Downhill biking is all about keeping your cool and maintaining control. You will need to maintain control of your bike in extreme conditions. High speed braking and sharp turns with tight control are of the utmost concern when looking for a downhill bike. A Downhill mountain bike should be heavy and tough. A downhill mountain bike should look more like a motor bike without the engine, than a lightweight cross country bike. A downhill bike has a heavy duty frame with long travel suspension front and rear and flat pedals without the cleats that are on a cross country bike Downhill bikes have an average weight of 40-45 lb vs. 22-26 lb for a cross country bike.
Looking for the right downhill bike can be confusing. There are many different companies selling bikes designed specifically for downhill racing. The prices are usually quite steep, but if you are serious about downhill biking, you really need to get a bike that can stand the test of [crashing one more] time.
Rolling in thedough:
If you have major bank and want to fly in style, check out the 2007 GT DH-i ($5,499.99).
Specs:
Frame: GT DHi, 8.5″ TRAVEL
Rear Shock: FOX DHX 5.0
Fork: ROCKSHOX BOXXER WORLD CUP
Headset: FSA PIG DH PRO
Stem: EASTON VICE
Bars: EASTON MONKEYLITE CARBON DH
Grips: GT LOCK-ON
Shifter: SRAM X-0
Rear Mech: SRAM X-0
Brakes: AVID JUICY 7
Hubs: DT SWISS FW 440
Rims: SUN MTX
Tires: KENDA NEVEGAL 2.5″, STICK-E RUBBER & DH CASING
Chainset: SHIMANO SAINT
B/B: SHIMANO SAINT
Chain Device: E.THIRTEEN SRS
Cassette: SHIMANO DURA ACE, 12-25
Chain: SHIMANO HG-93
Seatpost: SDG I-BEAM
Saddle: SDG I FLY I-BEAM
Sizes: SMALL OR MEDIUM
Colors: NASA WHITE
Weight: 40 lbs
Medium Pricey:
For a mid-priced downhill ride, check out the 2007 Iron Horse Yakuza Sohon Bucho ($1899.99).
Specs:
Frame – 8″ Travel Dual Suspension Single Pivot w/ Sealed Bearings
Rear Shock – Fox Vanilla R (8.75″ X 2.75″)
Fork – Marzocchi Super T RV, 185mm Travel
Handlebar – Funn 318, 30mm Rise, 710mm Width, 31.8mm Clamp
Stem – Funn MZX4 Direct Mount Stem, 31.8mm Clamp
Headset – Orbit E 1.5R
BB – FSA MegaExo, 83mm
Crank – FSA Gravity Moto X MegaExo, 170mm
Rings – FSA 36t Alloy
Pedals – Wellgo Alloy Platforms
Chain – KMC Z72
Saddle – SDG BelAir ST I-Beam
Seatpost – SDG 6061 I-Beam, 30.0mm
Hubs – Alloy DH Disc, Thru-Axle, 36h
Chainguide – e.13 Components LG1
R. Derailleur – SRAM SX.5 mid Cage
Shifter – SRAM SX.5 Trigger
Cassette – SRAM PG-850, 11/32T, 8 Speed
Brakeset – Avid Juicy 3 w/8″ Rotors
Rims – WTB Dual Duty FR
Spokes – 14G Stainless Black
Tires – ITS 909 FRO Compound, Dual Ply, 2.7″ Font / 2.5″ Rear
Weight – 43.8lbs
Cheapskate:
Bottom feeders need cheap rides, but you still want one that will take you where you need to go. Try getting the2007 Iron Horse Warrior 6.0 Mountain Bike. ($999.00)
Specs:
Frame: 5″ Travel Aluminum Dual Suspension
Brakes: Avid BB-5 w/ 6″ rotor
Levers: Avid FR-5
Pedals: Crank Brothers Smarty, Clipless
Rear Shock: Fox Vanilla R Coil, 7.5″ x 2″
Crankset: FSA Gamma, 44/32/22 Steel
Bottom Bracket: FSA MegaExo
Headset: FSA No. 11, Zero Stack
Wheelset: Hubs: Alloy Disc, 32H; Rims: WTB SX-24
Grips/Tape: NA
Stem: Ritchey OE, 4-bolt
Handlebar: Ritchey Riser, 31.8mm clamp
Seatpost: Ritchey, 30.0mm
Fork: Rock Shox Tora 289 U-Turn, 85mm – 130mm Travel
Chain: Shimano HG-73
Cassette: SRAM PG-950, 11/34T, 9-speed
Shifters: SRAM X.5 Trigger
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X.7
Front Derailleur: SRAM X.7, 34.9mm clamp
Saddle: WTB Pure V Sport
Tires: WTB Weirwolf 2.35″
How to hook your bike up so it will fly downhill
For those of you who either can’t afford to go out and pick up a new ride or don’t want to part with the mountain bike that you have, you can modify a bike to perform better downhill. The bare minimum that you should do to your bike so that it performs better downhill is to lower the saddle by 50-75mm, raise the stem by 50-75mm, put on the widest tires that your frame will allow, and add front suspension forks.
Safety Rules
While you are out spending all your hard earned cash on beefing up your bike, don’t forget that at the speeds you will be attaining, and the potentially hard landings you may make, you need ultimate body armor! You should never downhill bike without a downhill mountain bike helmet, chest, shoulder and back protectors help prevent spinal chord injuries, shoulder dislocations and chest punctures, elbow guards, specially padded shorts to protect hips and prevent tailbone fractures, knee and shin guards, and a good pair of downhill racing gloves.
