new to the sport, is this a good start?

cooldad

Thewaylander wrote:

dogsdanglies wrote:

after all the response from this I've come to the conclusion that I need to spend a bit of cash to get a half decent bike so I opted for this on finance from winstanleys should be here by next week
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/47565/Saracen_Myst_Pro_2012_Bike
been watching some downhill videos on you tube and think I'll give it a try
just need a hat and some gloves, what else would I need, maybe some sort of body armour ?

Bad ass... this is the equivelant of hitting hte deep end, or taking the pee out of us for fun lol.

but if you have got it then you would be wise to have.

Full face helmet.
Gloves,
Goggles,
Knee pads,

As minimum

Then if you can spend some extra. Body armour is a great idea.

You forgot a bit of experience before you throw yourself down a DH track.
And an uplift.

cooldad

And a hat of course.

Twelly

Am I right in saying that DH bike has a road bike drivetrain?

Also, hats off to sacking the cheap bike idea and going balls deep with a £2.5k bike, wish I had the finances/balls to do that.

Giraffoto

That's quite a change of direction. What sort of riding were you thinking of, and where?

cooldad

TwellySmat wrote:

Am I right in saying that DH bike has a road bike drivetrain?

Also, hats off to sacking the cheap bike idea and going balls deep with a £2.5k bike, wish I had the finances/balls to do that.

Mech yes, and look at the cassette - not intended to be ridden uphill. Not by someone with my puny little legs anyway.

Twelly

The lack of low gearing makes sense but surely that mech will shatter as soon as a small pebble brushes past it on a DH track? I have similar kit on my roadie and it doesn't seem like it would hold up well in a fight with a rock...

Blind Danny Johnson

dogsdanglies wrote:

after all the response from this I've come to the conclusion that I need to spend a bit of cash to get a half decent bike so I opted for this on finance from winstanleys should be here by next week
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/47565/Saracen_Myst_Pro_2012_Bike
been watching some downhill videos on you tube and think I'll give it a try
just need a hat and some gloves, what else would I need, maybe some sort of body armour ?

I've been reading this thread and finding it very entertaining but I never expected this amazing twist in the tail! It's like an episode of Neighbours when 2 characters have just met each other and then next episode they're 'in love' I'm left thinking where the fark did that come from! I genuinely laughed when I clicked on the link. Anyway I'm just getting into DH myself but have been riding just over a year non-DH, crosscountry etc learning general riding skills, all of which seem to apply universally to any type of mountain biking DH or otherwise. I recommend armour and a full face helmet is a must. There's no reason in my opinion why you can't start off just riding DH, some people will disagree but at the end of the day it's up to you and DH is a lot of fun. I also recommend you find some really easy runs to start with and learn the basics (see Freddy Flintoff clip for the perils of diving in at the deep end) also what helped me out loads when I started out was finding a great group of people to ride with, this of course was down to luck that the first group I went out with were nice people and great riders. Always up for a ride and very good for bike advice and riding tips. Anyway it wouldn't harm you to see if there are any other like minded people in your area you can join on their rides. Happy riding.

Plyphon

this has got to be a troll.

no offence if not,

but linking a toys 'r' us bike, then linking a 2.5k DH....

It's like when everyone use to troll the Nerf forums a few years ago

clydefrog

Plyphon wrote:

this has got to be a troll.

no offence if not,

but linking a toys 'r' us bike, then linking a 2.5k DH....

It's like when everyone use to troll the Nerf forums a few years ago

That's what I thought too, and especially when he decided to get a 2.5k bike instead haha.

This pic is appropriate:

bennett_346

This cannot be serious...

Thewaylander

I thought that, but damn i'm hoping he isn't! would be my hero.

snowjho

Plyphon wrote:

this has got to be a troll.

no offence if not,

but linking a toys 'r' us bike, then linking a 2.5k DH....

It's like when everyone use to troll the Nerf forums a few years ago

whats a troll? (please excuse my ignorance)

cooldad

Blind Danny Johnson wrote:

also what helped me out loads when I started out was finding a great group of people to ride with, this of course was down to luck that the first group I went out with were nice people and great riders.

I will exclude myself from that. I'm not nice, and rubbish at riding, but I guess some of the guys are.

Twelly

snowjho wrote:

Plyphon wrote:

this has got to be a troll.

no offence if not,

but linking a toys 'r' us bike, then linking a 2.5k DH....

It's like when everyone use to troll the Nerf forums a few years ago

whats a troll? (please excuse my ignorance)

Green thing, lives under a bridge, my girlfriend does a great impression of one first thing in the morning.