUSH'd Van R shock which makes for a great bike. Good for pedalling, but builds up pretty sturdily. With 150mm rear and 83mm BB it might be harder to build up with bits you have lying around – maybe not.

Compared to an Orange Patriot, which it replaced, it is quicker up and down, but not quite as slack, so needs a little more 'rider input' at times.

Mountain Bike.

Cove G-Spot

This… yours for £250

Chumba EVO, super tough, slack and won't weigh a tonne.

Have you ever been? Sx trails, Reign Xs etc will tackle everything over here for sure but whistler is a real bike breaker with some of the most technically challenging trails in the world if you choose to ride them. It's not all A-line, not by a long stretch.

It really does merit a big bike with triple clamps if you really want to let rip, which will probably work out just as cheap. A 224 would be ideal but maybe not realistic.

Chumba EVO, super tough, slack and won't weigh a tonne.

U.G.L.Y. that bike ain't got no alibi

What's with the steep 68 degree h/a & stupid high BB on a suposed FR bike? Nice 120mm stem too.

Clueless.

i have also been thinking about a 'bigger' bike
looked at the bullit, sx trail and reign x
what about norco?
did see 7 point on ebay yesterday and was watching a 2006 patriot that went for just under £400

Had a Reign X thought it was great

but not very responsive on the flatter stuff (which wont be a problem out there!) it did pedal well when you were either cranking it or grinding up hills. pivot bearings did go every so often though and when they do the rear of the bike can step out of line and rub the frame so make sure you replace the bearings and catch them early if there going. Other than that great fun to ride, nice and drifty and loadsa standover when you launch it! If your out there for a while have you looked at the Glory fr they sometimes go cheap?

Never ridden a bullit they look fun and I just got an alipne 160 which I absolutely love!!!! Mainly I think because of the single pivot and the weight saving.

Hope it goes well!

x

If your playing in the park DH bike with coil,
the xc trails are very sustained riding fitness wise on a xc bike

There isn't a idea bike for both, next time I'll take a bike for the park & hire a bike if I go to Tyaxs or the like again

in this day and age, there is no reason for a bike to be that ugly!

I went last year & took my Giant Faith,fitted with 200mm 888's,spent 2 weeks in the bike park,& tbh that bike was too much bike for the trails in there.
Went again this August & took my RFX,170mm 66's,around 10lb lighter bike than the Faith,& it was ideal for the bike park.

Gary_C

I went last year & took my Giant Faith,fitted with 200mm 888's,spent 2 weeks in the bike park,& tbh that bike was too much bike for the trails in there.
Went again this August & took my RFX,170mm 66's,around 10lb lighter bike than the Faith,& it was ideal for the bike park.

I don't really think you can have too much bike for regularly doing 15ft step downs and 40ft table tops. Too heavy perhaps but not too much travel. To each his own I guess.

Aye, for all the willy waving about hardtails, which country blah blah blah is the most gnarly, I've ridden in the Bike Park on my Dialled 853PA, Bullit, and most recently my Session 10, and the most FUN by far is the Session 10. Maybe not ideal for cycling up to the Flank trails though, so depends if the OP wants a strict park bike, or something that can do everything in the hairier.

As for that Chumba, I quite like the look of some of the others, but that one is impressively bad!

that bike was too much bike for the trails in there

Ride faster.

If you are looking for a second hand bike I'm thinking of selling a 2008 Brodie Zealot frame and/or fork. There is a review here and here . It's a Canadian 6" travel bike so I'm sure that it would be ideal for Whistler, but it is just to much bike for me and I can't use it anywhere near its limit.

bigger the better fot whistler, a reign x would be undergunned in the bike park IMO. I rode a Faith when I lived in BC for a year with triple crowns..

Mate has just been out there in the last month or two and reckons pretty much everyone has at least 8" travel. He was doing it on his Meta 5.5 and I think he's fairly fecked it. 😛

You've got to give a SC Nomad a try. Seen a few guys doing the Scottish downhill series on them so plenty tough enough. Most have coil shocks and 160 forks, but 180's are perfectly OK. Did a run on one last year while my bike was having some work done and was amazed at how well it pedalled uphill as well, and that was the old model.

Being a US west coast brand you will also be able to gets bits easily if you break anything while you are out there

snotrag,

i built a bullit up for a d/h trip earlier this year and it was awesome
although you wouldn't want to be pedalling up on it!

i don't really use it much (but don't want to sell it either) so you are welcome to borrow it for your trip

Depends how easy you want to make it for/on yourself.

I rode a 6" F&R Turner on my 2 trips. Managed to ride all (I think) the double blacks in the park on it, but there was a LOT of gritted teeth, hanging on for grim death and bricking it going on. You could get away with your Heckler if you wanted to, but it would be "get away".

If I was buying a bike specifically for that area I'd look at something like an SX Trail or a Reign X with 'zocchi 66's or Totems on. Damn capable so long as your smooth but still gives you the option to explore further afield than the bike park, which is WELL worth doing.

Big brakes and the biggest stickiest tyres you can find!

i'd go for a big hit (you can pcik one up very cheap) or a Demo 9 with some triple clamps