FR or DH to buy?

PB Forum :: Freeride & Slopestyle
FR or DH to buy?
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flag Havis
Posted: Jul 26, 2013 at 15:24 Quote
Hi!

I'm quite a new to downhill and freeriding, but I have managed to understand the basic differences between DH and FR bike. So I'm asking should I buy freeride bike because most of my biking happens in Finland where we don't have so much of those large, highspeed trails? I also like to do some jumping and that kind of stuff.

So I'm not going to participate in competitions, I just like to ride downhill for fun. That's why I've came up with the thought that is it waste of money to buy a DH bike if I can handle my downhill riding also with freeride bike?

Thanks
flag blaing
FL
Posted: Jul 26, 2013 at 15:30 Quote
freeride and downhillbikes are so similar these days a good freeride mini dh bike can handle anything a full on dh bike can just get a decent 180mm travel bike it will work just as well as a big dh bike
flag Havis
Posted: Jul 26, 2013 at 15:38 Quote
Okay thanks blaing!
flag marxthekittah
Posted: Jul 26, 2013 at 17:12 Quote
If you want to choose between a fr rig or DH one, the most important difference is that DH rigs are alot more stable at speed, and can go up hills better, while fr rigs are better at getting whipped around off jumps. But for specifics, I think the Kona Stinky Extreme, Norco Truax and both of the Specialized Status are good.
flag Idoeverything
Posted: Jul 26, 2013 at 21:01 Quote
Get a freeride bike.
flag Havis
Posted: Jul 27, 2013 at 1:11 Quote
Thanks, I was going to say that you can also give some examples of bikes I could buy. Tnfking already did.
flag blaing
FL
Posted: Jul 27, 2013 at 17:55 Quote
for bike choices
kona operator / entourage
specialized status
nukeproof scalp
flag allmountainrocks
Posted: Jul 27, 2013 at 18:14 Quote
A freeride bike for sure if its your first gravity bike
flag sherbet
Posted: Jul 27, 2013 at 18:52 Quote
TNFking wrote:
If you want to choose between a fr rig or DH one, the most important difference is that DH rigs are alot more stable at speed, and can go up hills better, while fr rigs are better at getting whipped around off jumps. But for specifics, I think the Kona Stinky Extreme, Norco Truax and both of the Specialized Status are good.

Hugely disagree.

FR bikes are play bikes, and normally sit closer to AM bikes than DH bikes in my mind. FR bikes are for EVERYTHING, with a side of the burly. Lots of them get ridden up the hills they charge down. Something like a Transition TR250, Norco Truax, Giant Faith, and so on. DH bikes, on the other hand, are lower, more slack, and more long. This makes a bike that tends to wander on hills, and does rather poorly with whipping through corners and the general playful attitude that makes an FR bike an FR bike.

I'd actually suggest you look at burly AM bikes, such as the Santa Cruz Nomad, Spec Enduro, and so on. These bikes will get you where you're going, and they'll smash all the way down the hill. If hills are your issue, a DH bike is not the solution.
flag allmountainrocks
Posted: Jul 27, 2013 at 19:57 Quote
sherbet wrote:
TNFking wrote:
If you want to choose between a fr rig or DH one, the most important difference is that DH rigs are alot more stable at speed, and can go up hills better, while fr rigs are better at getting whipped around off jumps. But for specifics, I think the Kona Stinky Extreme, Norco Truax and both of the Specialized Status are good.

Hugely disagree.

FR bikes are play bikes, and normally sit closer to AM bikes than DH bikes in my mind. FR bikes are for EVERYTHING, with a side of the burly. Lots of them get ridden up the hills they charge down. Something like a Transition TR250, Norco Truax, Giant Faith, and so on. DH bikes, on the other hand, are lower, more slack, and more long. This makes a bike that tends to wander on hills, and does rather poorly with whipping through corners and the general playful attitude that makes an FR bike an FR bike.

I'd actually suggest you look at burly AM bikes, such as the Santa Cruz Nomad, Spec Enduro, and so on. These bikes will get you where you're going, and they'll smash all the way down the hill. If hills are your issue, a DH bike is not the solution.

True. But just to make it clear there are two types of fr bikes. You could call the kind you are talking about extra burly am bikes. And that's true. The giant reign x and specialized 2012 enduro evo are examples of that. While the other kind are heavier sturdier dh bikes. They usually also have slightly steeper geo too. Like the specialzed status 2. A whooping 42lb and 8/8 travel. Ik specialized says its a dh bike but Darren Berrecloth rode it at the rampage, obviously a freeride event.
flag sherbet
Posted: Jul 27, 2013 at 20:02 Quote
People also rode the Demo at Rampage. How a pro gets on with a bike is a poor way to exemplify it. Both of Spec's DH bikes have short rear ends, and run on FSR, which makes for a poppy and playful bike. Riders like Troy B excel on bikes like there, whereas Gwin, with his rear end beating moto style, is doing poorly.

A freeride bike to me is a bike for everything, not a huck bike. A huck bike is made for being carried up a hill or stairset, then doing some gnarly drops. They're heavy, high BB, steep angles, and so on. That makes for a sluggish and exceptionally boring FR bike. FR bikes are normally stronger than their DH counterparts, shorter, a tad steeper/taller, and often have parts like single crown forks. AM bikes are reaching a point where they're essentially freeride bikes on the light. I'd merrily suggest that today's AM bikes are better at 99% of FR riding, than yesteryears actual bomb bikes.

Also bare in mind how adjustable bikes are these days. You can grab a long travel AM bike, toss some offset bushings in, or a adjustable headset, toy with the suspension rates, and boom, it's a linear FR bike.

The Status fits DH in my mind, but is bridging the gap between the two.
flag The-SINTRA-crew
Posted: Jul 28, 2013 at 1:59 Quote
Buy a yt Tues or yt noton
Cheap but awesome Parts and quality
flag marxthekittah
Posted: Jul 28, 2013 at 5:51 Quote
sherbet wrote:
TNFking wrote:
If you want to choose between a fr rig or DH one, the most important difference is that DH rigs are alot more stable at speed, and can go up hills better, while fr rigs are better at getting whipped around off jumps. But for specifics, I think the Kona Stinky Extreme, Norco Truax and both of the Specialized Status are good.

Hugely disagree.

FR bikes are play bikes, and normally sit closer to AM bikes than DH bikes in my mind. FR bikes are for EVERYTHING, with a side of the burly. Lots of them get ridden up the hills they charge down. Something like a Transition TR250, Norco Truax, Giant Faith, and so on. DH bikes, on the other hand, are lower, more slack, and more long. This makes a bike that tends to wander on hills, and does rather poorly with whipping through corners and the general playful attitude that makes an FR bike an FR bike.

I'd actually suggest you look at burly AM bikes, such as the Santa Cruz Nomad, Spec Enduro, and so on. These bikes will get you where you're going, and they'll smash all the way down the hill. If hills are your issue, a DH bike is not the solution.


I would disagree that FR are closer to AM, except in geometry and travel. I own the status 1, and it can't ride it up hills, unless I want a killer quad workout, and downhill bikes can ride hill a lot better than the FR bikes do. That's just my opinion, but it seems to be pretty true for me.
flag sherbet
Posted: Jul 28, 2013 at 9:41 Quote
And I'll say again, I don't view the Status as an FR bike. It's a DH bike to me.

Take a look at bikes like the Transition Covert. Made to be pedaled up, and can take a 180mm front for the descents

photo

That, for example, is an "AM" bike, but you'd be pretty hard pressed to explain to me why you can't do anything you can do on an FR bike with it. It's got the beefy axles, got strong pivots, it's single ring with a guide, good sized rotors, and because the suspension has been properly designed, it'll easily pedal you where you need to be. Freeride is riding free, so a burly AM bike is more of an FR bike in my mind than a short DH bike will EVER be. When you get into a bike that you have to carry or lift up the hill, it's then a gravity oriented bike, not a freeride bike.
flag allmountainrocks
Posted: Jul 28, 2013 at 10:27 Quote
sherbet wrote:
People also rode the Demo at Rampage. How a pro gets on with a bike is a poor way to exemplify it. Both of Spec's DH bikes have short rear ends, and run on FSR, which makes for a poppy and playful bike. Riders like Troy B excel on bikes like there, whereas Gwin, with his rear end beating moto style, is doing poorly.

A freeride bike to me is a bike for everything, not a huck bike. A huck bike is made for being carried up a hill or stairset, then doing some gnarly drops. They're heavy, high BB, steep angles, and so on. That makes for a sluggish and exceptionally boring FR bike. FR bikes are normally stronger than their DH counterparts, shorter, a tad steeper/taller, and often have parts like single crown forks. AM bikes are reaching a point where they're essentially freeride bikes on the light. I'd merrily suggest that today's AM bikes are better at 99% of FR riding, than yesteryears actual bomb bikes.

Also bare in mind how adjustable bikes are these days. You can grab a long travel AM bike, toss some offset bushings in, or a adjustable headset, toy with the suspension rates, and boom, it's a linear FR bike.

The Status fits DH in my mind, but is bridging the gap between the two.

Well, very true. But freeride is a broad realm of riding. It's like a combination of dh, am, and dj. Plus a hell of a lot more!!! So I see what your saying, but on a second thought there isn't really a ONE type of bike that does all freerides. I hope I didn't start an argument, but lets just say we r all right. Anything from an overbuilt am bike to a 45lb build of a status. There r freeride bikes that climb like hard tails, and freeride bikes that climb like they don't have pedals. And there r freeride bikes desgined for rough am, and freeride bikes for hucking off 40 ft drops
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