Recently watched some clips on YouTube of the DH trails at Cwmcarn.
Anyone been?
Could my remedy handle it or would I be better off hiring a DH bike for the day?
Your Remedy will be perfect. I do it on my 575 and it hasn't killed it yet.
The GB XC Talent Team used to train on the DH on their Trek 9.8 carbon hardtails...
We went with someone who had an XC hardtail, flat bars, short travel, the lot. He was quite happy riding the DH on that. First times I went I rode it on my 4" travel Trance and was perfectly happy. Ride what you've got
Rode it on my rigid singlespeed. I wasn't fast and couldn't keep up with Son1 on his FS, but it was fun. Run what you brung.
What a bonkers question! You buy a long travel mountain bike and wonder if it can handle a bit of UK mountain bike trail riding? Surely the question is can YOU handle it?! 🙂
i would say you have the perfect bike, tbh a downhill bike would be overkill
I've ridden the Fort William WC DH course on a Cannondale Scalpel, 68 mm soft tail with 80mm headshock - bike and rider survived ok, but no course records were set. It's more about the rider than the bike...
IME: You might go faster on a DH bike, but not fast enough to win anything & you prolly won't learn anything
Perfectly valid question. Look at the uplift van on any given day and you'll see it full of 8 - 10" DH bikes.
The Remedy will be fine and so will you. Just wait until the stormtroopers have disappeared and make your way down.
You'll be fine on that bike, be aware most STW people are riding gods and probably take singlespeed rigid 29ers on the pleney..... 🙂
BTW anecdotal evidence gathered over the years suggests that quite a few first-timers at Cwmcarn read about it online and turn up underprepared. Don't underestimate quite how tough a DH track it is.
Do make sure you take some elbow and knee pads though. A full face helmet is a good idea too.
Yep you'll be fine, pads are a good idea though.
I've ridden it on my cyclocross bike, once, it wasn't fun 😉
LoCo - MemberI've ridden it on my cyclocross bike, once, it wasn't fun
Nice. Did you hit the drop from the road?
Yep backflipped it 😉
no minced down the side, crimping 😯
I'm not doing it again
LOL.
Just goes to show you can ride anything that's rollable on any bike, I guess. Prefer to be going flat out on a bouncy bike though.
Agree with what the others have said...I ride it on my HT as often as I can and don't have "downhill god" abilities. All I would say is take the right hand line at the road drop the first time, you don't want to end play too soon!