Can i take my XC bike downhill?

pittpony

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum so hello! Its great to see so many enthusiasts happy to give advice

Which leads me on to my question... I'm pretty new to biking and am going to be doing some downhill riding next week (Cannock Chase red run, apparently). Anyway i'm a bit concerned whether my bike will be OK for it. It's a Giant XTC Composite 3 hardtail (2007 if that makes a difference) which i usually use on the road or for light offroad. I know its a XC bike and don't want to come back with a bike in 2 pieces if i can avoid it upfront!!

Any advice on this would be great, whether it's "of course you can use it you numpty" or "don't be daft you fool"

Cheers guys

Nick

Sir HC

You can use it, just be careful.

ddoogie

If you restrain yourself to not doing any big drops you should be fine. Its not going to be a very fast run though!

trail jacker

i take my Gt Aggressor downhill quite a bit, and always worry its going to snap the frame as well. anyway, after 3 months of it, its holding up fine.

ddoogie wrote:

If you restrain yourself to not doing any big drops you should be fine. Its not going to be a very fast run though!

how big is a big drop?

Andy B

Composite=carbon frame?

I'd not take it over 2ft drops, less if you're not a graceful smooth rider.

pittpony

Yeah its a carbon frame which is what i'm concerned about. I bought it to be quick on the way to work but am thinking about pinching my girlfriend's bike for the downhill instead!

Aux1

Well I've been on some downhill trails with the DH bunch (descending and going back up in a van for a few times instead of climbing for 2 hours ). They can do a jump and land on a steep slope and keep on riding because of the more laidback geometry of their bikes, and I think I'd go over the bars because of xc geometry. Otherwise, yes almost everything is rideable. Just that there are some steep sections with roots and rocks and it can get pretty rough on an xc hardtail, a bit less fun and more "survival". Try and find a trail that's less steep and less bumpy and you'll be able to ride as fast as a lightning and have more fun...

And yes, shin/knee/elbow/forearm pads and a full face helmet are a good idea if you go on a downhill run, even when on an xc bike...

Aux1

pittpony wrote:

Yeah its a carbon frame which is what i'm concerned about. I bought it to be quick on the way to work but am thinking about pinching my girlfriend's bike for the downhill instead!

Oh yes, watch for stones being thrown from the front wheel into the frame (mostly downtube). Especially if it's carbon. I'd improvise a bashguard for the downtube if I had a carbon bike on a downhill.

You could cut a plastic bottle vertically in half, put a folded rag inside and fix it around the downtube for example.

gary_fisher3

You'll be fine. Have a look at this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsyCF5UHA9o

As you can see there's no stupidly large drops or boulders. I've gone down on a hardtail a few times (admittedly nothing like as quick as the downhill rigs). Take it nice and steadily and theres no reason to worry about damaging the bike..

pittpony

Thanks for the link, it looks great ! I'm looking forward to giving it a go!

Spanky

So how was it?

Enjoy it? From the looks of that video it's quite a nice little down hill. Ideal for XC bikes unlike some out there which will have you in tears by half way down fearing for your life.

pittpony

I managed to get my dates mixed up and am off this coming weekend rather than last weekend :oops:

My friend has assured me it'll be ok (how much do i trust him is the question?!) but i figure there's no point having a nice bike if you're not going to use it

I'll let you know how it goes!!

pittpony

Just got back home from an excellent weekend biking. Was at Cannock Chase today and took it through the open sections of the follow the dog trail. My mate had said we'd be doing the downhill course but apparently that wasn't the case! It was great fun anyway and my bike is still in one piece (as am I - just about)!