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Anonymous

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rockmonkeysc

You have picked out some aweful bikes! Even the Yeti is pretty bad and that Norco doesn't bare thinking about!
If you want a downhill bike look at the Iron Horse Sunday, Santa Cruz Bullit, and Specialized Demo.
For all mountain bikes try the Santa Cruz Nomad, Nukeproof Mega, Specialized Enduro and Giant Reign.

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cooldad

It's neither DH or AM.

rockmonkeysc

Sundays are brilliant bikes, still quite sought after now. Almost a cult classic.
Orange frames are made of cheese (shock mounts guaranteed to break) they don't pedal well and suffer really bad pedal kick back.
No reason to stick to Saint or XTR. Lower stuff is pretty good as well, condition of the transmission is far more important than what groupset it is.
Fox downhill forks are heavy but stiff. Damping and reliability aren't as good as Rockshox. I would aim for a Rockshox Boxxer Team or R2C2 no older than 2010. Earlier Boxxers are a bit flexy.
Orange have really fallen behind the competition, the latest 322 hasn't really moved on much from the old 222.

fizik

If you try using any of those bikes for AM you will be very tired and very disappointed!

Anonymous

@rockmonkeySC thank you so much for taking the time to elaborate!

@cooldad Specialised disagrees with you. It looks like a bike that could fit the odd trip into the hills for a relatively small (155cm) chick.

@fizik I see now after rockmonkeySC explained that I was in the wrong wrong position; so reevaluating now
I will stick to my Iron Horse and will get something easier to pedal for her.

And I may get something lighter for myself in the future, but considering that I'm in a better shape than she is, and we went for a ~11mile bike ride a few days back and I wasnt even tired; i dont think its going to be that bad!

BR,

fizik

that specialized is chalk and cheese from a dh bike! and you cant really buy a dh bike that is good for AM! you would be better buying her an am bike, something she can pedal up the hills and still have fun on the downs, such as a used mega or similar

Anonymous

@fizik thats what I said - reevaluated and wont be getting her a DH bike after all. I will look for used AM bikes now and see what I can find.

rockmonkeysc

Are you sure you want a downhill bike? They are s**t for 11 mile rides. All they are good for is getting from the top of a rocky hill to the bottom very fast and then back to the top on a trailer.

cooldad

groeit wrote:

@cooldad Specialised disagrees with you. It looks like a bike that could fit the odd trip into the hills for a relatively small (155cm) chick.

Whatever you want to call it, 100mm of Tora is not AM.

paul.skibum

Find a Reign with a 2x10/9 speed set up, some kind of chain device and a bash, decent forks and if you can get it a dropper post and jobs a good un. Perfect all mountain bike which will cope with light dh.

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cooldad

I think you need to decide what you want to buy, how much you want to spend, and who you are buying the bike for.

Your posts read like a mosquito on speed.

rockmonkeysc

Downhill bikes aren't just hard work over distance they just don't work for it.
They won't go up hills, try hard enough and you will just break chains. Covering distance on them isn't a matter of fittness, it's just very hard work and very slow. Doing an organised ride like the one you linked to on a dh bike is just stupid, you are going to be so slow that marshals will probably be out around an hour (probably more) just to wait for you. You will be the slowest rider by a LONG way no matter how fit you are.

felix.london

aye - riding a DH bike round a course like that is bonkers and isn't gonna get you any fitter than if you were riding an XC bike - probably less so as you'll be pushing it most of the way! well up the hills at least and it'll be just no fun at all on the flat stuff. All the angles, suspension, components, tyres etc are set up for going down steep stuff, really fast.

I rode my Session at last years Megavalanche (albeit slightly tweaked with a 11-34t cassette and dropper post) - there's only a couple of short climbs in the race but it's just no fun at all on that type of bike. And nowt to do with fitness as I'm regularly riding 40-60km loops at over 2,000m alt.

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welshkev

groeit wrote:

I should probably just ride the Sunday i've got first on some proper DH tracks before buying anything else as it's perfectly capable; and get some trail/xc bikes for me and the gf :-(

that's the first sensible thing you've said in this thread

cooldad

groeit wrote:

@cooldad I know you must be the dogs **** here but people are undecided; and they've got the right to be - you could be constructive or just refrain from replying unless you're just bumping up your posts counter.
(

Er I was trying to be helpful. You mention your girlfriend, doing DH and buying another DH bike, then a Myka etc.

It was not terribly clear what and for whom.

It still isn't.

rockmonkeysc

Downhill bikes only work when you are riding the toughest tracks as fast as you possibly can. Down, steep, rocky, nasty, technical trails they are brilliant if you want to ride fast. Over 30 foot gap jumps they are brilliant. If your not pushing as hard as you can they just don't work.
A good all mountain bike can be ridden down the same trails nearly as fast but you can ride back up the hill or keep going for another 40 miles without too much suffering.

paul.skibum

groeit wrote:

@RockomkeySC - yeah I know DH bikes are shoot for 99% of uses but I dont really mind a flat-slow rides with it; I want to get in shape ASAP too; so the hardcore DH will be nice. I also want to go with some people from the region to do some proper DH;

With my GF im planning on this route soon:
http://www.mountainbikerides.co.uk/rout ... -loop.html
Think i'll manage on a Sunday; if i'm going to die there - i'll get myself a rig to ride with her;

And then we'll try some http://monkeyspoon.com/tracks of those tracks when she will gain the confidence

If you are planning to ride your Sunday around the Peak District, I can only assume you like to push bikes up hill or have thighs like oak trees.

If you are looking to do loops and trail riding in the UK without assistance in the form of a shuttle or a lift uphill then get a decent all mountain or xc bike for the both of you - if you give your sunday to your GF and take her even on a gentle elevation change ride you will put her off riding and quite possibly yourself.

A Session or a Demo or whatever might scream buy me at you but ignore that and think about what you are actually looking to do with it. Go and look at a few in a bike shop so you get an idea what you want - then look for second hand 26er wheel full sussers with decent kit on that wont weigh a ton - ideally look at ones near you so you can test ride.

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rockmonkeysc

This might sound like an odd question but are you related to a bloke called Rubez?

welshkev

Right.

You really want something with 140/150mm travel if you're looking for an am bike.

Rocket monkey mentioned done bikes earlier, but I'll reiterate.

Something like a lappierre zesty, Santa Cruz nomad, nuke proof mega am or tr. giant trance (if it has upgraded 140mm forks), giant reign, cube stereo. Plus many more, but that should get you started.

As for group sets, any thing from about 2012 onwards even the deore stuff is superb, no need to shell out for xtr unless you're a weight weenie

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welshkev

A nice bike. The changing geometry is brand new and I've never seen it in real life.

But canyon make good bikes (rocket monkey will disagree though )

cooldad

welshkev wrote:

A nice bike. The changing geometry is brand new and I've never seen it in real life.

But canyon make good bikes (rocket monkey will disagree with everything and everyone though )

FTFY

coulddobetter

Check out the Specialized Rubez . Brilliant bike .

chrisw333

RockmonkeySC wrote:

This might sound like an odd question but are you related to a bloke called Rubez?

Brilliant, I was just thinking this!