Downhill Beginner - Few Q's !

LukeSGee

Hi All,

After missing being on two wheels for years ( Used to Ride BMX as a kid ) I decided it was time to get into Mountain biking..

I bought a Cheap Carrera Vengeance online which needed some attention and began work.

the Bike currently rides okish, the gears arent great! Im assuming it is the hanger as it looks slightly twisted and the V Brakes dont have that "bite" like id like. Im not expecting much from V Brakes but my mates bike has the same brakes and they work a lot better than mine. ive adjusted them the best i can and have cleaned the rotors as well as sanding the face of the pads down, at a guess, the Cable is stretching so may replace it!

How capable are these bikes? I have been to Rivington Pike a few times doing light downhill riding and it seemed rather capable but the sus did bottom out a few times, chain come off and brakes struggled...

At the moment I am on the verge of buying a House so dropping £££ on a decent MTB is not possible, Can my Carrera become a Very capable and fun bike to ride? What parts should be changed to make the biggest change?

At the minute, I think the bike needs new Forks, Hydro Brakes and wider bars. What else would be needed to improve the bike?

I need to do this as cheap as possible for the time being due to financial priorities so I do not mind buying second hand ect

Also, Im in the northwest! All you northerners , wheres the best beginner/ intermediate trails around Lancashire area

Thanks again

cooldad

Firstly, you are not doing Downhill. You might be riding down gentle hills.

I'm also confused as V brakes are rim brakes and don't have rotors, unless you mean cable discs.

Cables don't stretch, so more likely the pads are contaminated. Buy new pads, and clean the rotors with isopropyl alcohol.

No idea of the forks you have, or bike age/specs, so a bit more detail helps, but I would sort out what you have, make it work the best you can, and start saving if you enjoy it.

And buy a new hanger if yours is bent, or gears will never work properly.

LukeSGee

cooldad wrote:

Firstly, you are not doing Downhill. You might be riding down gentle hills.

I'm also confused as V brakes are rim brakes and don't have rotors, unless you mean cable discs.

Cables don't stretch, so more likely the pads are contaminated. Buy new pads, and clean the rotors with isopropyl alcohol.

No idea of the forks you have, or bike age/specs, so a bit more detail helps, but I would sort out what you have, make it work the best you can, and start saving if you enjoy it.

And buy a new hanger if yours is bent, or gears will never work properly.

I was riding down hills so I was assuming its "Light" downhill

Apologies, I mean Mech disc brakes. My pads has a lot of life left in them and I sanded the faces until they looked fresh. Can they still be shot even after that?


Approximate Weight (KG): 14kg
Brake Type: Mechanical Disc Brakes
Forks: SR Suntour XCT-DS
Frame Material: Alloy
Gender: Mens
Number of Gears: 24
Pedals Included: Yes
Suspension: Front Suspension
Wheel Size: 27.5"
Bottom Bracket: Sealed Cartridge
Cassette/Freewheel: Cassette
Chain: 8 speed
Chainset: Suntour XCE alloy 42/34/24
Fork Lock-out: No
Fork travel: 100
Forks - Adjustable damping: Yes
Frame: High quality aluminium
Front Brake: Tektro Aries Mechanical Disc
Front Hub: 9mm QR
Front Mech: Shimano Tourney 3 speed
Gear Shifters: Shimano Altus rapid fire 3X8 speed
Grips: Rubber
Handlebar Type: Flat
Handlebars: Alloy
Headset: semi integrated
Quick Release Front Wheel: Yes
Quick Release Rear Wheel: Yes
Rear Brake: Tektro Aries Mechanical Disc
Rear Hub: 9mm QR
Rear Mech: Shimano Altus 8 speed
Rims: Carrera Double wall - 32 Hole
Seatpost: Alloy
Stem: Alloy
Type: Mountain Bikes
Tyre Size: 27.5 X 2.10
Tyres: Kenda 27.5X2.10

tallpaul_s

LukeSGee wrote:

Hi All,

After missing being on two wheels for years ( Used to Ride BMX as a kid ) I decided it was time to get into Mountain biking..

I bought a Cheap Carrera Vengeance online which needed some attention and began work.

How capable are these bikes? I have been to Rivington Pike a few times doing light downhill riding and it seemed rather capable but the sus did bottom out a few times, chain come off and brakes struggled...

At the moment I am on the verge of buying a House so dropping £££ on a decent MTB is not possible, Can my Carrera become a Very capable and fun bike to ride? What parts should be changed to make the biggest change?

At the minute, I think the bike needs new Forks, Hydro Brakes and wider bars. What else would be needed to improve the bike?

Thanks again

I wouldn't bother upgrading that bike. You'll spend more money than you would have if you'd just bought a decent actual mountain bike to start with.

£500 or thereabouts will get a perfectly good starter bike that will handle semi-decent offroad, general trail riding, etc.

'Downhill mountain biking' is a completely seperate discpline of it's own, with 35-40lb 200mm travel behemoths of bikes, riders chucking themselves down trails and drops and rock gardens you'd struggle to walk down, with a few 20ft jumps thrown in, at the fastest speed possible.

You were doing trail riding, which has uphill bits and downhill bits.

Save up some cash and buy a Voodoo Bizango, or Vitus Nucleus for £500.

However if you do want to upgrade, you need to find a set or air sprung forks, (suntour or rockshox probably) but make sure the steerer tube is the correct size, and then see if you can pick up some cheap shimano disc brakes. I'd also reccomend some decent tyres, a shorter stem, wider bars. Then with a set of 130mm forks that should slacken the head angle a bit from god know what it is as standard... You're probably looking at £150-£200 with all that lot.

LukeSGee

TallPaul_S wrote:

LukeSGee wrote:

Hi All,

After missing being on two wheels for years ( Used to Ride BMX as a kid ) I decided it was time to get into Mountain biking..

I bought a Cheap Carrera Vengeance online which needed some attention and began work.

How capable are these bikes? I have been to Rivington Pike a few times doing light downhill riding and it seemed rather capable but the sus did bottom out a few times, chain come off and brakes struggled...

At the moment I am on the verge of buying a House so dropping £££ on a decent MTB is not possible, Can my Carrera become a Very capable and fun bike to ride? What parts should be changed to make the biggest change?

At the minute, I think the bike needs new Forks, Hydro Brakes and wider bars. What else would be needed to improve the bike?

Thanks again

I wouldn't bother upgrading that bike. You'll spend more money than you would have if you'd just bought a decent actual mountain bike to start with.

£500 or thereabouts will get a perfectly good starter bike that will handle semi-decent offroad, general trail riding, etc.

'Downhill mountain biking' is a completely seperate discpline of it's own, with 35-40lb 200mm travel behemoths of bikes, riders chucking themselves down trails and drops and rock gardens you'd struggle to walk down, with a few 20ft jumps thrown in, at the fastest speed possible.

You were doing trail riding, which has uphill bits and downhill bits.

Save up some cash and buy a Voodoo Bizango, or Vitus Nucleus for £500.

However if you do want to upgrade, you need to find a set or air sprung forks, (suntour or rockshox probably) but make sure the steerer tube is the correct size, and then see if you can pick up some cheap shimano disc brakes. I'd also reccomend some decent tyres, a shorter stem, wider bars. Then with a set of 130mm forks that should slacken the head angle a bit from god know what it is as standard... You're probably looking at £150-£200 with all that lot.

Cheers mate! I will probably just look at upgrading as I can’t fork out a lot at the minute due to buying a house.

I’ll just get my bike running perfect and slowly upgrade it to as and what I want it to be like! Starting with those Air sprung forks!

aj87

Clayton Vale in Manchester (Near the city stadium) has some good trails for beginners if you are interested in dedicated MTB trails, Although not sure if that's a bit far out for you (Going to assume your around Bolton or a bit further north!). It's not a massive center, but for building up skills and confidence you can session segments (Or just do a few loops!) easily. With it being a compact site if anything goes pop or bang you've not got a long slog back to the car - plus You've got Evans right on the doorstep for spares. Theres a cafe and Asda right next door for food and drink too (Bring a good lock though!).

Parking is fine in the local area or at the NCC and you've got the tram stops if you need public transport. If you are driving do make sure there isn't an event on in the area (You've got the NCC and the city stadium right next door!) otherwise parking and traffic might be a pain.

Don't worry about upgrades for your bike just yet, Get it riding and stopping right then concentrate on getting out and building up the basic skills. Once you've got a bit of riding under your belt and figured out where the bike is lacking and what kind of riding suits you then you'll be able to make better buying decisions for upgrades or whether you want to just go for a new bike.

If you've really got the bug to change something on the bike remember changing contact points like peddle, saddle, grips and handlebars can have a massive difference on how the bike feels and handles and are all cheap and easily reversible if you don't like them.

LukeSGee

aj87 wrote:

Clayton Vale in Manchester (Near the city stadium) has some good trails for beginners if you are interested in dedicated MTB trails, Although not sure if that's a bit far out for you (Going to assume your around Bolton or a bit further north!). It's not a massive center, but for building up skills and confidence you can session segments (Or just do a few loops!) easily. With it being a compact site if anything goes pop or bang you've not got a long slog back to the car - plus You've got Evans right on the doorstep for spares. Theres a cafe and Asda right next door for food and drink too (Bring a good lock though!).

Parking is fine in the local area or at the NCC and you've got the tram stops if you need public transport. If you are driving do make sure there isn't an event on in the area (You've got the NCC and the city stadium right next door!) otherwise parking and traffic might be a pain.

Don't worry about upgrades for your bike just yet, Get it riding and stopping right then concentrate on getting out and building up the basic skills. Once you've got a bit of riding under your belt and figured out where the bike is lacking and what kind of riding suits you then you'll be able to make better buying decisions for upgrades or whether you want to just go for a new bike.

If you've really got the bug to change something on the bike remember changing contact points like peddle, saddle, grips and handlebars can have a massive difference on how the bike feels and handles and are all cheap and easily reversible if you don't like them.

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

I’ll defintely have to visit Clayton Vale! Manchester is only 30 minutes from here in the car.

Cheers for all the details pal, massively appreciate the time taken.

I have a new hanger on its way as I think it’s slightly twisted and I’ll try to dial my brakes a little better, really struggling to get them biting well. I have sanded the faces on the pads which worked a little bit but not perfectly.. think they need replacing?

Looking forward to trying this new trail you’ve recommended,

Thanks again!!!