Went to the YT demo day in the FoD yesterday and got a good amount of time on the Carbon Tues.
As I kinda expected however it felt long and sluggish on 90% of the stuff there, the only places I found it really excelled were on rougher parts of corkscrew and Mr Rooty where the travel/geo comes into play.
On the rest of the tracks I felt the capra was faster as it was easier to turn and pedaled a lot better as expected.
I've been weighing up a dh bike for a while but I'm struggling to think of places in the south west where it would be better suited to than my spitfire. All I can come up with is gawton, triscombe and maybe the blacks at bpw.
Now I really liked the Tues on the few bits in the FoD that warranted it but I can't think of many places where I could really use a dh bike without moving to the alps!
As much as I love gawton I can't think of anywhere else down in Devon/Cornwall that warrants a dh bike. My mate sold his demo and bought a Capra and I swapped my dh bike for an alpine 160 a couple of years ago and have no regrets.
As above, I loved riding my DH bike but I can't afford one and a 160mm bike so I sold it. If I could afford to keep another one I'd have one in a heart beat (selling my undead for this very reason).
Dh bikes are very expensive toys, if you can afford to keep one do it and just use it every so often for a laugh!
Gawton, Chipshop, FOD, BPW, Cwmcarn are all a good laugh on a DH bike
Triscombe is pretty awesome on a DH bike and there's the availability of an uplift at weekends there as well.
I think the Capra is enough bike for anywhere in the UK apart from actually racing DH, but most of the local guys I know from Triscombe area own a DH bike and a 140-160 bike as well.
And you'll ride the Capra more often as it's much more versatile
The shop you bought it from...;-)
is that triscombe on the quantocks? Didn't know there's a dh track there. I tend to explore the trails at the west Quantocks head end. I do get as far as triscombe but not dropped down the north side of the hill. If you know the area drive to the parking spot at staple plain at the far end of the quantocks, go up the hill on the right hand trail, follow it as it curves round to the right. You'll come to a bit where there's a grassy patch on the right, that's the drop in for weacombe, a great trail that drops quite a decent way.
Only thng is once you're done its a bit of a hike up to the top again 🙂
I usually start near the bottom and climb up, do my trail riding around the top and then finish with a blast down the welcome descent - but then I'm not on a massive dh bike!
is that triscombe on the quantocks? Didn't know there's a dh track there.
There is about 20.
I think the choice between an enduro bike and DH bike comes down to whether you want to race DH and be competitive. If you aren't, then get an enduro bike that'll be 90% as fast downhill and about 300% faster everywhere else.
Some scary new tracks seemed to have popped up all over Great Wood from the UkGE too...
They aren't that new, a rehash of some old tracks.
Although I've seen some vids of some massive gap jumps on the triscombe uplifts Facebook page that I can't quite place where they are.
If what I saw on my way home on Thursday is any indication, Filton Avenue in Bristol.
Sounds like I might have to go explore triscombe then...I'm assuming there are also non-crazy but still fun trails through the woods there i.e. not huge abyss-like gaps
I ride all the triscombe tracks on a 120mm hardtail most of the time these days so you don't need loads of travel, can't remember the last time I took the full susser out. That's not doing all the big gaps though obviously 😆
There is a massive gap jump near the top just where the fireroad splits if you were climbing up cockercombe 😉
Cafe side at Haldon has some massive ones too that would warrant a proper d/h bike.
Seen that one over the drainage ditch?
This is the one I can't place.
I must have ridden past the drainage ditch one I don't know how many times before I spotted it! Will have to keep an eye out for that one in the video, looks like it hasn't been there long.
how about a 100mm HT? just stretched it's travel from 80mm today...it's an old fox fork before they had the spacer inserts, had to do hammer out a pin and everything. Feeling smug about it 🙂
(oil everywhere but by the end of it I'd managed to get the right amount back in and they're working awesome!)
I've got a 120 full sus as well which might be more appropriate but I definitely lean towards the more XC than DH side of all-day riding/enduro...though I gather in today's vernacular enduro means full-face and 27.5 with 10-inches front and back.
my usual route to Triscombe is climb straight up from Bicknoller and then head along the top. great trail with epic views. Think I will have to save myself for when I reach triscombe next time and spend an afternoon exploring there. Energy bars and cake in the pack me thinks...