Best 2nd Hand Downhill Bike for £5-600?

a2hgo

A couple of months back I bought a Cube Acid and did a few XC trails, just recently I've been giving some downhill tracks a go and much prefer it however the bikes clearly not cut out for some of the drop off, loose sections, harsh roots etc.

I've got someone coming to pick the Cube up tonight and have around £5-600 to spend on something more suitable for the downhill.

I've seen Kona Stinkys go for around that price range, are these a good bet?

ilovedirt

Stinkys are alright, not really full on downhill bikes, but should do what you want. They're probably the best bet though - £5-600 won't get you a lot in terms of downhill bikes really.

a2hgo

Yes understand I'm pretty much at the bottom of the range and a bit limited in terms of choice but then as a beginner I don't need anything to fancy.

I guess it doesn't have to even be a full on DH bike, a free ride bike with a bit of travel should suffice.

ilovedirt

Like I say, a stinky is a good choice - cheap, simple(ish), pretty bombproof and they handle well enough. I know a few mates with stinkys. While they're not top end downhill rigs, they do the job.

a2hgo

Nice one buddy!

.blitz

A mate had a Stinky up until fairly recently it was a good bike for recreational DH. Dual crown Domains & sticky tyres it wasn't the lightest bike on the hill but it kept going in a steamroller kind of way. IIRC it was £800.

Spesh Big Hits also a popular choice

I had a look at a few used DH bikes last year tbh you have to look long and hard most of them are farked. It's worth checking for cracks in the stress areas of the frame and dents. Check all suspension pivot bearings, bottom bracket, headset play/bearings, wheel bearings, wear on cassette and chainrings, discs for scuffing and wear, rims for dents and buckles, mech indexing and fork seals for signs of oil seepage

Otherwise it should be OK

a2hgo

Good advice there mate! I've seen a few with recent suspension services so will keep an eye out for one of these.

I reckon a Kona Stinky at that price is going to be about 2005-2007 so I'm happy to expect some wear and tear but if its completely nackered I'll defo walk away as it might be cheap for a bike but £600 isn't pocket money.

rockmonkeysc

Stinky's are aweful. Heavy with poor geometry and pedals very badly.
The Specialized Big hit is far better. Good geometry, bombproof frame, great rear suspension, reasonable weight, pedals well and worth upgrading with better components.

.blitz

a2hgo wrote:

...happy to expect some wear and tear but if its completely nackered I'll defo walk away

Yes unfortunately it's the nature of the beast hard-hitting bikes tend to be hit quite hard and quite often.

Another fella I know bought some Fox 40s off eBay and the cost of putting them right made them not far short of new 40s

Caveat emptor as they say

felix.london

Gotta mate selling his Big Hit over here for about £800...so if you find yourself in the south east of France gi's a shout

cooldad

Just to be picky, are you actually looking for a DH bike, or just something a bit tougher. A full on DH bike is rubbish for anything else.

rockmonkeysc

Avoid high spec suspension components, repairing a set of Boxxers, Fox 40's or Marzocchi 888's could easily cost you £500. Rockshox Domains are bombproof and very simple so are pretty safe as a used buy.

paul.skibum

I bought a Big Hit for bike park riding this summer - I pair 1000 canadian or about 600 quid for a good nick 2009 version and I personally think its a great bike - good geometry, plush suspension (a little too plush for any sort of pedalling) and generally a good ride - mine is a Big Hit 2 and has OK kit on - pimp whores will hate the Avid brakes and the sram gears are a marmite issue (they dont bother me but I dont like them much either). Wheels seem pretty solid, standard tyres are great (Spesh Clutch) and it isnt too minging to look at either.

supersonic

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Stinky's are aweful. Heavy with poor geometry and pedals very badly.
The Specialized Big hit is far better. Good geometry, bombproof frame, great rear suspension, reasonable weight, pedals well and worth upgrading with better components.

The Stinky pedals no worse than a Big Hit!!! In terms of anti squat an main pivot position they are very similar, and behave similarly under power.

rockmonkeysc

supersonic wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Stinky's are aweful. Heavy with poor geometry and pedals very badly.
The Specialized Big hit is far better. Good geometry, bombproof frame, great rear suspension, reasonable weight, pedals well and worth upgrading with better components.

The Stinky pedals no worse than a Big Hit!!! In terms of anti squat an main pivot position they are very similar, and behave similarly under power.

Big Hit pedals much better than the Stinky

supersonic

I disagree. In trying them and in theory. A good shock with lots of LSC is needed with both. FSRs, including this one, are some of the most bob inducing rides there are.

rockmonkeysc

Maybe the Stinky's I rode had dead shocks and the Big Hits had good shocks. Stinky still has crap geometry, weighs as much as a cow and handles now where near as good as the Big Hit.
I'm not usually a fan of Specialized or FSR (I don't like the new Norco's with FSR either) but the Big Hit is a great DH bike for anyone on a tight budget.

punic58

Hi.
was looking for a cheap(ish) downhill bike myself and found this.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=78895

Was researching it a bit ( pros and cons of a 4 year old bike) and found this thread, and so have jumped in.

Any advice coming from experience appreciated.

felix.london

That's a jump bike. Although it may be tough that 100mm of front suspension will get eaten up on any DH track

a2hgo

Looked at the Big Hits but the're all massive! I need something fairly small being 5.ft 5. Seen a few small Kona Stinkys around the £5-600 mark such as this:

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1200712/

rockmonkeysc

Those 2008 Marzocchi 66 forks can be very unreliable, particularly if they are the ATA model.
Also have a look at Santa Cruz Bullit's and Orange 222/223's Norco Team DH & A-Line can also be a fairly good cheap DH bike.

idiotdogbrain

Could you stretch the budget at all? Small 2010 Giant Reign X or 2009 Glory 0 only £1099 at Paul's Cycles, at least you get peace of mind that it hasn't been thrashed to death, and a lifetime warranty on the frames IIRC. Plus, what you'd potentially need to spend fixing up a £500 used DH bike could easily take you to the price of one of these.


http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.p ... 1b0s1p2260


http://paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b4s1p2817

a2hgo

The Mrs will kill me if I spend even more money on a bike

Convinced he about buying the Cube only to a few weeks later say its not right, sell it and looking to buy another...needless to say I'm not exactly in the good books. haha.

Maybe I could pick up a second hand one of them for the right price....

felix.london

Personally I'd be keeping the Cube and getting the DH bike too - even if I had to wait longer to get it. Having one of those lumps as your only bike would be a nightmare, no?

rockmonkeysc

The Glory is good (but heavy). I had the Reign X, got through three lower linkages in 6 months, not one of Giant's best efforts though the older model was much better.
Pre 2010 Glory's and Reign X's are a fairly safe used buy.

a2hgo

Doing all the uphill on the XC tracks was nightmare enough. I'm more of a downhill/push up kind of guy, haha.

felix.london

a2hgo wrote:

Doing all the uphill on the XC tracks was nightmare enough. I'm more of a downhill/push up kind of guy, haha.

you lazy git!

a2hgo

Ha, you're right.

Any good at £600?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kona-Stinky-D ... 4608df4fec

prawny

a2hgo wrote:

Ha, you're right.

Any good at £600?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Kona-Stinky-D ... 4608df4fec

Why why why did you have to post that. I want a DH bike and that one is my size and about 4 miles from my house. (goes to smash the kids piggy banks :x )

a2hgo

Haha! There's loads about mate. Too big for me that one but gauging what I can get for the money.

Another about the same range here:

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1204885/

punic58

felix.london wrote:

That's a jump bike. Although it may be tough that 100mm of front suspension will get eaten up on any DH track

Thanks. Good point. Just looked up slope style - a slope not being a hill in this sense.