Changing to dh set up

dicobraz

Hi everyone

I am quite new to MTB world, been riding for about 2 years. I've got Trek Fuel ex 5 2011 and want to tweak it to somehow suitable for downhill as this is something I am interested in and did not know at the moment of purchasing the bike. So, would appreciate some tips and general info on how I could modify my fuel.

Thanks

.blitz

Have been down this road meself and basically you will save yourself a whole load of hassle/time/cash by getting a used DH/FR bike.

You will quite easily be able to spend a considerable sum of money making your trail bike more DH-friendly but at the end of the day it will still be a relatively lightweight noodly trail bike which will need rebuilding at the end of every run and also be rubbish at going uphill as well. You will be OK if you simply want to descend on it but when it comes to brakes-off-trust-the-bike-and-physics you need the real deal.

Have a look for a used Spesh Big Hit, Kona Stinky, Scott Voltage FR or maybe a Scott Nitrous/Diamondback/Norco if you just want to test the waters. Beware DH/FR bikes have a hard time of it check the frame & all moving parts very carefully before you buy.

delcol

when i started to ride whistler bikepark before i got my demo, i did the same as you but with my heckler..
i went from a fox 32 tala s r to 36talas rc2 140 to a 160mm travel fork more travel and slacker head angle
shorter stem (50mm)
widerbars (135mm)
better brakes formula mega 180mm front and rear
i converted my rear qr to a 10mm bolt through
and went to a coil shock.
oh and beefier tyres.

cooldad

Do you mean riding downhill, or Dowhill. If the latter you have a lot of work to do:

dicobraz

Thanks for replies!

cooldad haha yeah that probably isn't going to happen!

The initial idea was close to what delcol suggested: fox 36, shorter stem, wider bars, and all around beefier changes chain guide etc to make it more durable and deal with abuse.
But now having to read around and listen to your suggestions, I think i am going to stick to what i have, its not like i am doing 5+ foot drops and big air at this level, and as people say around its capable to deal with light downhill, just being careful with the geometry and now when to trust and no to carve like an idiot.

Therefore, i am going to save my money and go shop for a good DH frame and build it slowly up while i am getting my experience.

Thanks