# best bet for a pure downhill bike, 2nd hand? $1000



## jasonjm (May 4, 2011)

got some great advice on here for my last bike which I bought.

I want to spend $1000 on a downhill bike (pure downhill, for steeps and jumps etc).

I assume 2nd hand is going to be my best bet? as $1000 is not very much

any makes / models I should try search for?


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## jasonjm (May 4, 2011)

or maybe somewhere must be having closeouts on 2009 or 2010 models?


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## SHIVER ME TIMBERS (Jan 12, 2004)

add 500 to 800 you are in for a pretty decent bike


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## dbabuser (Jan 5, 2004)

^^^ What he said. Like this one:
'07 Iron Horse Sunday Team - Medium - Full Bike - Buy and Sell and Review Mountain Bikes and Accessories


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## burgundy snake (Dec 12, 2007)

Spend a few minutes and search the classifieds. Ebay, craigslist, MTBR, Pinkbike, Ridemonkey, NSMB... Start with a frame that is a little out of your price range and make an offer.

There are some nice nitch bikes out there.

Canfield Balance
Canfield Balance 2008 - Classifieds
Canfield Balance PRICE DROP - Pinkbike.com

Nicolai M-Pire
2004 Nicolai M-Pire - Pinkbike.com

Specialized Big Hit, Intense, Santa Cruz Bullet. You should consider a single pivot to keep the cost down.

You could start with a discontinued frame and build up something. The Rocky Mountain Battery is a knock off of the bullet and you could throw a decent build together within your price range if you wrench yourself.
MOUNTAIN CYCLE BATTERY 5" XC Suspension Bike Frame


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## jasonjm (May 4, 2011)

oh yeah i forgot to mention because im a big mofo, 2nd hand is tough for me, nothing usually my size (I am just over 6ft3). I emailed a few of those listings though thx


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## schlockinz (Feb 6, 2009)

jasonjm said:


> oh yeah i forgot to mention because im a big mofo, 2nd hand is tough for me, nothing usually my size (I am just over 6ft3). I emailed a few of those listings though thx


I think that puts you in a better position. Bikes might be harder to find but you can probably get one a little cheaper


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## jasonjm (May 4, 2011)

schlockinz said:


> I think that puts you in a better position. Bikes might be harder to find but you can probably get one a little cheaper


a half glass full kinda guy, I like it


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## kingofthemountain82 (Aug 15, 2007)

sette vexx on pricepoint.com


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## ron m. (Aug 1, 2009)

Dude, just keep looking on CL and you'll find one soon enough, especially after the season. I scored on an 09 Atomik, hardly used for $950. I've seen first gen V10s, Big Hits, VP-Frees in the $1K range. Not impossible to pick one up at that price. Just make sure it has decent stuff in it... you definitely want 8-inch dual crowns as a minimum requirement (some of those older dual crowns have 7 and less... verify!)... same goes with rear travel.


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## dirtjump132 (Oct 11, 2011)

How do you like the canfield dude??!!


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## imryannn (Nov 14, 2011)

I am in the same boat as you, find any sites that you came across that made this process a little easier. I mean I am not as tall as you so I dont think I will have as much trouble finding a bike in my size.
I would recomend a bighit though, they are pretty tall and I have a lot of buddies that are your size and they love the way it fit them.


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## eabos (Jun 11, 2005)

I have a Canfield Balance as my AM bike. LOVE IT! I work in a shop and have the opportunity to buy new stuff fairly cheap but can't bring myself to justify replacing the Balance as it's just too damn fun


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## RoryMcKenna (Dec 21, 2009)

I have a AIRBORNE Taka.. killer bike for the price...$1299.95

I have let buddies with big $ rigs take for runs at Snow Shoe and they love it!..they say it's a "flickable " bike and they like the simplicity of the bike.. Matt and Tex up at the shop liked it tons..they just about Shat when they heard what I paid.. Matt was like " for the frame?" I sai dno! the complete bike! anyway.. I love the bike! if you want a great NEW rig not some beat up assed used DH bike it's worth a look


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## #Cyclelife (Jul 21, 2009)

I was in the same market this time last year for a DH bike. I spent like 6-7 months on CL looking for a DH bike and one day was offered a like new 08' Giant Glory 1 FR w/ 8" of travel for 1400.00 from some guy on CL. I went and looked @ it and it was just awesome but was missing the front derailleur shifter assy and cable so I bargained w/ the guy & got it for 1150.00. Little did the seller know is that I was going to scrap the front derailleur, changed out the cranks and add and e13 chain guide all of which I have done and this is such an awesome bike that I cannot say enough good things about it. Long story short, keep looking, get a FR bike. Im' taking the next step real soon and turning it into a DH bike....new Boxxer R2C2 dual crown fork, angleset headset to get the head tube geometry right and direct mount stem.
The thing about the Airborne is the rear triangle and bearings...extremely weak, crack and wear so quickly. They end up sloppy and clunking and have lots of warranty stuff going on from most of the guys @ the DH park I ride @ and all of them said they would never buy another one. This isn't just one person with this issue either and not just 2 ppl! Many ppl w/ the exact same issue. Can't go wrong w/ the Glory and the price! Good luck in your hunt bro!


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## sonic reducer (Apr 12, 2010)

I have set up a couple friends/family new to DH on budget DH sleds so they could try it out. I'm talking under a G here for the most part.
in order of preference...
1. 05ish giant faith. this bike has giants maestro type suspension, and you can flip the upper link to make it modern DH geometry. pedals, corners, jumps great imho. not quite fabien barel head tube status but very rideable. the junior world championships were won on a faith a few years ago. not super heavy, pretty stiff. I found a complete '06 faith in poor condition on craigslist, bought it for $500, spent several hours cleaning/tuning it up and changing some **** out, presto $700 legit DH bike that can SHRED. kinda hard to find a deal that good all the time but they are out there.
2. Iron Horse Sunday. I actually have one of these as my own DH. they do everything pretty well and were THE bike to have in about 2006 and are still fairly relevant and what a lot of the current designs are based upon. they are lightish, good handling, and becoming cheap. loctite bearing retainer compound goes a long way LOL!!!! watch out for dents and broken chainguide tabs.
3. Older turner square tube DHR. good for someone who knows how to ride already but needs a bike. much more poppy and jumpy. super fun. a classic design that was near the top of the industry for years. not too heavy.
4. Iron Horse yakuza kumicho. a decent, good riding poppy single pivot with kind of a crappy stigma(undeserved). my buddy brian used to shred super hard on one and they are fun to ride. not the stiffest or the coolest and were upstaged by the sunday during the iron horse years. should be able to find one for dirt.
5. intense M1. the standard for YEARS. avoid the really old ones go for something from like '03.
6. any real DH bike from years past that is affordable to you that strikes your interest. just research it a little.

AVOID: Iron Horse SGS DH anything, Iron horse 7point, older kona stab primo, rocky mountain RM series, Schwinn/Yeti straight 6 or 8 pull shock bikes, anything with a special shock, early intense M1, anything obscure etc


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## imryannn (Nov 14, 2011)

sonic reducer said:


> I have set up a couple friends/family new to DH on budget DH sleds so they could try it out. I'm talking under a G here for the most part.
> in order of preference...
> 1. 05ish giant faith. this bike has giants maestro type suspension, and you can flip the upper link to make it modern DH geometry. pedals, corners, jumps great imho. not quite fabien barel head tube status but very rideable. the junior world championships were won on a faith a few years ago. not super heavy, pretty stiff. I found a complete '06 faith in poor condition on craigslist, bought it for $500, spent several hours cleaning/tuning it up and changing some **** out, presto $700 legit DH bike that can SHRED. kinda hard to find a deal that good all the time but they are out there.
> 2. Iron Horse Sunday. I actually have one of these as my own DH. they do everything pretty well and were THE bike to have in about 2006 and are still fairly relevant and what a lot of the current designs are based upon. they are lightish, good handling, and becoming cheap. loctite bearing retainer compound goes a long way LOL!!!! watch out for dents and broken chainguide tabs.
> ...


Good info and a good amount of help for me, thanks


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## DrJosiah (Oct 9, 2011)

TONS of bikes on CL... but depends on where you are...


Being in the Front Range might give me a twisted view, but the "bikes" section of CL has tons of rides, particularly with winter/end of season right now


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## Gilly32 (Mar 28, 2010)

RoryMcKenna said:


> I have a AIRBORNE Taka.. killer bike for the price...$1299.95


i as well have a Taka. i'm a big dude too and i ride DH, DJ and urban with it and it takes ever single thing i thow at it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it


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## HuckMyLife (Nov 30, 2011)

Get the Taka. Most used dh bikes that you will find are thrashed. Not bad, cuz they were meant to be thrashed, but youre gonna want a bike to thrash, not one thats pre-thrashed


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## manelnunez (Aug 31, 2011)

Not bad...


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## AlsTrance (Aug 30, 2010)

So what do people think of the Kona Operator if I can get one of these second hand?


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## Ithnu (Feb 16, 2007)

AlsTrance said:


> So what do people think of the Kona Operator if I can get one of these second hand?


A friend of mine rented one for a week this summer while he was visiting me out in CO. He had been on a Demo8 (2007) and a Giant Faith during the summers before that and he was very impressed with the Kona.

If you can get a good price on it, do it.


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## Csuarez69 (Jun 20, 2013)

What about a used 09 kona stab for right around a thousand? I've seen good and bad. Apparently it's only been ridden four times, but the marzocchi 888 rcv needs new seals


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## Ithnu (Feb 16, 2007)

Csuarez69 said:


> What about a used 09 kona stab for right around a thousand? I've seen good and bad. Apparently it's only been ridden four times, but the marzocchi 888 rcv needs new seals


It's a last generation bike but not a bad one if the price is low.


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## Eckstream1 (Jul 27, 2011)

sonic reducer said:


> 1. 05ish giant faith. this bike has giants maestro type suspension, and you can flip the upper link to make it modern DH geometry. pedals, corners, jumps great imho. not quite fabien barel head tube status but very rideable. the junior world championships were won on a faith a few years ago. not super heavy, pretty stiff. I found a complete '06 faith in poor condition on craigslist, bought it for $500, spent several hours cleaning/tuning it up and changing some **** out, presto $700 legit DH bike that can SHRED. kinda hard to find a deal that good all the time but they are out there.


Yup...
I grabbed an 05 Faith for $600 in pretty good shape a few months ago.
The thing is a BEAST and will last forever.

I'm really torn between buying a brand new rig or pulling the Faith apart and completely refurbing it.


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## shwinn8 (Feb 25, 2006)

best 2nd hand pure downhill bike?

2001 Schwinn Str 8 Small - Pinkbike


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