reality check!!

jimh_123

I just posted a question in the buying advice forum about what choice of bike to do 6ft drops on - I've just got out a tape measure - there's NO WAY i'm gona do that! :shock:

I've now deleted it!

Does anyone else find it hard to choose what bike to get cause they think that they want more than they need?

Bungalow Bill

See 6ft is not that high if you work you way up in 0.5ft increments

Stop being a jessy and pin it off those drops lol


I tell myself if I can't do something either it's time to find a new hobby or I man up. 9 times out of 10 I bail and cry like a girl, but that one time you hit it spot on damn it;s an unbeatable feeling!!!!!

My advice to you you though you could do it so go for it, build up slowly and soon you will be nailing 30ft cross overs


Bill.

jimh_123

I reckon i'll look an even bigger jessy when i'm rolling about the ground crying as i pull the seat post out of my butt!!

what sort of pick would you reccomend that i get to learn on then.

thinkin of Kona Dawg or GT Force2

Bungalow Bill

Ive pulled many seat posts out of my butt, and turned a few into bananas =D

How much experience do you have, you said 6ft drops you looking at downhill as well or just play time?

I like the Kona but I'm not a big GT fan. You looked at the Cannondale Prophet, or the Orange 5 perhaps?

Whats you price range?

jimh_123

Been ridin for 3 or so years, i've got a basic Hardrock at the mo and i like doing a few jumps, table tops and drops on it.

I've got a budget of £1500, but not really looking for a dedicated DH machine, spend most of time round 7stanes, glentress, mabie etc

Bungalow Bill

I can highly recommend the Prophet then for what you after it's almost spot on

Also gives you a bit of cash for a few upgrades maybe.

I could sit here and recommend loads of bikes but you can do that yourself searching, should get a few more inputs over the next few hours see what everyone else suggests. But take a look at the Prophet over on the Evans site, I have the 2 as I had upgrades already so didn't need the higher spec model =]

jimh_123

nice one will check it out. Thanks for the input.

You never know in a few months time i'll be braggin about my 7ft drops!!

geordiefreerider

Ya gotta conquer the fear, I had a bad off when I was 18 and never quite got the confidence back, until i got my kona and I felt far more confident than when I had my marin and gt's, so sometimes the bike can inspire you coz im a complete head the ball again now ha ha I would love the money for something even burlier like a marin quake or something similar mine only has 4 inch travel but the frames good so i might upgrade the forks shock and wheels when i can afford it.

jimh_123

yeah the fear's aproblem. Although think i'm gettin more confident the more i go out. There's a large tabletop (well large for me!) on my local trail that a few months ago was just riding over it. But now i'm hittin it at more speed and nearly clearing it. Back wheel is just hittin the lip.
Agrre with you in the bike givin confidence. thats why i'm lookin for a new one. The Suntour forks on my basic hardrock dont give me any confidence!!

bluechair84

6ft is pretty tall, but to be honest when you are landing on a steep enough transition it's not any harder than a 4ft.... or much easier than an 7ft... steep landings look scary but help out a hell of a lot.
I have a prophet. It has two shock positions, FR and XC - in FR mode the suspension sucks nads. It really can't cope with rough rooty techincal terrain so I keep it in XC mode around which the bike was clearly designed. However, when you only need to take a big drop such as a jump spot, that FR mode is very very nice, jumps, berms and drops all handled with finesse so long as the road is smooth. It slackens the head angle so you can tuck in behind the front wheel and let the bike suck up the big hits.
Recommended - and you should get em cheap second hand. I'm a big proponent of bargain buckets and second hands. Guess where mine came frome

realnumber 1

Bungalow Bill wrote:

See 6ft is not that high if you work you way up in 0.5ft increments
.

I would love to find a place nearby that has them getting bigger and bigger like that.

elPedro666

I've dropped over 6' onto flat concrete off the sea wall at Swansea - all you need is a mate with no sense of responsibility egging you on and a gathering crowd of onlookers so you can't bottle it!

This was back in the day on a 14" Barracuda Subway frame with 4" Rockshox Judys, 24" Halos with 3 & 2.5" treads, and the first set of Hope hydraulics in Wales (maybe). It's a little Beast!

But the point is I'm a known lycra-clad XC boy & a bit of a chicken, but I managed it; sometimes your abilities are far greater than you realise just because you haven't pushed them in a while...

I hope this doesn't get anyone into trouble being over-ambitious :roll:

supersonic

This is the problem - one mans 6 footer aint always the same as another. I tend to judge drops flat to flat, but am fully aware a transition can be much more, and much smoother. You can also clear tables with the wheel barely lifting off.

John Stevenson

As a card-carrying fraidy-cat old fart, I view fear as nature's way of reminding you that you have to go to work on Monday in order to pay the mortgage

jimh_123

Problem is I tend to go out ridin on my own. Haven't got other mates to egg me on to do bigger jumps and things and also to learn from.
Although when i get my bike i think i'll join a local club and get out with some people who can show me to do this sort of riding.

Cheers Bluechair on your description of the Prophet. I've seen them about and really like them. Dont know about second hand, always a wee bit warey incase the person who had it was:
"I've dropped over 6' onto flat concrete off the sea wall at Swansea" - elPedro

I think the fear is good, specially when Ian Brown's signin about it LOL. If i didn't have the fear i reckon i'd be spending more time off my bike recovering!!! And I definitely dont want that.

junglist_matty

I honnestly think that mountain biking is a progression sport, you can either go down the XC route and never jump, and use it for fitness and racing, but then its pretty much a totally different sport.

You can go down the freeride / DH route, but you still have to start at square one.

=== BUY YOUR FIRST BIKE, A £500 hardtail or something ===
Bunnyhop,
Small jumps,
Small drops,
Bigger jumps,
Bigger drops,
Some light DH & Freeride stuff
Some northshore riding with small drops, wider boardwalks etc...
Some singletrack
==== TIME TO GET A NEW BIKE - LOOKING FOR FULL SUS ===
Big jumps,
Big drops
Full on DH
Full on Freeride stuff
Northshore stuff with big drops, narrow boardwalks

You don't become a formula one driver overnight, you start out go-karting, then progress, why should it be any different for mtb'ing?

If you don't believe me, just youtube search "Kona Stinky" and you'll get a whole host of videos featuring really really poor riders.

Steve Peat doesn't use a DH bike for 4x, so why use a freeride bike for stuff an XC rider would laugh at - and even worse - video yourself doing it!!!!!

hondafanatic

John Stevenson wrote:

As a card-carrying fraidy-cat old fart, I view fear as nature's way of reminding you that you have to go to work on Monday in order to pay the mortgage

I find myself nodding sagely in agreement with your post...

passout

Fear is there for reason i.e. self preservation, you can conquer fear but remember that it can be well placed too. Otherwise I agree with the others.

jimh_123

Im glad to hear that there are a few other people out there that respect the fear. Good advice in that i should start of small and work my way up to the bigger stuff. But i think thats were i am at the mo. I like playin about on my hardtail and doin small jumps and bunnyhops but think that its a good time for me to get a better bike and start working up to bigger jumps.

I'll still be feared about doin them, but if i take all your advice i should be fine if i work up to it gradually, i hope

If you dont hear from me in a few weeks just direct your comments to my local A&E department

cee

Fear is a funny thing...like said, can be entirely rational and stops you from hurting yourself.

Sometimes though it is misplaced (the northshore example is commonly used....we can ride in a straight line along the white line on a road, or a kerb edge, but take that 2 feet off the ground and it becomes a mind game.)

Generally, I choose to accept that if I have the fear I will not do something even if I have done it a hundred times before. I don't like to start something with the expectation that it will go wrong.

elPedro666

John Stevenson wrote:

As a card-carrying fraidy-cat old fart, I view fear as nature's way of reminding you that you have to go to work on Monday in order to pay the mortgage

Conquer the fear - or just ignore it completely - there's plenty of people happy to fill in for you on Monday John... :twisted:

Seriously though - the point is I am a fraidy-cat most of the time too, usually ending up kicking myself for bailing stuff I should do easily. Sometimes the fear is misplaced.

And the bike was fine Jim - it's still going strong
Although the hollowtech BB did shatter into 5 five pieces a few weeks later on another flat concrete landing :oops:

Coincidence, I'm sure. Glad I'm over all that silliness now I've turned 30... :roll: