# Question: Best Pedal-able DH frame for light weight rider



## tsztai (Aug 7, 2008)

I had around 3 years experience with my AM bike, recently I bought a used 45lbs 2006 Giant Glory budget bike(08 boxxer team, XT&Saint, heavy solid wheels) and want to have some DH fun!

But DH biking is not a very popular sport in my country, I need to ride a ~50mins XC/AM route before I get to the 10mins DH track. I am a small rider(165cm(5"5), 60kg(132lbs)) it is a nightmare for me to ride a 45lbs DH bike in XC route, it's really boring as well.

I am looking for the best padelable 7~8" DH frame. There is no any brand that I prefer or any I really don't like. Any suggestions or help will be appreciated!


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

If you want a long-travel AM bike look into an Intense Socom or Session 88 hahah


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## DeanH (Jan 9, 2008)

Intense Socom for a big realy DH bike

But i loved my intense SS for that type you describe kinda riding.


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## Whistgnar (Jan 24, 2010)

the socom would suit well, A nomad would work well (I know its not a dh frame)


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## fighterkyle (Feb 12, 2008)

my banshee scythe is about 41 lbs and really pedalable, esecially with a front derailer


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## thealmightywes (Dec 13, 2008)

Canfield one supposedly pedals like a xc bike, with 8-9 inches of travel

http://www.canfieldbrothers.com/products/the-one-closeout


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## tsztai (Aug 7, 2008)

Iggz said:


> If you want a long-travel AM bike look into an Intense Socom or Session 88 hahah





DeanH said:


> Intense Socom for a big realy DH bike
> 
> But i loved my intense SS for that type you describe kinda riding.





Whistgnar said:


> the socom would suit well, A nomad would work well (I know its not a dh frame)


thanks for the replies!
looks like socom is a good choice for me, from intense website socom is now discontinued, is there any new model replace it?


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## tsztai (Aug 7, 2008)

thealmightywes said:


> Canfield one supposedly pedals like a xc bike, with 8-9 inches of travel
> 
> http://www.canfieldbrothers.com/products/the-one-closeout


thanks for the reply.
the bike is a bit "unusual", but the formula-1-jedi looks great!


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## glitz (Jan 27, 2010)

Chumba Evo. The glowing, detailed review below is pretty good:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=606983

Basically, according to them, the bike is a pedalable bike that shines going down.


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## tsztai (Aug 7, 2008)

anymore suggestion? i am quite interested in Session 88, have anyone tried it and give me some opinion?


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

*noooooooooooooooo*

For the love of christ don't get a Chumba.

Not that we have that out of the way.... Socom is discontinued right now so that means you can find killer deals on it.... still a damn good frame I mean... M6 is discontinued too so it doesn't really mean anything

Session 88 dent retarded easily.... it's kind of funny... but if you don't mind some dings here and there the frames are superrrr light and ride damn well


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## Tim F. (May 22, 2006)

I don't get it? You bought a DH bike to do some downhilling. You already have a AM bike. You want to ride the DH bike on a XC trail to get to the Down hill section, I'm guessing by replacing the geometry (frame), and making it lighter, you will make the bike easier to pedal through the XC section (let me guess up hill)? Wouldn't it be considered a "all mountain (what some would call "light freeride") bike", of which you origanally started with?


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## ilostmypassword (Dec 9, 2006)

marin quad link bike for sure...


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## glitz (Jan 27, 2010)

Iggz said:


> *For the love of christ don't get a Chumba. *
> 
> Not that we have that out of the way.... Socom is discontinued right now so that means you can find killer deals on it.... still a damn good frame I mean... M6 is discontinued too so it doesn't really mean anything
> 
> Session 88 dent retarded easily.... it's kind of funny... but if you don't mind some dings here and there the frames are superrrr light and ride damn well


What's wrong with my recommendation? If you check the mtbr user reviews and reviews on their forum, they have nothing but fantastic marks from the most demanding riders who push their bikes to the limits of their designs.

I also saw something Chumba posted about Intense on their blog. Maybe Intense is not the best way to go? Chumba benefits from in-house prototyping and design by Ted Tanouye, one of the most influential and respected designers in bike history. He's very low key, and the bikes speak for themselves, with no hype attached to them.


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## DeanH (Jan 9, 2008)

Get the Intense SS2 instead of a socom, 

or find a crazy deal on a socom from a shop


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## Iggz (Nov 22, 2006)

glitz said:


> What's wrong with my recommendation? If you check the mtbr user reviews and reviews on their forum, they have nothing but fantastic marks from the most demanding riders who push their bikes to the limits of their designs.
> 
> I also saw something Chumba posted about Intense on their blog. Maybe Intense is not the best way to go?


Ummm.... After what lengths Alan Kang went to just to make Chumba look like a better company by talking sh*t about other competeing and obviously much better companies.... I would never in my life ever buy a Chumba for a number of reasons.... I don't really want to destroy your amazing praise but that was some straight up hardcore marketing garbage you spewed out.


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## glitz (Jan 27, 2010)

Iggz said:


> Ummm.... After what lengths Alan Kang went to just to make Chumba look like a better company by talking sh*t about other competeing and obviously much better companies.... I would never in my life ever buy a Chumba for a number of reasons.... I don't really want to destroy your amazing praise but that was some straight up hardcore marketing garbage you spewed out.


Well, the bikes and unbiased reviewers will speak for themselves.

Here's one:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=6773025#post6773025

"This is the holy grail of mountain biking; the Chumba EVO is a rare gem that achieves it."

"Why would anyone go deal with a mega-corp elsewhere when you can support a local manufacturer who has sick/brilliant craftsmanship, cares about the community, offers unheard of service, and gives you a LOT more value for your dollar?"

That's direct from an owner. Can't doubt the experience of an owner.

Here's another great review, with the user exploiting the potential of the Vf2:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=572922&highlight=curb+lyrik


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## darkzeon (Jun 15, 2006)

ilostmypassword said:



> marin quad link bike for sure...


Marin Quake to be specific!


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## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)

Santa Cruz Bullit?


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## ryan_daugherty (Oct 8, 2006)

*the bike you're looking for is...*

... a Banshee Rune. https://www.bansheebikes.com/rune.html










this is Tony's build. https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=580590

If you need a bigger front end you can keep a zero stack w/ a totem.. I've heard it still feels great set up like that. My dad has his with a Lyrik.


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## tsztai (Aug 7, 2008)

I want to get a 8" DH frame, as I already have a 5.5” AM bike I don’t want to get something too similar. And it is able to use some of the old parts for my Glory.

Other than Socom & Session 88, Anymore suggestion?

Thanks


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## bear (Feb 3, 2004)

What about a Pivot Firebird with a 7" travel fork?

I know there exist people that use it in pro-level downhilling, so it can't be All Wrong.

It can be built up pretty dang light (like low 30's). I know it doesn't necessarily have the truly low/slack geometry of a full-on DH bike but it seems like a better cross-over than using a full-on DH bike with so much XC/AM in the mix.


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## brianbear (Feb 5, 2010)

I can understand your frustration however there isn't any DH specific bike I know of that fits your bill, me thinks you're after a 8" travel light freeride bike. The best one I can recommend is the Canfield 'The one'. they're having a sale on to move all the 2009 stock out. The other option is slightly heavier but pedals nearly as well 'Can Diggle'.These are discontinued but you might find one for sale, probably at an estate auction because nobody living seems to want to sell!

There are multitudes of these single crown, 1.5" steerer, freeride bikes out there, look at as many as you can, test ride if possible, that's the best way to avoid disappointment.

132 lbs rider, pedalling 45 lbs bike , Damn tough work I'd say, well done for the effort!


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## Pslide (Jul 3, 2006)

You might want to try a new Giant Glory - much lighter than the old one. Otherwise the Session 88 and Orange 224 are very light. They all could be built to 38 pounds without too much trouble and they all pedal well. Running less sag or slightly heavier spring will also make many bikes pedal better on the way to the trail.


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## dropadrop (Sep 20, 2005)

glitz said:


> Well, the bikes and unbiased reviewers will speak for themselves.


Every review is biased in one way or another. Funnily enough the reviewers you list have never posted on anything else then Chumba related threads, mostly praising the bikes or defending the CEO...



> Here's one:
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=6773025#post6773025
> 
> "This is the holy grail of mountain biking; the Chumba EVO is a rare gem that achieves it."
> ...


Well actually you can. Just go through the guys posting history on mtbr and consider for a moment if it's fully unbiased or not. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a nice bike and the guy surely loves it, but what makes his recommendation better then any other brands fanboys?



> Here's another great review, with the user exploiting the potential of the Vf2:
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=572922&highlight=curb+lyrik


Again somebody who has never posted outside the Chumba forum... I'm sure the VF2 is a great bike, at least I really liked my XCL when I still had it (still would unless it was stolen) and the VF2 should be a similar ride.

Now what bothers me is that the Chumba recomendations lately are too strange. Either some marketing guys have bought Chumbas and loved them, or Chumba has hired somebody to do viral marketing...


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## baltik (Nov 16, 2005)

Turner highline? Definately one of the better pedaling DH pikes around and you should be able to build yours to around 40lbs without too much effort


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## batorok (May 7, 2007)

suggestions, worth what you paid-
lighter wheelset/tires to start, best bang for buck for pedalling
- new model Giant faith
- uzzi vp
- Canfield's not yet out new more freeride 9lb 7-8inch"the one", not due til late summer
-older uzzi vpx or socom

not a lot out there in the efficient pedaling 7-8 inch market, which I'm also interested in. Also, light = $ so a budget would be useful for recommendations


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## brickbrick (Jun 23, 2008)

Knolly Delirium T


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## batorok (May 7, 2007)

thought about that, but it's "only" 170mm not quite 7inches and can't accept a triple clamp fork and retain the warranty. Not sure if the Uzzi vp can either, though the vpx and faith are ok


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## brickbrick (Jun 23, 2008)

The "only" 170 reportedly feels like much more. The dual crown fork only voids the warranty if you go over 180mm, but I get what you're saying. It may not officially be a DH rig, but it climbs great and *rails* downhill.


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## starship303 (May 16, 2006)

*options...*

I can sort of see what your after here. IMO you might want to avoid a specific-DH frame as their inherent geometry may well make riding XC trails a painful experience, or at least not as easy as it could be. IMO if you look for a more Freeride based frame (most FR frames nowadays run DH geo from a few years ago anyway, so are still seriously capable bikes on the steep stuff) then you might find your overall riding experience better.

A *2010 Giant Faith* could well fit the bill nicely here. Decent geo, able to run big forks, can be built quite light (~4.0kg frame), very pedal friendly platform and good value to boot.

On the other end of the scale, if your willing to drop some serious coin, the *Nicolai Helius AFR* could be exactly what your after! Impressively light 3.5kg (7.7lbs) frame, travel/geo adjustable from 175-197mm (6.88-7.75 inches), great pedal efficiency with Nicolai's Full Horst Link rear end, plus a bezillion paint or ano options, let alone the custom frame options (gussets, cable routing, etc...). You can build these things into anything from a long travel trail bike to a full DH bike. Choice is yours. You can even order one with custom geo if stock doesn't suit. Front mech capable too if needed, or guide, or hammer. Whatever.

The *Knolly Delerium* is another one that would slot in here nicely as stated above. Has an adjustable head angle too (by 1 degree). Just not sure on the weight of the Delerium frame (anyone?). Front end is limited to 180mm though...

The *Intense Uzzi VP* as previously mentioned is a pretty capable bike if the spec is right. 7.0-7.5 inches (coil) of travel, nice new skool geo, can be built light and they are very pedal friendly. Again though, say bye-bye to warranty with the use of over recommended travel on the front.

Actually the more i think about it the more i tend to believe there is nothing on the market that matches your needs better than the Nicolai Helius AFR. Here is a Helius AFR that been build as a DH/FR machine and comes in at 16.5kg. Obviously from there you can work your way down in weight the more trail friendly you want to go.

But other options that come to mind...
*Specialized Demo 7*? They can be built fairly light (don't let appearances fool you) & they pedal very well. Pretty slack DH oriented geo though which may make climbing a bit of an effort (65 or 66 head angle).
*Scott Voltage FR*? Adjustable travel from 130-180mm... not sure on the allowance of dual crowns though.
*Rocky Mountain Flatline*?
*Devinci Frantik*?

Anyway hope that helps. Good luck dude.
Cheers,

*


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## tsztai (Aug 7, 2008)

I think I am going get a used session 88 frame, but the size is a bit different with trek website.
Can anyone give me a hand? Many thanks
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=6809777#post6809777


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