Entry level DH bike.

HardingO
HardingO Posts: 15
edited September 2010 in MTB buying advice
Hi guys
me and my mate are starting to get really into downhilling and im interested in buying a DH bike as at the moment im riding a 120mm specialized fsrxc comp which is not liking the abuse so if anyone could recommend a decent entry level or beginner DH bike price range is probably £3500 max. Bikes can be any year including 2011.
cheers
«1

Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    Is this a joke?
    You can get a very serious machine for £3500, the world is your oyster, pretty much.
  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    Ohh, maybe not that much then ahaha
    what would be a good entry level though
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    If you can afford £3500, then go for it. Find your dream DH bike.
  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    hmm come to think about it, no point spending that much if im shite at dh and only starting, what do you reckon would be a decent price for an entry then
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    As much as you can afford or are comfortable spending.
    Why not rent some or borrow some DH bikes and give it a go?

    Also, the bike you have now should be solid enough to give you a taste of what you can do or can't do on a bike.
  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    ohh okay, thanks yeahh its just my bike can be very odd at times for example the chains snapped when I change gear and if you lock out the rear shock it somehow opens again and when riding some reds recently in forest of dean it held up well but some parts the shock didn't work or my wheel would lock up out of the blue.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    Sounds like it's in dire need of maintenance :?
  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    yeahh i've booked it in for one in a week :/
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    I think it's probably quite important to learn how to do a lot of maintenance yourself if you're going to get seriously into DH riding. The bikes take a hell of a lot of stick, and will need looking after - if you're doing it right.
  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    yeahh, I only really know basics so I will definitely invest in some form of book or something to know how to look after it properly.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    Parktools has all the info you could ever need.
    Check out the tech area of the forum, there's loads of useful stickies and links.
  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    ohh cheerss, urmm 1 quick thing, if I took a DH bike into the woods near my friends which is mainly decents but has some climbs, do you think DH bikes can be used for some trailing and can tackle climbs or are they strictly for flat out decents?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    A proper DH bike will be an absolute pig at going uphill. A genuinely unpleasant experience.

    Maybe if you're looking for a bike that can do anything, you should check out MArin's Attack Trail bikes, or something like an Ibis Mojo, or a Santa Cruz Nomad.
  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    okay I will consider that, I think I may just keep my fsrxc if I buy a DH just for a general use bike, I've been looking around and apparently a commencal supreme DH is a decent entry level ?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    Will you stop bandying around the whole "entry level" thing as if you're skint or something? It's getting tedious.
  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    yeahh...okayy sorry, what I meant was a starter type or something.
  • peter413
    peter413 Posts: 4,909
    Starter is basically just another way of saying budget, go for as much as you are happy spending, no matter what your skill level.

    One thing I would say though, since you are wanting a bike that can be pedalled up the hills but maybe a bit tougher than what you have, maybe think about splitting your budget between two bikes, a DH bike and an AM. For your original 3500 budget, you could still get some very nice machines.

    As Yeehaa said though, best if you can try some out, what works for someone else may not work for you
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  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    ahh okayy thanks, sorry about the whole "starter/entry level" I'm newish to the whole scene so I'm not in on the lingo if that's any justification...
  • peter413
    peter413 Posts: 4,909
    Thats my opinion anyway :wink:

    Because what is a starter bike exactly, most would say a cheaper bike but what if you can afford a better bike from the off, are you saying that just because they are starting out, they shouldn't be allowed a better bike
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  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    Yeah thats a fair point, so back to the commencal ahaa is it meant to be any good ? as the 2010 model is around the 2.4k mark so its not that bad price and evans cycles have sunn radicals at 2.1 but I haven't read into that as much. Any thoughts?
  • peter413
    peter413 Posts: 4,909
    They are both meant to be very nice bikes but as me and Yeehaa already said, best to try them out before you buy, at the very least, sit on one to make sure it fits
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  • HardingO
    HardingO Posts: 15
    yeahh i'll have a look at some different ones to find the right size and feel etc
    cheers.
  • peter413
    peter413 Posts: 4,909
    One other thing you need to think about with DH bikes is spring weights, nearly all use coil sprung rear shocks and quite a lot use coil sprung forks
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  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    If I was you, I'd get on gumtree and look for used bikes. There's always millions of used dh bikes on there, especially lower end ones and things like Bighits and Coilers, because people buy them and either move up, or move on. Ideally you want the latter, someone who's bought one to try DH just like you, but then decided it was rubbish or too scary or too much hassle to get to uplifts or whatever. When it's the former there's more chance it'll be shagged out, people offload bikes rather than fix them.

    Well, I'd try and do a hire first. But most places in the UK, the hire DH bikes suck. At nevis range it's basic bighits and of course they take a horrendous kicking.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    Northwind, you mention Gumtree, I thought that was a London only thing?
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    Nah, it's all over. http://www.gumtree.com/
    Uncompromising extremist
  • jairaj
    jairaj Posts: 3,009
    Just out of interest as Im starting to get into DH too. What is the general ball park figure for a brand new, good mid range downhill bike?

    I need to start saving up but it would be nice to have a rough idea of how much I'll need to save up?

    thanks, Jai
  • peter413
    peter413 Posts: 4,909
    Gumtree's great, it's where I got my old Stumpy from and I have seen plenty of great things on there
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  • peter413
    peter413 Posts: 4,909
    jairaj wrote:
    Just out of interest as Im starting to get into DH too. What is the general ball park figure for a brand new, good mid range downhill bike?

    I need to start saving up but it would be nice to have a rough idea of how much I'll need to save up?

    thanks, Jai

    Basic bikes start at around 1000 and then keep going up from there

    Thats brand new though, you could get something cheaper 2nd hand
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,666
    I'd go for something like a Norco Atomik
    http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/norco-at ... 46617.html

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