[Closed] Quirky DH frame, but which one??

superco silencer

no, I've never ridden one but want want want! rave review in dirt

Foes RS7?

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Perfect UK DH bike. Its what will replace my fly for the 2011 season if I can save up my pennies!

The Uzzi isnt really a dh frame is it?

What about the new Transition? Dont know what its called but it will be solid as **** and wont break (unlike that mondraker which is bound to)

SuperCo or Brookie - one day I will own a Brookie Racelink!
Lapierre - looks lovely
Intense 951?
Q Bikes Empire (I think thats what its called) - a bike that just looks fast!
Last (can't remember the name of their DH frame but it looks awesome)

Empire bikes, looks very different (made from girders in Lancashire), or ancelotti for something even more bespoke and selective. I suspect with either you would be the only one on the mountain with those bikes.

Morewood Makulu doesn't look like it would break, and also looks very tasty.

I don't know much about DH bikes really though.

check out the K9 Dh001-s or Empire and +1 one the superco! and Brooklyn

Canfield Brothers Jedi

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Transition TR450 or Evil Revolt? Or how about the new Sunn Radical, they look ace....

Foes have never really caught my eye, but to be fair, that is a nice bike.
Intense 951, nice and yes I have considered it
Empire are supposed to be very heavy are they not? I weigh 10 stone so a small flickable bike is really important.
I will check out the others.
Intense Uzzi, no not a DH bike but I only get to ride a couple of times a month at the moment. I have a pitch and the GT. Given the choice, I will always go for the GT. The Uzzi is capable of both FR and DH and is a great Alps tool. I could justify the cost of an all rounder as it will be replacing two bikes. But, then I also do the odd XC ride!.

Intense SOCOM, and available for a great saving right now at Rutland.

Socom's also have a tendency to crack like a bastard on the on swingarm i know at least two people that have been through several rear ends.

The 951 is a proper DH race bike.

That Foes will probably outlast most stuff - my fly is a 2002 and still going strong.

Thanks for the warning on the SOCOM. I was seriously considering one at that price, but I don't care how good a warranty is, I don't want stuff to break in the first place.

id take a gamble on the mondraker summum myself, looks lovely to my eye

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http://dirtmountainbike.com/news/exclusivenew-mondraker-summun.html

Empire AP1. With Ti cane creek double barrel, obviously.

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belongs to rudiboy off here

Actually at that price i would be tempted, its half the price of a 951 or RS7 and they are pretty good on the warranty. Plus there's no guarantee that the later models also suffer from the cracking problem.

Uzzie or foes for me

New Rocky Mountain Flatline looks pretty nice, not as swoopy as last year, always liked Rocky Mountains.

[url= http://www.nicolai.net/products/e-frames.html ]Nicolai[/url]?

I'm becoming more and more convinced that it makes f*** all difference what frame you have (I've been shopping/mullingit over for a while)

Dirt are having a love-in with anything that runs BOSS suspension (this years CCDB, next year's will be Elka)

That and any bike they can run in some way different to the recomended setup. A V-10 with less sag (making the last 2" nigh on imposisble to reach), or a marin trail bike with 50% sag (so it's riding on the bump stop).

A must say a V10 is the only other bike than a foes im considering myself. Its the only bike ive got on other than my fly that has felt right from the word go.

Scroll down towards the 2nd half of this page. Take your pick!

http://dirtmountainbike.com/dirt-100/2010/page/2/

I love my Intense 951 which is amazing for DH days and I've just built up an Uzzi VP for kicking about in the local woods and for riding the Alps/Mega/Utah this year. The Uzzi is a pretty impressive climber and feels very nice on the descents...can't wait to get it out on the mountains.

I'd certainly recommend the 951 for DH...but the Uzzi has good potential for a wider range of riding if that's what your after?

I would get out a test ride a few bikes.

That Superco is the definition of fugly imo!

How about the K9 DH001? I've ridden this and it's the best tracking suspension design I've ever tried, doesn't bob at all and yet sucks up all the bumps perfectly, Cane Creek Double Barrel rear shock also very tasty!

http://dirtmountainbike.com/zfeatured-box/2010-dirt-100-k9-dh001s.html

all absolute rubbish 😀 Instead, i recommend a brooklyn machine works racelink, if you have the cash handy.

There's an ex-demo Evil Revolt medium frame going for £1800 at Bikeactive, btw.

[url= http://www.2stagebikes.com/cs/default.asp ]2-stage ?[/url]

The 951 suffers the same flexy back end of most Intenses unfortunately.

You really need to try & ride a few bikes. I wouldn't discount anything on weight like the Empire, they ride very very nicely. You can still build them up around ~40lbs.

I've built up one of these for my Alps trip later in the year.

Frame: Intense 6.6 SS
Fork: Rockshox Lyrik
Shock: Fox DHX5.0

Thought about a full-on DH bike, but I'm not really a DH sort of rider. More XC jey-core, but trying to be a bit more freeride gnarly (and failing at the moment)

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I really like the new Glory's. But probably not quirky enough.

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I've just become the importer/distributer for Karpiel and Duncon frames. We're launching properly in the next couple of months. I have a short size Disco Volante in stock - review coming out in either next months Dirt or the month after. Previously seen in MBUK Super Bikes.

Disco Volanté Frame Details

Priced at £2225, and I can do you some free stuff too - pedals and headset. Alternatively there's our 'cheaper' brand, Duncon who do the Cane Corso at a considerably cheaper £1199 (again with free stuff for the black model) or an even better price on the white which has two paint chips from transportation on the inside of the chain stays. Both in small.

Duncon cane Corso Frame Details

All frames have a 2yr warranty and are definitely different and quirky!

If you're at all interested feel free to give me a call - 07920293280.

Cheers,

James

Balfa BB7
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Mongoose BootR Team?
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Hob Nob have you every ridden or sat on a 951? its rock solid...no lateral flex at all. Even the new Uzzi which doesn't have the same rear end as the 951 or new SS is pretty stiff.

0pt1cal - yes, one of the regulars in my riding group has one. I looked at it and have ridden it a number of times, it was on my shortlist as a replacement for my Sunday.

Granted its not as flexy as the Socom, but it still has a lot of lateral movement.

Personal preference and all that though, it doesn't bother some people, but it did me.

If your worried about flex than Foes are by far the stiffest rear ends of any bike i have ridden.

For the record, ALL Mondrakers carry a lifetime warranty for the original owner.

Fabien Barel ran the same frame for all the world cups last year with no issues at all. That's gotta mean something no?

Richie

wheelz. Just ordered an Intense Slopestyle in red on offer at Rutland for £1100. Going to fit RS Lyrics on offer at £425 from CRC. Bargain! Can't wait to build it and ride in the Alps this Summer. Yours looks great! How does it ride?

Rotec RL9 or Last Herb would be my choice.

Rather than trying to be different, just go with what works - 224?

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I haven't really given it a proper run out yet sola. It pedals surprisingly well uphill on the local trails though, which was a bit of a surprise.

I have a normal 6.6 as well, which is marginally better on the climbs, but that's probably down to being able to reduce travel to 140mm on the Fox 36 Talas that is fitted to it.

Braaap!!!!

Chumba are also offering a grass roots deal, mail me for details!

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http://www.sicklines.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/12918/size/big

ChunkyMTB, where's that pic from? New DHR, yum!

Shipping early spring.

If you want quirky:

http://www.nicolai.net/products/e-frames/e-lambda-st.html

what you realy want is one of thease [img] ?t=1262894227[/img]

😀

Intense Uzzi 😆

what about Transition Bikes? They have a dh bike and FR bikes.

when Louis from K9 popped round - seemed one of the most knowledgable suspension types to me - full on DH isn't our current market - I'd leap on K9 if/when they offer a more trail travel machine.

For what you get included, it's a bargain - a real personal setup.

Gimme an email if you want to chat more, it's still something we might offer..

Both been mentioned before, but the new Transition looks lovely, and the Mondraker looks good as well.

the k9 good but limited availability spent an afternoon with the desiner talking about suspension at AW Cycle they have a unbuilt evil if your interested

Brooklyn Racelink.

http://www.brooklynmachineworks.com/

Ref the Mondraker...

Trek Session also comes with a long guarantee for a DH frame, doesnt mean they dont crumple or snap easily. They are also tight on their 'crash replacements' rather than 'warranty'.

Personally, i'd take something 1/2 or 1lb heavier, just so it didnt break twice a year or dent on the first run.

J

Session 88 frames only have issues if hacks don't make the trannies.... They are DH race frames designed for people who know what they are doing, not huck machines for weekend warriors.

jamie, re the Trek, Yawn.

Some fantastic ideas, thanks, I do like the Mondraker and if t has a lifetime warranty, that helps towards stopping the worry. Problem with warranties is service. i remember the Commencal problems a year or so ago, great warranty, but took 3 months to get the frame back to you, which isn't really a warranty.
Turner DH is lovely but have a deep seated mistrust of low GOG swingarms. I my mind, a wide spaced 3 bar gives far more support to the bearings. i have a tendency to flick out the rear on landings which causes a huge amount of lateral stress on the bearings. I always picture, rightly or wrongly much more stress on this area for bikes like super dh's Ancilloti's, evils, dhr's etc.
I had an old DHR which had an ovalised pivot bolt housing, that went to the skip as it was unfixable and was too old to warranty.
Walleater, Disagree I'm afraid. I would suggest that you would get far more stress on a frame from a full on dh run than from weekend warriors. Either way, there are confirmed issues with the 88 which for the price of the frame, I wouldn't accept. It annoys me when bikes are released and have problems. If your average joe can break a frame it hasn't been tested properly and shouldn't be released.
It is however a lovely looking frame.
hanks all, keep it comming!!

There is a Nicolai Ion in Medium for sale at the moment - complete bike. From what I can see, it was team bike given to a guy in Neath, South Wales to race on. He's had it on eBay for £2k and now on the Dirt forum with a second post saying 'really need to get shot of this, make me an offer seriously, you never know' or something. Maybe he'd take £1500?
The Ion is a great frame (I have one in large) and has a fantastic warranty that is transferable between owners. It's built tough, but then maybe tougher than you'll need being 10 stone?

i'm going to mention BMW racelinks again, but if you're not tempted, what about the Eric Carter designed mongoose?

here's an example:
http://www.moredirt.co.uk/ratebike.php?id=1513

Jamie@Balfa

The point is that if Mondraker are confident enough to offer a life time warranty then they are clearly very confident in the strength and quality of the Summum.

You also appear to be slightly confused by Treks warranty compared to crash replacement. If its crashed and as a result is damaged, thats not a manufacturing defect so will be covered by a discounted crash replacement. This is something that Trek dont even have to offer, its a good will gesture to look after their customers. You cant expect crash damage to be covered by a warranty.

Whatever Walleater speaks is the truth, as hes a true
[b]:North Shore Hero:[/b]

Personnally, Id have a nicely polished custom Nicolai.

[url= ]piccie[/url]

Banshee Legend mk II

Canfield Jedi

tooFATtoRIDE - Member

Canfield Jedi

Why is yours always up for sale then?

Sola - still the Red one you want yeah? 😆

Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no, oh I don't know!

Yep, definitely Red thanks. I like to keep things looking clean and tidy, and I just know the 'works' finish would annoy me after a while.

Just checked, and the 1.5 King does come with the new fangled bearing preloader, so good news.

LOL Scruff etc.

Englishmastiff, the Trek World Cup team rode Session 88 frames without incident last year, and a pretty talented mate rode his Session 88 in Whistler Bike Park, again without incident, and also a workmate did the same. Sure, they are not the strongest frames out there, but they are not designed to be. People want really light DH stuff, so they have to pay the price, financially and otherwise if they are heavy on kit.

Walleater,
agreed, but I and 99.99% of people who buy it are not world cup riders. How do we know there were no problems?? not something they would advertise unless it were a catastrophic failure on TV. Team bikes are replaceable items.
If you are putting something to market, you need to make sure that you are 100% happy with the product testing. For Trek, there is no excuse to release a sub standard product.
Go back to GT's DHi, how many rear shock mounts failed? That was not due to "weekend warriors", it was due to bad design, bad manufacture and unforgivable product testing.
Then the next GDHi (which i ride but with the up rated 08 swing arm). Again the distributors and gt know that the majority of swing arms cracked. Weekend warriors? No, GT trying to release the lightest stock DH bike ever made. Did they succeed? yes they did, but they released a product only fit for team riders who didn't pay for the frames and have another 3 in the team van should one fail, not for the likes of you and me.
In fairness, GT should have taken a battering in lost sales through customer confidence failing. Somehow, they survived but with two flagship bikes in a row having serious problems, they should have paid the ultimate price.
I know a bloke that is (or was) riding a 88 with epoxy and gaffer tape holding the frame together, a very talented rider by all accounts.

Love all the suggestions and there are some really unusual frames. Thanks for the help and again, keep them coming.

There is a Nicolai Ion in Medium for sale at the moment - complete bike.

2nd vote for Nicolai Ion... Not that I've ridden one mind, they're just the most awesome looking bike ever IMO!

is anyone on this thread interested in the performance of any of the bikes mentioned???

the only comments seem leveled at the 'looks' of the bike or the perceived strength of the frame and the perceived aftersales back-up.

If i was spending a lot of money on a DH frame i would be first thinking about the ride of the frame that i am looking for, then finding something that suits.

Do you want a really light flickable bike with a lively suspension feel, for tighter techy courses.

Or, a stable bike that feels solid at high speeds.

Or, adjustable geometry.

What shock do you want (one of the most important things in my opinion)

Loads of other similar questions to ask yourself

Remember that 'warranty' covers manufacturing defects and not flat landing 10 foot drops all day long and bouncing off the bottom out stop. This is abuse of a frame, if it breaks you have to buy a new one. If a weld cracks due to fatique, you have worn it out!

A full season of riding everyday in the Alps or Whistler is fatique. Most bike's 'lifetime' is deemed to be a lot less riding than a full season of riding every day. Maybe two rides a week for 2/3 years would/should constitute the lifetime of an aluminium frame? All aluminium frames have a 'life' and will fatique somewhere.

Trek offering a crash replacement is very kind of them

Fit for purpose, are you buying the right thing???? If you want a lightweight race frame (trek, GT etc) then don't huck drops all day long and case jumps a lot, or ride a full 'season' on it. Race it. If you want to ride a bike hard, flat land drops etc then buy a frame suited to this.

The best bike I ever owned;
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Just a thing of beauty and craftmanship to see in the flesh. Forget Intense or any other 'boutique' crap, Brooklyn-made with love by Joe&Doc.

Or at least they were till Doc left to set up Superco and to leave Joe to make fashion fixies. 🙁

Superco silencer then but sell a kidney/wife/house now and get saving.

edit to add some more sex wee pics.
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Its safe to safe I had the Brooklyn illness real bad;
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Good old 4130 Chromoly, jackshaft drivetrain for bob-free pedalling, brake arm for isolated braking. The best suspension ever made for a bike-forget the joke that is Fox, Avalanche Racing-custom valved to your weight&riding style, had one on a previous bike to the Brooklyn-the best money I ever spent on bike suspension.
Long low bikes for stupidly high speed Alps riding, stick to the floor plough bikes with bottomless travel when coupled with the Avy fork.

Would last an Alps season for every year for the rest of your life and still be going strong.

The only time I've shed a tear in the last 10-15 years was when I packed mine up to send to its new owner in Norway.

Would last an Alps season for every year for the rest of your life and still be going strong.

Absolutely, and for the kind of person that's going to be doing that, they're unbeatable. Problem with Racelinks (and I've ridden a couple) is they're literally too good at what they do. For hitting big drops and riding mega gnarly courses all day long, every day, they're unbeatable. But for a DH race bike, they're too heavy, too tall (BB isn't exactly high, but it's an inch or so higher than most DH race frames) and probably not slack enough for all out high speed stability.

They are damned good fun though, in an "I feel totally invincible" kind of way.

how about knolly's new dh frame, seem pretty well made owner/seemed pretty sound when i was thinking of getting a delirium

I always liked the daft look of the old RM flatline. Too much bike for me though.

Ancillotti.

or

Appalache Real.

In my opinion these bikes seem to have the most character of anything out there. Surely the positive side of Quirkyness is Character?

All other bikes seem a bit too popular, common, unstylish, boring, etc. Both of these bikes have bneen around for a while but still look modern and stylish. They both look even better in the flesh.

Also, they both have a good race pedigree. Go for the Real if weight is important, the Ancillotti if ploughing is more important to you.

The only other option is to go for an old design classic. What about a Yeti DH9. This would still win races and still has loads of character.