# is a DH bike not the best bet for jumping?



## monkies (Jun 10, 2007)

I need advice on the route I should take for a new bike. I have a dedicated trail bike (Ibis Mojo with 150mm fork), and also a 7" freeride bike (I'm going to sell it because I don't like the way it rides/suspension and it's too big). Should I just get a DH sled so there is no crossover between the rides, or get a burly 7" bike? I've never ridden a full on DH bike, but see riders on the trails I go on with them so don't know if it's overkill or if I have been missing out.

Riding style for the big bike: primarily simple uphill riding up to trails, or hike-a-bike. The downhill is basically jumping. No DH racing, but I do the occasional trip to Northstar. 

Thanks!


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## chup29 (Nov 28, 2006)

everyone should have a dh bike... you should get a dh bike


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## Rob-Bob (Jun 11, 2004)

Not all dh bikes jump well..and alot of them are not fun to pedal uphill. If you don't plan on hitting any real dh trails then it might be overkill. A 7" free ride bike should jump better than a full dh bike and they will definitely pedal uphill better.. What bike are you riding now?


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## MTBAlex (Mar 29, 2006)

You sound like me. I ride in the south bay area and with trips to N*. I just got rid of a burly 7 inch and got a full 8 inch bike. I also have a 4 inch smaller bike for everything that requires steeper climbs.


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## Northstar rider (Sep 21, 2013)

I live in Reno and go to N* all the time (hence the name) and was wondering were I could find some good places to practice some jumping. And I am in the same place as you looking to move from around 6in to 8-10in to be my dedicated dh shredder! Good luck with getting a new rig!


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## SV11 (Jan 2, 2011)

Rob-Bob said:


> Not all dh bikes jump well..and alot of them are not fun to pedal uphill. If you don't plan on hitting any real dh trails then it might be overkill. A 7" free ride bike should jump better than a full dh bike and they will definitely pedal uphill better.. What bike are you riding now?


^^ This.
DH bikes have a slightly different geo to freeride bikes. DH bikes are a pita to pedal uphill, freeride bikes aren't that much fun either.
If your concerned about travel, you can get long travel freeride bikes, or you used to be able to, my freeride bike has 9", like it's owner (sorry couldnt help myself, lol)
If it were me and my regular riding included riding uphills and jumping, I'd probably go for a burly overbuilt AM bike.


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## SSearchVT (Sep 6, 2007)

Most downhill bikes are really good at downhill. I consider myself a decent cross country rider - I can be out in the hills of central Vermont for 30 miles without a concern mid season. That said - trying to ride my DH bike up more than 100 yards and I'm gassed... I'd suggest looking for a good all mountain bike, dropper post, and possibly suspension lock outs...


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## tim_from_PA (Dec 17, 2012)

I don't have one, but many people claim that Canfield's The One is an exceptional bike at climbing and descending...AND you can set it for 7 or 8 inches. Might be worth checking it out.


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## monkies (Jun 10, 2007)

Rob-Bob said:


> What bike are you riding now?


I'm on a Turner Highline but it's too big, and I don't like the suspension so I wanted a different ride.

My bikes are fairly specific to the terrain, so I never needed one 'do all bike'...the AM bike is just used for trail, and I never use my Turner for actual heavy duty climbing since it's used for jump/park trails (climbs are basically fireroads or hike it).

I didn't know if there was going to be too much overlap between the AM bike and built up heavy duty AM bike, or if I should just get a DH bike. Since I've never ridden a DH sled I didn't know if I'd lose a ton in flickability. Maybe a flickable DH bike?...I've heard the Canfield Jedi's are flicky for example.

@SV11: I'm still laughing at your comment.


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## kazlx (Jun 13, 2005)

Yes, there will be a lot of overlap between an AM bike and a 7" FRish bike. If you are going to have two bikes, just buy a full DH bike. They jump fine. Quite a bit of personal feel on the bike can be dialed in with suspension. Obviously, some jump better than others but that all comes down to personal preference. DH bikes are fine on DH style jumps where you don't need a ton of pop. You aren't going to be slaying the DJs on a DH bike. You will also enjoy having a DH bike at Northstar.

FWIW, I ride a Chromag Stylus for my trail bike and a Banshee Legend for my DH bike. I plan on buying a 5-6" FS trail bike and some point and feel like it will still fit in with my other bikes no problem. But IMO, a 6" and 7" bike together are kind of pointless.


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## dbabuser (Jan 5, 2004)

I think the flickability of a dh bike will depend on it's build/ weight. I don't know that my '10 Jedi (39lbs) was much more flickable than my '06 Sunday (38lbs), but it was a better jumper. With the proper weight spring, it easily had the most pop of any dh bike I've ridden, and was a ton of fun to jump, even down the local flow trail, which generally favors hardtails.


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## pizon (Jul 7, 2009)

kazlx said:


> Yes, there will be a lot of overlap between an AM bike and a 7" FRish bike. If you are going to have two bikes, just buy a full DH bike. They jump fine. Quite a bit of personal feel on the bike can be dialed in with suspension. Obviously, some jump better than others but that all comes down to personal preference. DH bikes are fine on DH style jumps where you don't need a ton of pop. You aren't going to be slaying the DJs on a DH bike. You will also enjoy having a DH bike at Northstar.


this. get the full dh bike, it will fine as it sounds like you're already hiking up. Certain DH bikes do have more pop, while others tend to stick to the ground more, but even with those you just need a little body english before takeoff. Tinkering with suspension always helps to dial in the feel


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## Extremo (Apr 1, 2012)

I'm in the same boat. I'm riding a FR bike right now that doesn't have the geo for DH that I'm looking for. But I really don't want to get a bike that eats up lips. 

I demo'd a 2013 Rocky Mountain Flatline at Highland and although it was fast, it didn't have much pop at all on jumps. Being a Rampage bike I expected it to be a little more jump friendly. 

I've been recommended the Spec Demo and SC V10 as poppy, pedal friendly DH bikes.


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## pizon (Jul 7, 2009)

Norco aurum is pretty poppy bike according to my buddy.

Sent from my HTC-X710a using Tapatalk


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## Gman086 (Jul 4, 2004)

kazlx said:


> Yes, there will be a lot of overlap between an AM bike and a 7" FRish bike. If you are going to have two bikes, just buy a full DH bike. They jump fine. Quite a bit of personal feel on the bike can be dialed in with suspension. Obviously, some jump better than others but that all comes down to personal preference. DH bikes are fine on DH style jumps where you don't need a ton of pop. You aren't going to be slaying the DJs on a DH bike. You will also enjoy having a DH bike at Northstar.
> 
> FWIW, I ride a Chromag Stylus for my trail bike and a Banshee Legend for my DH bike. I plan on buying a 5-6" FS trail bike and some point and feel like it will still fit in with my other bikes no problem. But IMO, a 6" and 7" bike together are kind of pointless.


Agreed. Depends a lot on the type of jump trails you have too. Out here we have steep jump trails which you really need a lot of speed to clean the huge tables and step downs and I'm simply not that comfy on my 7" converted 6 Point to hit it at the speeds I would on, say, a Giant Glory and both bikes come in around 35 lbs. Dual crown with 8" travel is the way to go for fast jump trails and park riding IMHO. Slower freeride trails, with a lot of woodwork, are a different story - that's where the 7" bikes rule so you need to define your jump trails.

Have FUN!

G MAN


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## Gemini2k05 (Apr 19, 2005)

SSearchVT said:


> Most downhill bikes are really good at downhill.


Ya don't say...

Also, anyone who can't jump a DH bike, can't jump a bike. Any jump, on any DH/FR trail, can be hit on a DH bike. The only kind of jumps DH bikes might struggle on are steep, tight, hardtail-style dirt jumps.


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## Extremo (Apr 1, 2012)

Gemini2k05 said:


> Ya don't say...
> 
> Also, anyone who can't jump a DH bike, can't jump a bike. Any jump, on any DH/FR trail, can be hit on a DH bike. The only kind of jumps DH bikes might struggle on are steep, tight, hardtail-style dirt jumps.


Any bike can be jumped but a raked out DH bike with a soft leverage ratio isn't going to pop like a FR bike. For those of us who don't care about racing where you need a bike that flattens everything out want a park bike that pops.


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## The Beater (Aug 17, 2008)

v10's are not poppy in 10 inch travel mode


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## Rager (Oct 29, 2013)

The Beater said:


> v10's are not poppy in 10 inch travel mode


you don't say..


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## Extremo (Apr 1, 2012)

But I would like to know how they jump in the shorter travel setting.


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## monkies (Jun 10, 2007)

Gman086 said:


> Agreed. Depends a lot on the type of jump trails you have too.


That's a very good piece of advice GMan...the trails I'm primarily on have kickers, though some friends hit more dirt jumpy stuff but I don't have the skills for those. Def not anything like skinnies and techy bridges.


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## The Beater (Aug 17, 2008)

V10's are noticeably more poppy in 8.5 mode however they still are not a jumping bike. 

I ride my suspension stiffer then my weight and still have to hit jumps faster then my friends who ride, demo's, glory's, and operators. I also only run 10 inch mode. 

If the jump is a low angle cheese wedge style the V10 is great the dirt jump style lips are hard but doable you just have to hit it with more speed and work the lips harder


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## Extremo (Apr 1, 2012)

The Beater said:


> V10's are noticeably more poppy in 8.5 mode however they still are not a jumping bike.
> 
> I ride my suspension stiffer then my weight and still have to hit jumps faster then my friends who ride, demo's, glory's, and operators. I also only run 10 inch mode.
> 
> If the jump is a low angle cheese wedge style the V10 is great the dirt jump style lips are hard but doable you just have to hit it with more speed and work the lips harder


Thanks man, good to know. I almost picked up a V10 frame and threw my 180 single crown on it as a freeride bike but I think I'll veer away from that. I'm thinking of sticking with a TR250 or Supreme FR...Safe bets for poppy bikes.


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## kazlx (Jun 13, 2005)

Extremo said:


> Any bike can be jumped but a raked out DH bike with a soft leverage ratio isn't going to pop like a FR bike. For those of us who don't care about racing where you need a bike that flattens everything out want a park bike that pops.


Less to do with the bike, more to do with suspension settings. Like Gemini said, anything that is going to be in a 'gravity oriented' trail, can be hit and styled on a DH bike. It's not the arrow, it's the Indian.

And the V10 not being a jumping bike is straight BS. Have watched many a rider throw down on a V10, M9, Jedi, you name it. No DH or 'FR' bike is going to excel at DJ style lips.


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