What first DH bike???

I’ve got it in my head that I want to start down hill racing (regional B level stuff/not the full-on gnarr fort bill shizzel). I bought a whyte 120 with the view to the gravety enduro stuff, but as im enjoying this new found love for this style of riding, ie pratting around on local mini dh tracks. I want something more suited to real DH. I feel some what under gunned when the drops get higher and the gaps get bigger on the little whyte.

What would you folks say would be a good first DH bike,the budget is limited for now to £1k second hand or £2kish if its brand new.

Any ideas or advice would be greatly recived

for 1k…

an iron horse sunday.

For a new bike look at the Specialized Status range.

The Iron Horse Sunday looks like very good value if you can find one at £1k but it’s a fairly big jump to go to that from a 120mm Whyte. Also, you may find lots of gremlins in an old second hand bike, like pivot wear or paint damage.

2nd hand Giant Glory or Iron Horse Sunday if you can find one in good nick…

New for £2k? A lad that I ride with has a KTM that cost about £2k and looks like it should’ve been twice that, it’s an awesome bit of kit. Spec is really good for the price, but everything is just so well thought out and designed on it. Will find out the model name and post it later…

EDIT: Its called the KTM Ratchet and rrp is £2449, but he paid slightly closer to £2k for it I think after managing to get a deal on it.

As for new getting hold of the right size can be tricky and even budget full bikes are usually upwards of 2k. Kona, Spesh, YT, Norco, Ghost, Canyon and a few others all do ‘less expensive’ models.

I would advise 2nd hand and go see a few in your area, they all fit alot different to a normal bike. Some will be thrashed to eff with uplift dmaage, some will be hardly used- bought as a nice idea but the owner just hasnt bothered. Ebay and Pinkbike are the places.

Cheap chainguides can wreck your day.
Suspension can be tweaked / tuned / serviced you dont need top end to start with.
Look for bushing knocking and bearings graunch, if its there haggle but remember the bearings are often a pain to replace, often more so than XC bikes.
Check spokes & rim dings.
Check brakes dont have lever blade damage or crimped hoses.
I’d avoid anything with a recent respray, not just for cracks put overspray can be a pain when replacing bearings , BBs, brake mounts etc.

I bouhgt a new cheap Spesh BigHit and replaced everyting on it apart from wheels, probably spent £2k in total.

And you’ll want Fullface & pads etc.

2K new have a look here at YT-Industries bikes

Don’t want to sound like a contrary bugger but think long and hard about whether you really want to do a lot of DH stuff. If its just mini-dh then would something slightly shorter on the travel front be more useful? I had a Canfield and whilst it was fantastic, it was just too good/plush for most of the stuff I did. You have to have some pretty big kickers to get any decent height when jumping on a bike with 8 inches of plush travel and it robs a bit of the fun out of it.

If you do want to go second hand, then a Sunday/Glory/Demo might be a good bet. New for 2k – kona operator, Cube Hanz, that new Identiti frame or a nukeproof scalp built up with second hand bits from SDH/here

Value for money wise, the YT really does blow everything else away at the moment. Would certainly be my choice

Spesh Bighit maybe or a Diamondback or a Norco or a Giant Glory frame. Sorted Kona Stinky?

Buying a used dh bike can be tricky, it’s worth checking for cracks in the stress areas of the frame and also look for dents. Check all suspension pivot bearings, bottom bracket, headset play/bearings, wheel bearings, wear on cassette and chainrings, discs for scuffing and wear, rims for dents and buckles, derailer indexing and fork seals for signs of oil seepage on the tubes.

Otherwise it should be Ok 😉

The YT Tues does look pretty unbeatable for your budget…

YT Tues

if i was spending 2k on a new dh bike….

http://www.cyclelane.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b3s1p3738&rs=gb&vid=11735

Thanks for the advice and guidence folks, sounds like its gonna be quite tricky to get the right second hand ride without abit of leg work, but thats ok. (scruff, cheers for the check list dude)

I must say at first looks the Specialized Status is a gem, but that YT is also sweet as. I can’t find a current uk importer for KTM though, I know they did have one a couple a seasons ago as a mate rode xc for them, but they sunddenly went funny and he lost his bike mid way through the year,,,,,

like flange says though, do i really need a 8-10inch monster for mini dh and regional B level stuff or would something smaller still cut the mustard and not snap in half?

I have a 180mm travel Gaint glory 2009. love it. bought it for a trip to the alps(was going to sell it when i got back). Still got it and ride it loads Trail bike don’t get a look in these days. XCing on my single speed or DHing on my Glory.

Still might sell it if it gose to a good home and i get the right price 😉

Also if i was buying new i would get this for mini DH(so much kit for the money!!!!!) http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/index.php?page=product&info=154

That specialised is pretty sexy! I gotta say, specialized have up’t their game in looks departement of late, my LBS (Don Skenes’) has a seriously sexy Troy Lee special Demo 8.

Where are u going to be riding? Some tracks demand a bigger/slacker bike and others are quicker on mini dh or trail bikes even

That’s kona operator looks a good buy, was checking one out on an uplift at alwinton on sat and thought it’d be more than £2k!

For little more than a grand, i’d focus on a Sunday or a Glory. A well looked after Sunday is just a quick as any bike available today, testiment by the fact of the sheer number of them at the races. Spending another grand isn’t going to get you anything any better, probably worse in terms of spec.

Usual checks, make sure the suspension is serviced, and there is no play in the linkage, otherwise you would be good to go. The other advantage of a second hand bike with a few scuffs and scrapes is you won’t be anywhere near as precious about it when it gets raped on shoddy uplifts.

Sadly the kona is to small, im 6,3 so am looking for a larger bike 🙄

gazc, im looking at events in the south and the midlands, FOD, Astonhill,UK bikepark etc Maybe the honeypot stuff after scottfitz recomendation and vid, it looks a good place to start.

A friend has a YT Tuesday, and has been absolutely delighted with it.

Heres that troy lee designed specialized
http://don-skene-cycles.pinkbike.com/album/2012-Specialized-Demo-8-Troy-Lee-Designs-Limited-Edition/

Sundays can have the shock bushing seized into the linkage or something if not greased in the factory, know 2 riders who’ve had RIGHT grief with this. Pearce Cycles good for Sunday spares.

Heres that troy lee designed specialized
http://don-skene-cycles.pinkbike.com/album/2012-Specialized-Demo-8-Troy-Lee-Designs-Limited-Edition/

May mate ricks is nicer 😉

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/7038537/

That thing looks like a clowns bike 🙁

Sundays can have the shock bushing seized into the linkage or something if not greased in the factory, know 2 riders who’ve had RIGHT grief with this. Pearce Cycles good for Sunday spares.

Due to poor maintenance & people not changing bearings. The linkage axle siezes on the bearing race, and turns in the linkage rather than the bearing race, causing wear, and thus play on the DW link.

It’s not hard to tell, just feels like a worn bushing. won’t happen if you do some maintenance, and not hard, or expensive to fix (link are available for £35 if you really screw it up).

Sunday’s are pretty bomb proof bikes, and suprisingly light for the reliability of them.

My sunday is slower for mini DH than my 4″ travel mini DH bike (having timed them both back to back on the same tracks, and it’s not all down to weight as there’s only 3.5lb difference between them. (bikes have near identical geometry BTW)
the Sunday really only comes into it’s own when pushed on longer/rougher tracks.

pretty pointless buying something like a Glory/Sunday to just ride tame mini DH tracks with the odd drop, but that’s just my opinion do what you want with your money.

What are considered to be “tame”; cwmcarn? gawton? Mendips? Quantocks?
I only mention these as they are local(ish) to me and I don’t know if it’s worth buying a full-on DH bike.

IMO very few tracks in the UK demand a proper DH bike, even for racing.

Edit: Cwmcarn definitely doesn’t need one.

used to ride Triscombe a lot about 10 years back, used my hardtail just as much as my DH bike not a massive difference in times (unless it was minging) the shortness of the hill means a shorter travel bike (assuming decent shock) shouldn’t ever get out of it’s depth.
only ever rode Cwmcarn once (a Dragon Race in the ’90s) way before it got “trail centred” guessing the flat out off camber root section with the compression in the middle isn’t there anymore, the old track was worthy of a proper DH bike IMO, I snapped mine that w/e.
never ridden Gawton and what’s in the Mendips?

Something like a Alpine or a Pitch? It’ll be longer/lower/slacker/more travel than your whyte, but still pedalable up a hill. Took my Pitch to Wharncliffe with Simon and his 222, he was far more knackered than I was after 8-10runs, and I could pedal upto the tops. He was significantly faster than me but A) he’s faster than me anyway, B) there wasn’t a clock so arguably being slower at my limit was just as much fun as him being faster, but my runs lasted longer for the same push up!

Just some home made stuff. Doesn’t need a DH bike really.
Maybe something like the new Patriot, or something smaller like the scott voltage?

Nice cheap DH bike just appeared in the classifieds 😉

First DH bike?

Then I say go for a sub £1k 2nd hand machine, you’ll have no more fun on a pricey new machine, I recommend looking for a proven robust frame and parts, don’t get too hung up on weight or suspension specifics or for that matter the bling, as a privateer DHer you want something that will last a weekend of ill treatment with minimum mechanical grumbles.

Don’t be too picky about the numbers, anything from 150-200mm travel will work, try to get something with a proper triple clamp DH fork if you can, simply as it affords a bit more adjustment height/HA wise and they tend be designed/setup for DH riding rather than Long travel Single crown trail centre forks…

1×8 or 9 Speed drive with a reasoanble chain guide (Superstar do you?) and pretty much any brakes (SLX perhaps?) so long as you have a 200mm front rotor and 180mm or bigger on the back should do the job…

You can pick up some proper bargains if your not too sniffy about paint scuffs or shiny newness; 222/3/4, stinky/stabs, Sundays, Glorys, the odd Demo 8 or 9, Bighits, etc can all be had well inside your budget. Look beyond the as sold spec, any part you really don’t like can be changed…

I don’t really think a £2k brand new DH bike often constitutes the best VFM, especially when you’re just trying the sport out, not once you factor race entries, fuel, tires and other spares and kit/armour/FF lids into the equation….

Plus there the “Justification Factor” where you’ve spent £2~3K before you turn a pedal in anger and you have a mare of a weekend either through lack of talent or the Gods simply not being on your side, it can feel very hard to justify having blown all that money on a bike… crash your arse off on a scrapper and it doesn’t feel half as bad…

Myself – I’ll be racing at Aston Hill this weekend on a bike worth well under £1k, My first time racing DH in about 3 years, still bet I have more fun than some of the people there on shiney new rigs…

1k second hand?

224 for me every time! Or perhaps a Patriot…

Personally I wouldn’t blow that much on a ‘first’ bike in another discipline – especially DH… it WILL get smashed up. Simplicity is key.

Spend less, and use the remainder of the budget to customise it (different tyres, suspension tuning [Loco, Mojo, J-Tech], wider bars, etc).

Perhaps even budget in for some training – Jedi perhaps?

FWIW – I use my 150mm trail bike (Patriot ’00) 10x more often than the 180mm DH bike (222 ’02) – even on the same tracks.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/19-iron-horse-yakuza-dh-bike-275-posted
good starter bike large.

scottfitz thats exactly what i thought, so i took the plunge and bought it….. Gotta luv this singletrackworld forum!
see you at the races…………

xterramac

At the first opportunity, change the forks for some older boxxers/888s.

The difference between those Jnr T’s and ‘proper’ forks is night and day.

And also get a single ring chain device on there, or you’ll be f’in’ your way down the trail and stopping every 2mins to sort your chain out.

Big-up the budget bike crew! 😀

gazc, im looking at events in the south and the midlands, FOD, Astonhill,UK bikepark etc Maybe the honeypot stuff after scottfitz recomendation and vid, it looks a good place to start.

if thats the case i’d recommend a 150-180mm front and rear travel bike along the lines of mini-dh, would be more suited to tracks like FOD/Astonhill from my experiences there. would be fine for midland dh courses and most of the welsh tracks with some chunky tyres on too

EDIT – doh, seen you’ve made a choice. bargain! 🙂

some decent cherry red boxxers in classifieds too, i’d say get them and sell the junior t’s!

Not at the price the boxxers are selling at! I paid around £80-ish for some mint cherry boxxers.

However, I do have some Monster T’s for sale… 😉 175mm of buttery smooth travel.

+1 one change the forks if theres are 180mm get them (look cheap to me)http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1047594/ or http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1044422/

Really don’t buy the Specialized, for that money you can buy a far better specced YT.

Really don’t buy the Specialized, for that money you can buy a far better specced YT.

He bought a Iron Horse Yakuza

He bought a Iron Horse Yakuza

Wonder if it actually works. A bike with blown forks/shock might put him off. The worst bike I’ve ever owned was an older marin when I was a teenager with a crappy pogo stick shock on the back, it scared me lifeless. I went back to a hardtail and soon got some confidence back.