Beginner with a GT chucker 2.0

Yamanu

Hello. I'm Kristjan from Estonia and i have some questions : P ( Sorry for my bad english )


Right now i have a silver GT chucker 2.0 (M sized frame)which i think i bought back in 2005. It's the one with normal v-brakes and some 'zoom 650 ams' shock absorber. I've been riding DH/Freestyle with it...Nothing big just wondering around... I'd like to have a update to my bike... New disc brakes, new shock absorber and new helmet. (My old breaks are kind a ****d up and the shock absorber is a piece of ****.) The frame itself is good, isn't it(for beginners). i'd just like to have a little update... to try some new things... bigger descents and i'm afraid that my current bike would break down... And i have more questions like..:

What bike is the best, heavy , light or avarage?
What's the right size for disc brakes (160mm would be fine)?
What type of shock absorbers are there?

i'm 16 years old, about 188cm tall and weight about 76 kg.

supersonic

Hi,

1) Depends on usage and budget. More money = lighter weight. Tougher bikes = heavier

2) Again depends on usage. 180/160 would be a good combo.

3) As you have a jump bike, I take it you jump on it? Have a look at the Marzocchi DJ range.

Random Vince

if you're looking at doing dh on it then i'd reccomend the 4X world cup,

if i remember correctly the chucker is a short travel bike so 66's would perhaps be too long.

160mm would be adequate for the back brake

the front brake should be ok with 160mm (its what i've got on mine) but a little bigger would give more stopping power on long descents.

there are a few main types of suspension forks,

coil and oil or air and oil

companies to consider are:
marzocchi
roxshox
manitou
fox

Yamanu

to supersonic:
hmm i'm sorry but i don't quite understand the 1) .. it's my first bike so i haven't tried different weight bikes... Lighter weight bikes are easier to handle? And better for 'freestyle' jumping? What are the advantages / disadvantages of tougher(heavier) bikes?

Mostly i'll be using it for downhill tracks and sometimes also freestyle street jumping in the city.

The weight of the bike is not very important from the update point of view right now because i'm not changing the frame... just wondering..

Maybe someone could clear me that out... cheers : o

supersonic

You dont always have a choice with weight! Cheaper bikes are heavier. If you want lighter weight, but the same strength for the riding you do, you will have to spend a lot of money.

Yamanu

ah, i see. Thnx

Random Vince

heavy bikes take more effort to ride making you tired quicker.

a cheap bike will be heavier for the same amount of strength compared to a more expensive bike that had a team of engineers spending weeks working out how to strengthen the frame without making it too heavy.

the chucker is quite good weight wise.

as you want to do downhill and jumping you want a strong bike (which the GT is)

i mainly ride cross country, so i have a lighter bike which is not quite as strong.


heavier bikes take more effort to maneuver down a trail, however they do better on DH trails as they have momentum to carry you through

Yamanu

Thank you now i completely figured it out. I'm wondering how much does average bike weigh ? and how much the lighter Downhill bikes weigh? Just wondering what's the magnitude...

supersonic

My Zaskar weighs about 22-23lbs, the ruckus 31lbs, and the Idrive 30lbs. All different ypes of bikes though at different budgets. Average 500 quid bike you see with front sus is about 30lbs. DH bikes usually 40lbs.

Yamanu

Ok thanx you for the info. Current weight of my bike : 33lbs