What's the Cheapest Way to Get Into DH?

PB Forum :: Downhill
What's the Cheapest Way to Get Into DH?
Author Message
flag odin333
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 18:44 Quote
Cheapest way to get into DH is to by a decent, proper bike, and half decent, proper gear.
flag erik74
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 19:24 Quote
hardtails are a great way to start, as they teach you to look for the best and fastest line, since you dont have all that nice rear suspension to absorb your mistakes. your not going to head straight out to black diamond runs, so you'll be fine on a HT. once you've saved up some money, get a decent DH rig, and you'll have lots of fun since you'll have learned to look for fast and smooth lines and it will be a habit. it'll make progressing that much easier.
flag HewDaawg
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 21:00 Quote
theres an old like 03 santa cruz bullit in the shop i work at. nothing fancy works good nice frame with alot of potential so if you do descide to continue you got room for upgrades. so my advice is to find a used bike in your newspaper or a bike shop that carryes used bikes. then get some padding and hey old dirtbike chest protectors work and there cheep to. then your all set
flag norcofreeridderr
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 21:09 Quote
Cliff-Huxtable wrote:
kickitpinkbike wrote:
Cliff-Huxtable wrote:


exactly so dont steer him in the wrong direction.... he needs a fullsuspention. and so do you. If someone offered you a top of the line hard tail or a top of the full suspention bike FOR DH what would take? i would hope the full suspention ... if not your a jackass
no, chill buddy, i agree if he will race expert but a hardtail is all you need if you do anything esle and its more veritile to do you see a guy on DH rig on a XC couse/trail. so, what is your defense to that,f*cking bitch?

my defence to that is this thread is about DH not xc jackass
sorry dude but I'm your age and I think your a complete idiot. Downhill is meant to be riden on a full suspension and even if you have a ton of skill, a hardtail will still hold you back and make things A LOT harder than it would be on a full suspension. Also, you may be fine on a-line but certain courses/trails would be nearly impossible on a hardtail. I think I started cheaply with dh buy saving up a grand and finding a good deal on a used one. Get something used and you will save tons of money.
flag shorty2
O+
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 21:13 Quote
kickitpinkbike wrote:
the 15 foot drop in a-line i hit all time and snakes and ladders is fun as hell.
the a-line drop is like 5 feet
flag SICK-biker
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 21:15 Quote
erik74 wrote:
hardtails are a great way to start, as they teach you to look for the best and fastest line, since you dont have all that nice rear suspension to absorb your mistakes. your not going to head straight out to black diamond runs, so you'll be fine on a HT. once you've saved up some money, get a decent DH rig, and you'll have lots of fun since you'll have learned to look for fast and smooth lines and it will be a habit. it'll make progressing that much easier.

+1 i totally agree, look for a used hardtail with some quality parts and once your hitting bigger drops where you really need rear suspension and/or more travel up front then upgrade to a fully. every experienced rider will tell you that starting on a hardtail is the best way to learn to absorb impact without letting the rear shock absorb the mistakes you make while riding.

very well put erik!
flag kickitpinkbike
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 21:16 Quote
shorty2 wrote:
kickitpinkbike wrote:
the 15 foot drop in a-line i hit all time and snakes and ladders is fun as hell.
the a-line drop is like 5 feet
maybe more like 10-12 feet not 5 tho. and the semi trailer stunt at the top is fun(not A-line)
flag roro4000
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 21:50 Quote
i'd agree hardtails aren't a bad idea. i mean if you could afford full suspension go for it. i'll admit i didn't read the whole post. anyway i rock a hardtail. am i fast, not really, i feel that that i'm fast, but any experienced downhiller on a 8" full suspensionn beast will murder me. then again, i'm not that experienced, about 4 rides a month for about a year. first month scary as hell. last ride i did, scary as hell. but i've improved a lot. i still fall about 4 times when i do crack in pacifica. and i use an 04 4" DJ3 and 24" wheels. i'm 5'2" and 24" feels better than 26 for me, but if you rock 26 and something like a 6" fork you should turn out way capable. then again i also started with a p2 and murdered the headtube. but i got myself a nice 6.5lb steel frame with a 68 degree headtube with 4" fork, single-speed, 11.5" bottom bracket, semi slick in the rear, and i'm real happy with my $550 setup. besides the bike being baby blue. plus i couldn't imagine throwing a 40lb 8" dh bike in the trunk and backseat of a small sedan. not that it matters. oh, and try real hard not to nose dive, hardtails can be front heavy.
flag
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 22:25 Quote
kickitpinkbike wrote:
shorty2 wrote:
kickitpinkbike wrote:
the 15 foot drop in a-line i hit all time and snakes and ladders is fun as hell.
the a-line drop is like 5 feet
maybe more like 10-12 feet not 5 tho. and the semi trailer stunt at the top is fun(not A-line)
lol its not 15 but not five it depends how fast you hit it
you can roll it if you want
flag zealy
Posted: Mar 28, 2009 at 22:50 Quote
Dude Ellsworth Joker for 800 bucks? take it for a test ride and if it fits BUY IT!
also dual suspension will always work better for anything short of smooth trails and a hardtail that really works for downhill costs at least as much as a used DH bike like a Giant Faith so dude defiantly go with the dually! oh yeah kickitpinkbike YOU ARE A RETARD!
flag kickitpinkbike
Posted: Mar 29, 2009 at 0:39 Quote
zealy wrote:
Dude Ellsworth Joker for 800 bucks? take it for a test ride and if it fits BUY IT!
also dual suspension will always work better for anything short of smooth trails and a hardtail that really works for downhill costs at least as much as a used DH bike like a Giant Faith so dude defiantly go with the dually! oh yeah kickitpinkbike YOU ARE A RETARD!
Damn son lol
flag swan3609
O+
Posted: Mar 29, 2009 at 1:19 Quote
I am on that agrees with starting on a HT and riding a bit to make yourself a better rider.. then getting a real big bike..
But on a side note.. There is not cheap way to get into this sport the right way.. A decient competitive bike is going to be at least $1k and then saftey gear is normally a few hundred more.. and then races at 35-50 to enter.. plus traveling.. my point is that in the sport of DH, there is only expensive and more expensive..
I just bought a new Mongoose Boot'r, I am ordering a Leatt brace, and need a new Full face.. No matter what deals I swing, I am still spening 3 grand on all my new stuff.. and then I have a $50 race entry fee.. Point is there is no cheap way tot get into it.
flag yo13bo
Posted: Mar 29, 2009 at 1:21 Quote
and the amount of parts you break racing and just riding in general. especially rims and derailleurs get damaged alot and thats about 100 AUD there each time
flag SpikeX
Posted: Mar 29, 2009 at 1:23 Quote
odin333 wrote:
Cheapest way to get into DH is to by a decent, proper bike, and half decent, proper gear.

I agree. If you buy a really cheap used full suspension bike you WILL spend more time fixing broken parts than if you get a decent bike in the first place. An old used bike will end up being more expensive in the long run.
flag swan3609
O+
Posted: Mar 29, 2009 at 1:25 Quote
norcorulz wrote:
and the amount of parts you break racing and just riding in general. especially rims and derailleurs get damaged alot and thats about 100 AUD there each time

yes I knew thats was the thing I was forgetting.. haha I got done and said " I know I am forgetting something" and I could remember.. but yea Derailers, Housings, and rims, and bars. get thrashed.

 


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