…frame and fork (possibly secondhand) for dh and a spot of local xc duty?

I have approx. £450 to start the build.

one one 456 or 456 summer season, depending on how slack you want the head angle. maybe the on one inbred.
Theres also the ragley blue pig.

I want the HA pretty slack

then summer season or ragley blue pig.
what forks you looking at, 140-150 mm?

Sell you a Balfa Minuteman… ultimate slack dh hardtail (it was in 2002 anyway)

Well I have some coil U-Turn Lyriks on my full-suss that I might swap over and then get some new ones for my full-suss (probably Lyrik 170 dh)

I can strongly recommend the ns bikes surge frame, crc had them in the sale, I’ve got a 2009 and its awesome. Bit more nimble and play oriented than a on one, they are raved about by the hardtail dh forums.

Oh yeah, Surge is a very good suggestion.

xc and downhill from the same frame? isn’t that going to compromise your enjoyment of both?

not found that so far on my blue pig…

it climbs very well cos the seat-tube is quite steep, and descends very well cos the head angle is quite slack.

i can understand why some people don’t get on with them – slack head angles can feel a bit weird compared to more ‘normal’ geometry.

luckily, bike designers have finally accepted that not everyone wants to ride around on horribly efficient, dangerous xc race bikes, and have started to offer a few hardtails with sensible geometry.

i love my pig, and there are a few others out there offering something similar.

dialled alpine, on-one summer season, etc.

“dangerous” LOLLERCOPTERS

Alright, easy folks. It will mainly be used for dh, with SOME local xc. I’m not too worried (i.e. couldn’t care less) about not being an xc racer.

I’ll have a look at the NS bike as well. Thanks for the suggestion.

Cotic Bfe

You could also do worse then look at the DMR Trailstar. Nathan Ball has won a few downhill races on his…

I’ve just built one up and took it for it’s first (very muddy!)test ride this very morning. First impressions are good. Seat up, it’s a more than capable of local XC loops whilst with the seat down it almost transforms into a different beast. It’s got a nice twang at the back and Trailstar LT frames like mine can be got for not very much cash. Shop round for a set of 2nd hand Marzocchi 66s and Bob will become a close male relative of one of your parents.

Mine has been constructed from a mixture of 2nd hand parts of here and Ebay and some new bargains from a range of LBS and Internet. The only thing that I anticipate changing soon is the fork. I’ve had issues with it and consequently don’t have a lot of confidence in it.

Pic below for reference.

HTH

Are those rabbits inspectin your brakes?

It’s a little known fact that rabbits have an encyclopedic knowledge of all things hydraulic. Unfortunately their lack of opposing thumbs means that any assistance they can provide is purely on an advice only basis.

BTW, polecats are amazing at indexing gears but it’s better to get the jobs done at separate times.

If your after more of a plough bike then I’d say an Alpine or On One summer season.

If you want something a bit more nimble then a cotic bfe may be a better option.

Forks – Rock Shox pikes are cheap and 140mm is all you’ll need

Dialled Alpine is a right giggle.

BFe

they are nice, but mikey’s budget is £450, and you’re recommending he spends almost all of it on the frame.

Dh-able forks for £80 anyone?

nice bunnies – any more pics?

(Mikey; head angle isn’t everything, but if you want slack you’ve got to put the summer-season, or blue-pig (or mmbop – they’re v cheap) near the top of your list. i’ve also got a trailstar Lt – and it’s actually pretty steep, about 70degrees)

As much as your choice of bike the choice of size will play a big part in getting a bike that does DH well.

Go for a size smaller at least than you would ride for exclusive trail use.

I’ve been through a medium sized Cotic Soul and On One 456s before settline on a small Dialled Alpine, which is really titchy compared to other bikes I own.

A small Cotic BFe would be great also (assuming you’re normally riding medium/large)

they are nice, but mikey’s budget is £450, and you’re recommending he spends almost all of it on the frame.

My BFe was 2nd hand as were the forks – I paid less the £400 for the both of them. Previous to the Talas I used to run the BFe with 55r’s that were £80.

ahwiles,

I have approx. £450 to start the build.

I assume that this will be frame and forks, possibly headset, seat QR etc.

I would think he’d struggle to get Cotic or Dialled at a price that will allow a reasonable set of forks. Shall we say £250 for the forks? That’ll get a decent set of Pikes or possibly 66s, don’t forget it’s for downhill too. So around £200 for the frame. That’ll get either a new On-One or 2nd hand DMR or Ragley with some change.

I think 2nd hand Alpines won’t go for much less than £250, Cotics similar, possibly more. Add to that they don’t often come up for sale compared to other frames.

Just my 2p worth.

£200-£250 for a 2nd hand cotic.

£200 for 2nd hand pikes.

You could easily get both for £450. My mate bought a set of pikes for £140 the other week.

sod my timing!

anyway, yes. there are lots of lovely bikes, but i was merely suggesting we’d veered from Mikey’s budget a tad with talk of Bfe’s and the like…

blue pigs are now £200 new.

summer seasons are even less.

(i’ve got a trailstar Lt frame just hanging up in the shed if you’re interested Mikey? – i’m open to offers)

I think I paid £230 for my Bfe and £120 for my 36R Talas forks. I’ve also got coil Pikes I paid £130 for.

£450 buys a lot of hardtail frame and forks 2nd hand!

So many bargain forks I missed out on!!!

Where were all these advertised?

Lots of very good ideas there folks. I will keep an eye open on ebay.

So many bargain forks I missed out on!!!

Where were all these advertised?

The Talas and Pikes were on here and the £80 55r’s were via Ebay. You have to move fast with bargain priced forks though.

I’ve also got some 160mm Pace RC41 fighters that were something like £150 from the classifieds here.

If you are willing to consider aluminium then you can get some real bargains:

Mountain cycle rumble, Marin rocky ridge/b17 or a Saracen zen for under a hundred quid. You might get a cheap stiffee or chameleon for about 200.

If you are set on steel then as others have said, trailstar, 456 summer season are cheap and will do the job.

Personally I’d look at the less popular brands and try and pick up a bargain. That way you will have more to spend on forks and the rest of the build.

I got a really expensive frame for £110, due to it being a brand that is not trendy.

been riding a 456 SS for a while, raced mini DH and ST weekender on it. Just swapped the frame to a NS surge long as the 456 was a bit big for ‘playing’. Looks mint in matt black 8)

Agree with Kudos100
NS Surge on ebay at the moment.
Also look out for 243 racing (Balfa Minuteman lookalike)

Second hand medium Chromag stylus?

DMR EXALT WITH MARZOCCHI 55 FORKS. GET IN TOUCH FOR A DEAL
DAN