# Downhill bike for an all mountain rider?



## skier_biker_baller (Apr 4, 2010)

Right now I do a lot of all mountain riding, I have a giant reign x1 right now. But I plan on doing downhill biking the next couple of years. I like technical rocky stuff and drops, but I don't do many jumps. So what bike would you suggest for an all mountain rider who is looking to get into downhill mountain biking?


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## recitio (Dec 22, 2011)

The same bikes I'd recommend to anyone else:

Specialized Demo 8
Intense M9
Santa Cruz V10
Trek Session 9.9

Best customer service are Specialized and Santa Cruz. If you know your way around bike maintenance, I'd recommend building up yourself so that you can get rock solid Saint brakes and a non-SRAM fork. If you have to go for a kit, the latest Santa Cruz factory builds use mostly Saint components, so I'd go for that 100%.

If you don't care about having the best brakes and components, the Demo 8 low end kit is quite affordable and awesome.


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## aedubber (Apr 17, 2011)

I would first suggest renting a bike and then doing some runs at an actual downhill park . There usually is a pretty big difference between your all mountain trails and downhill trails .. Im not saying you dont know how to ride trails but my all mountain trails are not like the downhill trails i ride at all lol ..

Also , whats your budget for a bike ? Do you want to have 1 bike for downhilling and to do your all mountain riding or separate bikes ?


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## howardyudoing (Mar 31, 2010)

Budget? But yes I agree with the list above. These are all dedicated Downhill bikes that like to stay on the ground. I ride a Demo 8 myself and have to say that the low bb makes the bike very stable and planted. Only problem is that I do like to jump, so it's harder to get up there, but it is very stable throughout the hang time.


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## Zen Cyclery (Mar 10, 2009)

Well, this is entirely dependent on budget, but money aside, I would go with the carbon V10 or the Session 9.9. Both frames are bombproof and have a great ride quality. Additionally, with some carbon wheels and the right grouppo, you could build either one up under 30 lbs.


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## recitio (Dec 22, 2011)

I thought that the Enve carbon wheels were no lighter than aluminum Easton Havoc UST? That the main difference is ride quality?


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## howardyudoing (Mar 31, 2010)

I have to say that weight shouldn't be the deciding factor. If you can afford it, go for it, however aluminum bikes ride fine and are a lot less expensive.


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## aedubber (Apr 17, 2011)

Damn lol OP was asking about a bike not a mortgage Zen :/ ..... Bad advice


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## Fix the Spade (Aug 4, 2008)

skier_biker_baller said:


> I have a giant reign x1 right now. ?


I would just buy some dual ply tyres for that.

A pure downhill bike would be better, but to start with a pair of good tyres is all you need to go downhilling and have fun. Plus it gives you time to figure out how much time you'll spend at lifted trails, no point getting a five grand bike on finance and then riding it twice.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Skier_biker_baller are you looking for something more versitile ie something you can pedal? Something you can use to climb? Something lighter? Single crown? or double? You have lots of options but it would help to narrow it down


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## arkon11 (Jul 26, 2009)

Seriously, if you're looking for something you can ride all mountain (efficiently) and still have a blast at the park. 

I'd really look into getting a 2010 Knolly Delirium. You can find them fairly cheap (for a Knolly), and they're perfect all around bikes. Put a 180mm single crown on it and you'll be able to play with the big boys.

Sure it's only 170mm rear travel, but I've taken my bike through the paces, and it doesn't complain on 10-15 foot drops (to a tranny), and have hit 5-6ish drops to flat without much of a hiccup. 

I know I'm biased, not have ridden a whole lot of downhill bikes, but for a all-mountain park bike, they're unbeatable.


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## Rob-Bob (Jun 11, 2004)

If you like the maestro suspension then you might want to try the glory.


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## crossup (May 13, 2009)

Probably the best bike would be the Canfield "ONE" v2 or v3. Mostly because while good enough to race DH, its a killa trail ride and every thing in between. Go to the Canfield forum and you will find EVERYONE who has ridden one agrees, nothing else pedals(long travel) as well and its quite superior as trail bike in that respect compared to AM rides from all the big manufacturers. 
As you can see from my sig, I have a Specialized Pitch and despite my ONE being setup with a Boxxer WC and Elka coil, its a far better trail bike even though my Pitch was as trick as you can get short of carbon rims. And needless to say, when it comes to DH, there's just no contest. 
It is truly the ONE to do it all.


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## howardyudoing (Mar 31, 2010)

Where did the OP go?


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## good4nothing (Aug 14, 2009)

crossup said:


> Probably the best bike would be the Canfield "ONE" v2 or v3. Mostly because while good enough to race DH, its a killa trail ride and every thing in between. Go to the Canfield forum and you will find EVERYONE who has ridden one agrees, nothing else pedals(long travel) as well and its quite superior as trail bike in that respect compared to AM rides from all the big manufacturers.
> As you can see from my sig, I have a Specialized Pitch and despite my ONE being setup with a Boxxer WC and Elka coil, its a far better trail bike even though my Pitch was as trick as you can get short of carbon rims. And needless to say, when it comes to DH, there's just no contest.
> It is truly the ONE to do it all.


This. Definitely. Bike basically made for what you want.


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## charging_rhinos (Jul 29, 2008)

crossup said:


> Probably the best bike would be the Canfield "ONE" v2 or v3. Mostly because while good enough to race DH, its a killa trail ride and every thing in between. Go to the Canfield forum and you will find EVERYONE who has ridden one agrees, nothing else pedals(long travel) as well and its quite superior as trail bike in that respect compared to AM rides from all the big manufacturers.
> As you can see from my sig, I have a Specialized Pitch and despite my ONE being setup with a Boxxer WC and Elka coil, its a far better trail bike even though my Pitch was as trick as you can get short of carbon rims. And needless to say, when it comes to DH, there's just no contest.
> It is truly the ONE to do it all.


^^ also this.


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## skier_biker_baller (Apr 4, 2010)

Sorry, I should have clarified more. I'm an all mountain rider looking to get into downhill riding. I'll keep my Reign for a trail bike. I'm looking to get a downhill mountain bike to use for downhill riding...no trail riding. I think I would want a lighter bike because I'm used to lighter bikes but carbon isnt in my budget, maybe 30-35lbs? What the difference between single and double crown?


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## aedubber (Apr 17, 2011)

If your getting an only downhill bike then dont worry about weight ( unless you plan on racing and want to reduce weight ), you really dont need to pedal much ... Your bike will be around 40lbs or so , maybe under with a very light and expensive build .. Usually travel that is 200mm and more is a double crown fork..

I would really go rent a bike at a bike park first so you can experience downhill first hand, learn about downhill bikes a bit better , no offense if your asking about single vs double then you might need to do some more research about bikes .Im no pro but i have learned so much about a bike from the forums , searching , reading , understanding what certain parts mean , how they work, and what they do once changed or altered etc ..

But whats is your price budget ? How much dollars you want to spend MAX ?


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## recitio (Dec 22, 2011)

Given what you've said so far, we'll need to know your budget to make more specific recommendations.

Also, are you comfortable with maintenance, building up a bike from components, and so on?


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## skier_biker_baller (Apr 4, 2010)

aedubber said:


> If your getting an only downhill bike then dont worry about weight ( unless you plan on racing and want to reduce weight ), you really dont need to pedal much ... Your bike will be around 40lbs or so , maybe under with a very light and expensive build .. Usually travel that is 200mm and more is a double crown fork..
> 
> I would really go rent a bike at a bike park first so you can experience downhill first hand, learn about downhill bikes a bit better , no offense if your asking about single vs double then you might need to do some more research about bikes .Im no pro but i have learned so much about a bike from the forums , searching , reading , understanding what certain parts mean , how they work, and what they do once changed or altered etc ..
> 
> But whats is your price budget ? How much dollars you want to spend MAX ?


Yeah im kinda at that learning point where you do a lot of reading/searching/forums. So I dont have a real price budget because I probably wont buy until next summer. I started this thread to see what bikes you guys would suggest and I can go research them and hopefully get lucky and get a chance to demo them. So I usually buy used and a couple years old. Id say the price budget would be $1500 or so (used, a 2 or 3 years old, and a good deal)


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## skier_biker_baller (Apr 4, 2010)

recitio said:


> Given what you've said so far, we'll need to know your budget to make more specific recommendations.
> 
> Also, are you comfortable with maintenance, building up a bike from components, and so on?


I wouldnt say I would be able to build a bike from parts, but I've done maintenance like bleeding brakes, adjusting deralier, exchanging seals on a shock, etc.

But what does that have to do with buying a bike?


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## recitio (Dec 22, 2011)

Well I was going to talk about used bikes. If you didn't know maintenance, I wouldn't recommend buying used at all! Now that we know that used is clearly what you're looking at, that point is moot.

I'd recommend that you focus on used Specialized Demos or Santa Cruz V10s if you're looking in the $1500 range. I believe that 2009-2011 are good model years for both bikes (someone please correct me if I am wrong?).


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## crossup (May 13, 2009)

The Canfield is still a great choice for DH only, BUT fair warning, it WILL make you pretty much park your Giant for trail use, especially if you equip it with a VP Varial trail adjustable headset. 
Or if you want maximum hardcore DH, get a Canfield Jedi, it pedals great too.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Stripes said:


> This. I was going to originally use my
> AM bike with a heavier wheelsets for DH riding. Glad I didn't. Today I rented a Giant Glory for the first time (rode Northstar and whistler on single crown FR bikes) and it made a huge difference in my ability to enjoy the bike park and try harder routes and lines because I know the bike could handle it.
> 
> DH bike feels like you're driving a tank. Never rode anything that compared to it. Go rent a dh bike and spend the day at the bike park.


Agree with Stripes I have a single crown Transition (170mm travel fork) which I have been riding for a couple years at DH parks. 
Last year I rented a Scott DH bike at Mont Ste Anne and immediately noticed the difference. I liked that it was really robust and fast and suited the MSA terrain (rocky, steep, muddy and wide)
For my style of riding though I prefer my single crown Transition which I find much more versitile, I can raise the seat for longer pedally sections and its more responsive in tight tree lined sections ... which is more typical of the DH trails I normally ride


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## Apache249 (Jul 30, 2009)

A single crown fork: 








A dual crown fork literally has two crowns. 








See the difference? If you're getting an eight inch travel DH bike, chances are it's going to have a dual crown.


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## howardyudoing (Mar 31, 2010)

skier_biker_baller said:


> I wouldnt say I would be able to build a bike from parts, but I've done maintenance like bleeding brakes, adjusting deralier, exchanging seals on a shock, etc.
> 
> But what does that have to do with buying a bike?


example: I bought a new demo 8 because I knew it would ride great when I bought it. 3 of my friends bought used bikes to try getting into the sport. Long story short, they have all spent more time fixing issues than riding, and have spent more money replacing damaged or under par parts which upped the pricetag anyway.

Now I am not saying used isn't the way to go, however a decision should be made based on how much time you want to invest into the bike. You might get really lucky, I know some people who have. Keep looking though. I think that prices will lower once winter comes along and 2013 bikes start rolling out.


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## skier_biker_baller (Apr 4, 2010)

Rm


Apache249 said:


> A single crown fork:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I know what the differences are physically, but I was wondering performance wise. A dual crown is stiffer, more robust, and heavier?


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## howardyudoing (Mar 31, 2010)

heavier and longer and stiffer. they should be matched with frames that recommend the amount of travel, or you run the risk of cracking your frame behind the head tube. you should also pay attention to headtube angle, but that is mostly rider preference when it comes to dh.


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## aedubber (Apr 17, 2011)

Learn about bb height , chainstay length , and head angles


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## recitio (Dec 22, 2011)

Basic lay of the land for DH reliability on a budget:

Avoid SRAM brakes (high maintenance)
Get Saint brakes (low maint)
Avoid Marzocchi 888 from 2008-2010 (bad model years)
Avoid all BoXXer World Cup forks (high maint)
Get Fox 40 of any year
Get Marzocchi 888 from before 2008 or after 2010 (super low maint)
Stick with Santa Cruz and Specialized frames (personal bias, great warranty programs, reliable)

Everything other than frame, fork, brakes, and rear shock can be replaced relatively cheaply.

Inspect a frame closely before purchase. Have a reputable bike shop look it over if you are not knowledgeable enough to do this yourself.


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