Thanks Steve, good stuff mate

speedy_gonzales – Member

P.S: Matt are you a guide by any chance? LOL

Nope.

Have you got good tyres? Make more difference than owt else. put some light tubes and loads of talc in their too.

Also, decent pedals and (if you run flats) some 5.10 shoes…. I thought they were overhyped until I got some this winter and discovered how good they are!

For the bars, if you just want wide rather than silly wide, then I’d go for sunline bars – light, nice sweep and seem strong so far (got 2 sets of V2s and no sign of bending in 12 months)

Hey Paule, running V12 mags with 5.10s already, Minion double ply front and rear 🙂

I can’t decide whether you’re for real or not. Hilarious.

😉

bigger pedals and lighter tires then?

Old saints crank here for a good price.

Looking for upgrades for my Scott Gambler DH20, I have a nasty habit of riding as fast as possible and Im prone to wiping out at high speed, so beefy but preferably not too heavy!

What wheels? Been looking at options for maybe MTX-33 or EX721 to replace the Alex Supra BH’s, any suggestions to go on Hope Pro II’s/DT Swiss spokes?

What Forks? Currently has 888 RV’s which Ive been told are a good shock when set up right, I have Fox’s on my other bkes and they seem as good. Was thinking of putting 888 ATA’s on it, maybe 40’s, but cant really justify those at the moment as the RV’s are performing pretty well.

What Crank? Currently has Truvativ Hussevelt DH 1.1 36t, was thinking of putting Saint stuff on it, will this reduce the weight any?

What Drivechain? Has SRAM 5.0 or soemthing, was thinking of replacing this with Saint Shadow kit, will it fit?

What Rear Shox? Currently a Van R coil, is very plush, will replacing with a DHX 5.0 make any difference?

What Bars & Stem? Has some of Scotts own crap on an a Monster integrated stem, super heavy though….

Discuss…… [:D]

Wheels – 721s on Hope Pro2s are what I run. The 721 is a good comprimise between strength & weight. Go for 729s if you’re really hard on your bike.

Forks – Your 888s will be reliable, but the dampening is pretty poor on the RV model. Ideally you want something with external compression dampening adjustment (the faster you get, the more compression dampening you’ll need). Stick with coil though. Air is only OK for <140mm travel IMHO.
Boxxer Teams would get my vote. 40’s are just too expensive.

Cranks – Race Face Atlas FR. Lighter than new Saint, just as strong/stiff, lifetime warranty & any chainring configuration you can think of. They also do them in 5 anodised colours – purple is back!

Drivetrain – waste of time replacing it for the sake of it. Just upgrade things when you break them.

Shock – Get your Van R Push tuned by TFTuned. A DHX 5.0 or a Rock Shox Vivid has more adjustment options, but nothing beats a custom tuned shock for your bike/weight/riding style.

Stem – No longer than 50mm & make it 0deg rise too. Direct mount is nice.

Bars – Try some 30″ers if you haven’t already. Loads more control & a much more agressive riding position. Keep them low rise though.

Other – Soft compound (Super Tacky/3C Maxxis) tyres make a big difference. Minion F/High Roller R for dry conditions & Swamp Things for the wet. DMR V12s are pretty small pedals. I find a bigger platform (Easton Flatboy) is much better. Especially with 5.10s.

As others have mentioned, the bike makes very little difference compared to the rider. Get some skills training if you really want to improve, or book a holiday to the Alps or Whistler. That will make you much faster than parts.

Enjoy 🙂

My Gambler DH10 spec:

DH10 Long with Short dropouts
DT FR2350
Fox 40 RC2
Magura Louise BAT w/ventis
Fox DHX 5.0
Raceface Atlas FR Cranks (83mm BB)
E13 LG1
Kenda Nevegal 2.5 FR single ply with butyl inserts (1kg/tire)
5050 xx
Sram X9

Cranks and those lighter tires are the biggest weight saving I think. Always gone Diabolus on the DH bikes.. but Atlas FR seems just as stiff and a bunch lighter to boot.

It’s about as light as I’d psychologically want to go for a Whistler park bike. Ti spring would shed about a pound i think.. but not worth it for the money.
Built it to the spec I wanted as opposed to hitting a weight.. consequently I’ve not weighed it as thats not really the point of a long lasting DH bike