Powered by Outside

Advice needed on first entry downhill bike..

PB Forum :: Downhill
Advice needed on first entry downhill bike..
  • Previous Page
  • Next Page
Author Message
flag djp7323
O+
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 5:40 Quote
Im an old man of 40 and 14 stone who has ridden local xc and trail centres for years but with my new 650b five rs I grew some balls and started doing up lift days at Forrest of dean. Fell in love with it and moved on to a trip to Antur stiniog. The Five got a bit of a battering along with my body but loved it!.

So... I would appreciate a bit of advice on an entry downhill bike for downhill here in uk and the alps. Are the sizes different from trail bikes? Im 5"9" and usually get medium? Not sure weather to go for a new one or second hand?

Cheers
flag thedad71
FL
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 6:29 Quote
djp7323 wrote:
Im an old man of 40 and 14 stone who has ridden local xc and trail centres for years but with my new 650b five rs I grew some balls and started doing up lift days at Forrest of dean. Fell in love with it and moved on to a trip to Antur stiniog. The Five got a bit of a battering along with my body but loved it!.

So... I would appreciate a bit of advice on an entry downhill bike for downhill here in uk and the alps. Are the sizes different from trail bikes? Im 5"9" and usually get medium? Not sure weather to go for a new one or second hand?

Cheers
hello djp, same as you 40+ and 15 stone, been DH for last 3 years and will be going to Morzine for a 3rd time in July

my advice is to buy used, stay with a medium and get the best you can afford (what is your budget?), there are plenty to choose from on PB.

Enjoy!!
flag djp7323
O+
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 6:39 Quote
Excellent... Im not the only 40 something who cant get enough oh the downhill rush. My budget is around £1000. Seen loads of bikes on PB and will stick to medium now. You should try Les Arcs and over the valley la plangne in the alps as well. Ive been for the last 2 years and its excellent. Check out The Goat shed for a place to stay its spot on.
flag ADhGuy
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 11:47 Quote
Are you looking for a full on dh bike (200mm front 8inch rear) or a more freerider bike (160mm-180mm and 7inches on the back). Also are you going for a more entry level bike such as a stinky or going for a more higher spec'd bike?
flag Tobi9711
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 13:02 Quote
djp7323 wrote:
Excellent... Im not the only 40 something who cant get enough oh the downhill rush. My budget is around £1000. Seen loads of bikes on PB and will stick to medium now. You should try Les Arcs and over the valley la plangne in the alps as well. Ive been for the last 2 years and its excellent. Check out The Goat shed for a place to stay its spot on.

Look out for some Specialized Status or specialized Big hit, (Bit older), they're good value, and easy to ride well!
flag djp7323
O+
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 13:29 Quote
ADhGuy wrote:
Are you looking for a full on dh bike (200mm front 8inch rear) or a more freerider bike (160mm-180mm and 7inches on the back). Also are you going for a more entry level bike such as a stinky or going for a more higher spec'd bike?

Not sure really but love bikes so the higher the spec the better. Am I right in thinking bigger suspension bigger price? Got 1000 but I assume it is more like 2500 I would need. Would I get away with trying the smaller bike to see if it makes a difference or would I be underselling myself and get the proper downhill experience. I've been learning about the new slacker geometry and longer wheel base so was wondering if I went second hand how old do I go to get these benefits?

I've had big hit &status on radar (thank you Tobi9711) plus the stinky, the glory and orange 222 /223. Would these be the shorter travel bikes?

Sorry so many questions. Thanks for your help so far.
flag Tobi9711
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 13:38 Quote
djp7323 wrote:
ADhGuy wrote:
Are you looking for a full on dh bike (200mm front 8inch rear) or a more freerider bike (160mm-180mm and 7inches on the back). Also are you going for a more entry level bike such as a stinky or going for a more higher spec'd bike?

Not sure really but love bikes so the higher the spec the better. Am I right in thinking bigger suspension bigger price? Got 1000 but I assume it is more like 2500 I would need. Would I get away with trying the smaller bike to see if it makes a difference or would I be underselling myself and get the proper downhill experience. I've been learning about the new slacker geometry and longer wheel base so was wondering if I went second hand how old do I go to get these benefits?

I've had big hit &status on radar (thank you Tobi9711) plus the stinky, the glory and orange 222 /223. Would these be the shorter travel bikes?

Sorry so many questions. Thanks for your help so far.

To answer the geometry question: It depends on the frame, e.g. the glory got a major geometry update in 2013, that greatly improved its characteristics IMO, but then you have Specialized Demo 8, where you can go back to 2011 without noticing major differences (within Alu models) Though older geometries can be made more modern with the use of an angleset, but I like to think that generally 2010 models and newer should all be pretty up to date!

Big Hit and Status can both be run with a 200mm Dual crown fork up front, so can the glory.

Going for a MINI DH bike rather than full blown DH will be most significant on the rougher and steeper trails (dont know what your trails are like), but should not make a major difference for you unless you're pushing hard and aggressively.

Bigger suspension does not always equal bigger price tag, but can often be the case, but if you want the DH experience don't go below 180mm in my opinion.
flag thedad71
FL
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 13:49 Quote
2500 is a lot of money I would say 1000-1500, more travel does not necessarily mean more expensive.

Slacker geometry is great for the top riders, I feel that unless you are really pushing it you wont get the advantage though.

I would look at something like a session, glory, demo, status, myst etc from 2011 onwards, the geometry is still pretty good and will suit you fine (still have my 2011 demo).
flag djp7323
O+
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 13:53 Quote
Tobi9711 wrote:
djp7323 wrote:
ADhGuy wrote:
Are you looking for a full on dh bike (200mm front 8inch rear) or a more freerider bike (160mm-180mm and 7inches on the back). Also are you going for a more entry level bike such as a stinky or going for a more higher spec'd bike?

Not sure really but love bikes so the higher the spec the better. Am I right in thinking bigger suspension bigger price? Got 1000 but I assume it is more like 2500 I would need. Would I get away with trying the smaller bike to see if it makes a difference or would I be underselling myself and get the proper downhill experience. I've been learning about the new slacker geometry and longer wheel base so was wondering if I went second hand how old do I go to get these benefits?

I've had big hit &status on radar (thank you Tobi9711) plus the stinky, the glory and orange 222 /223. Would these be the shorter travel bikes?

Sorry so many questions. Thanks for your help so far.

To answer the geometry question: It depends on the frame, e.g. the glory got a major geometry update in 2013, that greatly improved its characteristics IMO, but then you have Specialized Demo 8, where you can go back to 2011 without noticing major differences (within Alu models) Though older geometries can be made more modern with the use of an angleset, but I like to think that generally 2010 models and newer should all be pretty up to date!

Big Hit and Status can both be run with a 200mm Dual crown fork up front, so can the glory.

Going for a MINI DH bike rather than full blown DH will be most significant on the rougher and steeper trails (dont know what your trails are like), but should not make a major difference for you unless you're pushing hard and aggressively.

Bigger suspension does not always equal bigger price tag, but can often be the case, but if you want the DH experience don't go below 180mm in my opinion.

Many thanks - that makes sense and very helpful. Its a steep learning curve but I've certainly learnt a lot tonight. I think im going to get budget up to 1500 and go for a second hand glory or status and defo after 2010. who would of thought it would be so different from trail/xc bikes. They also are also harder to find new than a trail/xc bike. I would of been a bit lost without PB BuySell.
flag Tobi9711
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 13:54 Quote
thedad71 wrote:
2500 is a lot of money I would say 1000-1500, more travel does not necessarily mean more expensive.

Slacker geometry is great for the top riders, I feel that unless you are really pushing it you wont get the advantage though.

I would look at something like a session, glory, demo, status, myst etc from 2011 onwards, the geometry is still pretty good and will suit you fine (still have my 2011 demo).

I agree, 1000, should be good for an entry DH bike, you might go slightly above, but it is a decent starting point.
flag ADhGuy
Posted: Jun 3, 2014 at 14:41 Quote
djp7323 wrote:
Tobi9711 wrote:
djp7323 wrote:


Not sure really but love bikes so the higher the spec the better. Am I right in thinking bigger suspension bigger price? Got 1000 but I assume it is more like 2500 I would need. Would I get away with trying the smaller bike to see if it makes a difference or would I be underselling myself and get the proper downhill experience. I've been learning about the new slacker geometry and longer wheel base so was wondering if I went second hand how old do I go to get these benefits?

I've had big hit &status on radar (thank you Tobi9711) plus the stinky, the glory and orange 222 /223. Would these be the shorter travel bikes?

Sorry so many questions. Thanks for your help so far.

To answer the geometry question: It depends on the frame, e.g. the glory got a major geometry update in 2013, that greatly improved its characteristics IMO, but then you have Specialized Demo 8, where you can go back to 2011 without noticing major differences (within Alu models) Though older geometries can be made more modern with the use of an angleset, but I like to think that generally 2010 models and newer should all be pretty up to date!

Big Hit and Status can both be run with a 200mm Dual crown fork up front, so can the glory.

Going for a MINI DH bike rather than full blown DH will be most significant on the rougher and steeper trails (dont know what your trails are like), but should not make a major difference for you unless you're pushing hard and aggressively.

Bigger suspension does not always equal bigger price tag, but can often be the case, but if you want the DH experience don't go below 180mm in my opinion.

Many thanks - that makes sense and very helpful. Its a steep learning curve but I've certainly learnt a lot tonight. I think im going to get budget up to 1500 and go for a second hand glory or status and defo after 2010. who would of thought it would be so different from trail/xc bikes. They also are also harder to find new than a trail/xc bike. I would of been a bit lost without PB BuySell.

If you're getting into Dh and want to dip your toe without blowing 3k on a bike I'd say you could go a few years before 2010 but that is my opinion. When I started dh I went a got a 08 stinky and had it for a year. Really got me used to having a rear end that can take a beating and having a slacker head angle than I was used to. I then moved on after a year to a full on dh rig after finding out it was the sport for me. This might be the way you want to go as it's a cheaper option. £1000 can get you alot of bike for the money if you are prepared to wait for a deal to come up, something like a 2011-2012 operator go for around that, as said before the status, myst and glory are also all great bikes.
flag djp7323
O+
Posted: Jun 12, 2014 at 15:30 Quote
First proper go at DH

Thank you guys - based on advice I have above new bike.

2012 Lapierre Froggy with Easton havoc wheels and tubeless minins with a reverb too. Found on ebay and paid £950
  • Previous Page
  • Next Page

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.503244
Mobile Version of Website