First DH Bike (pick one)

demo 9 · Mar 13, 2010

ok, get a "fully built" "race ready" USED bike. most people (like myself) will build awesome custom builds from the frame up, but when the end of the season comes around, they are worth 2G or less for top of the line stuff, make it 2 years old, even less. The used bikes are ALWAYS the way to go.

demo 9 · Mar 13, 2010

ECBAOBAO said:
demo 9 thanks for the fast response but I don't really wanna spend 2g on my first bike . any other options? Also, should I try looking for maybe a freeride bike with the shocks not going all the way to the bars? I'm not good enough to go to those downhill only places yet. The place I go to has 1 trail that I tried that was only downhill but another one was down and up. Everyone said that I won't be able to climb with a DH only bike. Is that true or are they pussy? haha

I dont mean literally 2 grand, im just sayin the top of the line 09 bike, which costs 5-7 grand, is probably closer to 2 grand. I grabbed a relatively nice stinky for my girlfriend for 300 bucks, and it only needed 2 tubes. you just have to look for what yuo want/need. used is the way to go though, it would help alot more, if you mentioned your price range, lastly, consider how serious YOU WILL get or WONT get. a cheap bike now, just means more money later.

robert716 · Mar 13, 2010

Forks that go all the way above the head tube--known as dual-crown forks because of the second clamp just below the bars--shouldn't be mandatory if you're just getting started. There are good bikes out there with single crowns, though I would look for something with at least six inches of travel if you want to start trying proper DH runs.

$500 is pretty low budget. That's not to say it won't get you a bike; it just means what you do get will likely be well-used (if not totally clapped-out.) It may be wiser to save up another $300-$500 to get something that's in a little nicer shape. After all, you may end spending that much on maintenance stuff if you buy something that's too tired.

Stinkies and most gravity-oriented Iron Horses are good bikes to get your feet wet. Big Hits can also be had for cheap in many cases, and there are lots of others that will pop up at random. Have fun and enjoy the hunt.

blackohio · Mar 13, 2010

ECBAOBAO said:
demo 9 thanks for the fast response but I don't really wanna spend 2g on my first bike . any other options? Also, should I try looking for maybe a freeride bike with the shocks not going all the way to the bars? I'm not good enough to go to those downhill only places yet. The place I go to has 1 trail that I tried that was only downhill but another one was down and up. Everyone said that I won't be able to climb with a DH only bike. Is that true or are they pussy? haha

Where are you located? I have a clapped out Ironhorse SGS with bottom bracket, headset and Sherman fork i'll sell you for $100 + shipping. the rear triangle originally cracked and I had it welded by someone extremely competent. Both the shock and fork have blown rebound circuits. Bikes about perfect for your size and the buddy I got it from rode the piss out of it like it is. He's fast as ****. It'll be cheap and easy for you to build up. I bought it to build as a spare to let friends ride if they wanted to try it out, but all my friends are a bit tall for this frame.

you can email me blackohio@gmail.com if your interested. It aint the prettiest but it'll get the job done.

blackohio · Mar 13, 2010

ECBAOBAO said:
demo 9 thanks for the fast response but I don't really wanna spend 2g on my first bike . any other options? Also, should I try looking for maybe a freeride bike with the shocks not going all the way to the bars? I'm not good enough to go to those downhill only places yet. The place I go to has 1 trail that I tried that was only downhill but another one was down and up. Everyone said that I won't be able to climb with a DH only bike. Is that true or are they pussy? haha

geometry, weight, gearing and the type of suspension design are all limiting factors in pedaling a DH bike up ****. If you were to actually try to climb decent hills on a DH bike i'd suggest a mtn rear cassette and probably a 32t front. But once you get to any moderately fast section downhill you'll spin out. Most DH bikes seat tubes and seats are to low and the head angle is to slack to allow you to sit and properly mash on the pedals uphill. These bikes weight (on average)40-50lbs, where-as a decent all mountain bike tips the scales in low to mid 30's and has the geometry to do everything decently.

You'll soon find that hiking with the bike is the only way you'll get anywhere when looking up the mountain.

norbar · Mar 13, 2010

demo 9 said:
I dont mean literally 2 grand, im just sayin the top of the line 09 bike, which costs 5-7 grand, is probably closer to 2 grand. I grabbed a relatively nice stinky for my girlfriend for 300 bucks, and it only needed 2 tubes. you just have to look for what yuo want/need. used is the way to go though, it would help alot more, if you mentioned your price range, lastly, consider how serious YOU WILL get or WONT get. a cheap bike now, just means more money later.

Word. It's really hard to get a bike in good shape under 1300-1500$ anyway. If it will be beat up it will mean a lot more money spent in near future on repairs.

LMC · Mar 13, 2010

could you post the craigslist links please?

Al C. Oholic · Mar 13, 2010

ECBAOBAO said:
should I try looking for maybe a freeride bike with the shocks not going all the way to the bars?

first of all, and i'm not trying to be a nit-picky dick, but they're called dual crown forks. second, dual crowns are primarily to add stiffness for such long-travel forks, and if the majority of the downhill you'll be doing is just trying to take steep XC lines quickly, you prolly don't need one.
however, if you get more into it very quickly, then a full on DH bike may be a good investment just so you don't have to buy a new one in a season or two.
I used to have a Kona Stinky Dee-Lux, and i really liked it. it was stiff with decent geometry, but a bit on the heavy side. however, that was six years ago so they may have improved. 500 may not be quite realistic for your new bike, but you're in the ballpark. i just picked up a Giant DH Team for 700, so if you elevate your price range just a tad then you may come across a real steal.

edit: i'd take a good hard look at the SGS and the Stinky. to me, they look the most promising.

LMC · Mar 13, 2010

out of all that list id say the Iron horse is the one to go for, its the cheapest and it has a front mech to get you up the hills again.

If you want to go for a more DH only oriented bike and can stretch to the $1000 mark then id say the SWD. It will be simple to maintain and being steel, will be least likely to break.

:offtopic:

what are your powerlifting personal bests at the minute?

greengreer · Mar 13, 2010

If I were you I would go for "freeride" geometry as it will definitely be more comfortable to you and will probably be better suited to the riding you do.

That being said, get that SWD- They are stupid-simple and a great place to start downhilling on IMO (I just picked one up for the upcoming season, this will be my first full on DH rig and I am looking forward to thrashing on the steel)

SirChomps-a-Lot · Mar 13, 2010

Dude, get that swd for sure. Everything else that's been posted up is clapped out. You may not be aware, but aluminum has a crappy fatigue life, which means after so many load cycles it snaps. Steel is much better in this regard, but slightly heavier.

Don't worry about the rims, you can get rhino lyte XL's for $20 (my personal favorite rim evar) Or a whole azonic or transition wheelset for $150. Rims on a downhill bike are disposable. Most racers go through several sets a season. Lacing your own wheels also isn't too hard -- there's nothing magic about it. People on here would be glad to help you figure it out. Half of this sport is fixing the crap you break. It's fun!

In conclusion: seriously, get that SWD. I wouldn't feel safe riding most of those other bikes to the corner store.

SirChomps-a-Lot · Mar 13, 2010

ECBAOBAO said:
haha damn really? clapped out means like riding the **** out of it?

how can I tell if a bike is clapped out?

thanks for all the useful information man. is that a good price for the SWD?

haha...

'Clapped Out' means ridden hard and put away wet. All kinds of stuff will be loose, bent, rusted, cracked, rattling, falling off. A primary cause of claptitude is not fixing things in a timely fashion. For example if a bolt comes loose, all you have to do is tighten it. If you fail to tighten it, the bolt hole will ovalize, which is a much, much worse problem.

If you can go see a bike in person, a good way to measure claptitude is sound. Drop it and shake it and twist it, listening for clunks. Pretty much any kind of clunks are bad news.

Yep, that's probably a great price for the SWD. Most downhill frames cost at least 1500 used. Get him to send you the complete parts spec and post it up here and we'll have us a looksee.

Udi · Mar 14, 2010

Bighit specs are a bit crappy, if you can find an FSR bighit though (any of the ones with the 4 bar rearend) they go pretty hard. Makes for a great first bike and they should be floating around cheap these days if you look hard enough.

That ironhorse SGS you linked would go real nice too but I can't see it being quite as cheap as you want. The giant and SWD would probably be fine too. All much better than the bighit spec.

demo 9 · Mar 14, 2010

bighit specs arent all that bad, frame has alot of potential.

those are two i had back a few years back, not a bad frame at all-but the stock parts are ****.

LMC · Mar 14, 2010

ECBAOBAO said:
LMC: haha sorry to disappoint you, but my lifts aren't that great since i don't compete, i just pl for fun and exercise. but i stopped for couple months now since i got herniated disc and cant do 2/3 of the main lifts. I wanna find a new hobby so want to try this dh thing haha

my last pb was 1190
bench - 295
squat - 400
deadlift 495

those are still impressive numbers though, funny i also herniated my disc just over a year ago due to my own stupidity, forgetting to put the safety bars on in the squat rack and getting trapped under the weight! so deadlifting and squatting was out of the question for almost a year.. and no squatting meant my bench suffered too.

my bench is about 295 now, at 180 lbs. My squat and deadlift before i hurt myself were sitting at just under 400. In many ways the big 3 lifts go hand in hand with training for mountain biking.

After thinking about this again, id say just to go for the SWD if possible, it really will give you the least trouble and as has been mentioned, a bent rim is no big worry.

Eren · Mar 14, 2010

the SWD seems to also have the best/most reliable parts on it, not to mention by far the best fork out of any of the bikes you posted

Sonic Reducer · Mar 14, 2010

i'd look for a giant faith. you can find those complete for under a G pretty easily. they pedal great, are pretty jumpy, and can be converted to race geometry by flipping the suspension links. a friend of mine got one for $500 in pretty neglected condition and just by tearing it down and cleaning/greasing everything, and throwing on some old spare parts i turned it into a pretty legit bike for less than most peoples fork cost.

gemini2k · Mar 16, 2010

That faith in camarillo isn't a terrible idea.

Bicyclist · Mar 16, 2010

The kid selling the Demo in Ojai hasn't touched that bike in years, so it would be a decently safe bet too - although the frames on that generation did have some cracking issues.

bullcrew · Mar 16, 2010

Damn just a little too late just sold a big hit 1 4-bar 07 in new condition $600 last month... Look around or offer lower I had a hell of a time selling it for that and it was PERFECT.
Good luck and welcome...

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