Good downhill beginners bike?

micai32212
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micai32212
Edited Date/Time 8/18/2014 12:47pm
Hello all on VitalMTB.

I've been searching for a new hobby and i like Downhill MTB. It looks fun. So what would be a good beginners bike for me? Im 5'11 200lbs. Muscular build with long legs and long arms. I know that info can be important when choosing a bike. I did a little BMX about 5 yrs ago. I am 21yrs old and i have friends that are 6'5 and we have the same height waist line. lol

I just moved to Murfreesboro, TN a couple of days ago. Its about 30 miles south of Nashville. Any good bike shops around? Downhill places to ride? Competitions going on around this area?

I am a huge SX/MX fan. Have been my whole life. I love adrenaline and being on the edge. Watching Downhill vids on YouTube make me wanna go out and buy a bike and get started lol. I would love to get into this and possibly get into some competitions and go watch some pro comps as well. Thanks in advance peeps!
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turningisfun
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turningisfun 6/2/2012 8:07pm
6/2/2012 8:07pm Edited Date/Time 6/3/2012 9:45am
Check out the YT Industries Tues DH, probably the best value downhill bike you can get,
http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/index.php?page=product&info=153&xae8f…
not sure if their readily available in the US though
If not the Specialized Status looks good, about the same price, the YT has a better spec though

Bikes to look at:
http://www.mondraker.com/12/eng/bikes/KAISER/213
http://www.specialized.com/ca/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=62045&scid=1100…
http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/downhill/myst-pro

Or if you dont have a whole lotta money you can get some pretty good deals, i got my Specialized Bighit brand new for about
$1100 US ($1500 NZ) cos it was last years model and they wanted to get rid of it. Not the best bike ever but I reckon once I can afford a real good bike it'll be way easier to ride and so i'll be a much better rider.

If you can afford it you could get one of those "mini DH" bikes, like the Intense SS2, a bit more versatile and probably more fun to ride if your not racing all the time.

If you havnt done much mountain biking though you should look into a hardtail and get yours skills down first
micai32212
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micai32212 6/2/2012 8:40pm
6/2/2012 8:40pm
turningisfun wrote:
Check out the YT Industries Tues DH, probably the best value downhill bike you can get, http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/index.php?page=product&info=153&xae8f0=kll126ct41i0hnrb221tt33p75noh6uh not sure if their readily available in the US...
Check out the YT Industries Tues DH, probably the best value downhill bike you can get,
http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/index.php?page=product&info=153&xae8f…
not sure if their readily available in the US though
If not the Specialized Status looks good, about the same price, the YT has a better spec though

Bikes to look at:
http://www.mondraker.com/12/eng/bikes/KAISER/213
http://www.specialized.com/ca/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=62045&scid=1100…
http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/downhill/myst-pro

Or if you dont have a whole lotta money you can get some pretty good deals, i got my Specialized Bighit brand new for about
$1100 US ($1500 NZ) cos it was last years model and they wanted to get rid of it. Not the best bike ever but I reckon once I can afford a real good bike it'll be way easier to ride and so i'll be a much better rider.

If you can afford it you could get one of those "mini DH" bikes, like the Intense SS2, a bit more versatile and probably more fun to ride if your not racing all the time.

If you havnt done much mountain biking though you should look into a hardtail and get yours skills down first
thanks man. Also how will a hardtail get my skills up? Ive read this a couple times but no one explains how.
turningisfun
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turningisfun 6/2/2012 9:00pm
6/2/2012 9:00pm Edited Date/Time 6/2/2012 9:40pm
because it teaches you to ride without the suspension just soaking all the bumps up, so you cant just plough through everything, you actually have to learn to ride over rough stuff and your not just relying on the suspension

then when you go over to lots of suspension, you'll be putting your weight in the right place on the bike and so you will be a more efficient faster rider
plus once you get a downhill bike after riding a hardtail then everything will seem way easier (big jumps, roots, rocks etc.)
micai32212
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micai32212 6/3/2012 6:46am
6/3/2012 6:46am Edited Date/Time 4/21/2016 10:21am
turningisfun wrote:
because it teaches you to ride without the suspension just soaking all the bumps up, so you cant just plough through everything, you actually have to...
because it teaches you to ride without the suspension just soaking all the bumps up, so you cant just plough through everything, you actually have to learn to ride over rough stuff and your not just relying on the suspension

then when you go over to lots of suspension, you'll be putting your weight in the right place on the bike and so you will be a more efficient faster rider
plus once you get a downhill bike after riding a hardtail then everything will seem way easier (big jumps, roots, rocks etc.)
thanks man. could not have asked for bttr advice. I just looked up the Giant STP its in my price range also. But i will have to ride it until i get my taxes back next year so that will give me a good 7-8 months of riding a hardtail then i will get me a DH bike and enter some comps.

Im 5'11 should i get the regular or the larger? regular has a 22in top tube and lg has a 23in top tube. i have fairly long arms and legs. i have the reach of an aver guy who is 6'3-6'4

thanks a-lot man
turningisfun
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turningisfun 6/3/2012 8:38am
6/3/2012 8:38am Edited Date/Time 6/3/2012 6:47pm
just had a look and the giant seems like a bit of a rip off in the price, you can get something just as good for cheaper.
i'm having a look around for the best value

but i think you would need the large but try it out at a bike shop or something if you can
turningisfun
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turningisfun 6/3/2012 9:41am
6/3/2012 9:41am Edited Date/Time 4/21/2016 10:21am
i'm not having much luck haha, maybe this Commencal http://www.commencal.com/web/en/bicycles-en/bikes/streetdirt/absolut-al

anyways you can have a look yourself, look for a dirt jump hardtail with gears on the back and post it back here and i'll check it for you if you want.

just so you know these are dirt jump hardtails, made for jumping, they just happen to be really versatile so you can ride them on pretty much anything including downhill, cos their strong enough.

also you could check out these types of bikes if you can afford it,
http://www.transitionbikes.com/Bikes_Double.cfm?Token={ts_2012-06-03_11:39:10}-233b3d2ca41948db-E6F39257-FFCE-2E73-4D1651A6C8514AC2
they have a little bit of rear suspension but not much so your still learning the same sort of skills you would on a hardtail and this is probably the most versatile bike you can buy i reckon, you can ride everything from dirt jumps to all mountain to downhill on it
micai32212
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micai32212 6/4/2012 4:50pm
6/4/2012 4:50pm
turningisfun wrote:
i'm not having much luck haha, maybe this Commencal http://www.commencal.com/web/en/bicycles-en/bikes/streetdirt/absolut-al anyways you can have a look yourself, look for a dirt jump hardtail with gears on...
i'm not having much luck haha, maybe this Commencal http://www.commencal.com/web/en/bicycles-en/bikes/streetdirt/absolut-al

anyways you can have a look yourself, look for a dirt jump hardtail with gears on the back and post it back here and i'll check it for you if you want.

just so you know these are dirt jump hardtails, made for jumping, they just happen to be really versatile so you can ride them on pretty much anything including downhill, cos their strong enough.

also you could check out these types of bikes if you can afford it,
http://www.transitionbikes.com/Bikes_Double.cfm?Token={ts_2012-06-03_11:39:10}-233b3d2ca41948db-E6F39257-FFCE-2E73-4D1651A6C8514AC2
they have a little bit of rear suspension but not much so your still learning the same sort of skills you would on a hardtail and this is probably the most versatile bike you can buy i reckon, you can ride everything from dirt jumps to all mountain to downhill on it
thanks a lot man! A bunch of guys on another forum are telling me not to get a hardtail if im wanting to do DH because i will kill myself lol. but all those transition bikes look sweet!!
turningisfun
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turningisfun 6/4/2012 5:38pm
6/4/2012 5:38pm Edited Date/Time 6/4/2012 5:55pm
haha well i reckon you'll kill yourself if you jump on a DH bike and ride down a DH track without getting good first, i think any beginner would kill themselves riding down a DH track without mountain biking a bit first

and you dont wana be stuck with just one bike that you can only ride DH tracks on
if you get one of the bikes i said (especially that transition double) and then a DH bike later you'll be sorted for any kind of riding you wana do

i've read a few people saying on other forums that they'd never take their transition double or hardtail for DHing but think that just shows that their lacking a bit in the skills department haha
read this article about the bike from Dirt Mag (the best DH mag by the way)
http://dirt.mpora.com/news/2012-dirt-100-transition-double.html
i think it backs me up
micai32212
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micai32212 6/4/2012 6:09pm
6/4/2012 6:09pm Edited Date/Time 4/21/2016 10:21am
turningisfun wrote:
haha well i reckon you'll kill yourself if you jump on a DH bike and ride down a DH track without getting good first, i think...
haha well i reckon you'll kill yourself if you jump on a DH bike and ride down a DH track without getting good first, i think any beginner would kill themselves riding down a DH track without mountain biking a bit first

and you dont wana be stuck with just one bike that you can only ride DH tracks on
if you get one of the bikes i said (especially that transition double) and then a DH bike later you'll be sorted for any kind of riding you wana do

i've read a few people saying on other forums that they'd never take their transition double or hardtail for DHing but think that just shows that their lacking a bit in the skills department haha
read this article about the bike from Dirt Mag (the best DH mag by the way)
http://dirt.mpora.com/news/2012-dirt-100-transition-double.html
i think it backs me up
lol Thats a good read! Imma look for a used one and see what i can find! What do you think about these bikes?

KHS Lucky 7, Specialized Enduro, Giant Reign, Trek Remedy, Trek Slash 7, Specialized Stumpjumper???
turningisfun
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turningisfun 6/4/2012 7:20pm
6/4/2012 7:20pm Edited Date/Time 6/4/2012 7:22pm
well their all good bikes, the stumpjumpers more of a cross country bike, the best ones for DH would be the KHS (never really read anything about it though not sure if its good) and the trek slash, but i think if your just starting out you should go for the hardtail or if you can afford it one like the double, those bikes you listed have quite a bit of suspension so you wont be learning the same skills as on a hardtail.
if you mean for when you want a DH bike none of the ones you listed are full on DH bikes, but i've read good reviews on the slash sounds like a DH capable bike that you can still pedal uphill.

here are some other similar bikes to the transition double:
http://www.bansheebikes.ca/rampant
and the Specialized SX (NOT the Trail version) i'm not sure if they make it anymore though

and remember you can always get a hardtail if you cant afford these bikes, i had just a hardtail for the first 4 years i rode and i rode everything on it
micai32212
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micai32212 6/4/2012 7:31pm
6/4/2012 7:31pm
Hmmmmm ok. What kinda bike do you ride now? And do you do any comps?
turningisfun
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turningisfun 6/4/2012 7:43pm
6/4/2012 7:43pm Edited Date/Time 4/21/2016 10:21am
i still have my hardtail, a Kona Scrap and a Specialized Bighit which is a cheap DH bike
so i have my Bighit for DH and when i dont have to ride uphill and my Kona for everything else (dirt jumps, trail, all mountain)
i've done a couple of DH races and an Enduro race
micai32212
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micai32212 6/5/2012 5:16pm
6/5/2012 5:16pm
oh ok cool!! i wanna do some DH races when i get some time under my belt!

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