# Single crown or Dual crown forks etc. for beginner FR/DH, any tips?



## Awful_Swede (Aug 6, 2010)

Hey all.

250 pounds 6"2' rider, kinda newbie question.

Been riding a hardtail with 100mm travel reba sl forks since spring and noticing my passion is going down hills kinda fast and doing smaller jumps etc but my XC bike just don't seem to cut it.

So I have some questions for you more experienced people.

1. Pro's/Con's single crown vs. dual crown for heavier riders?

2. Travel? seems around 160mm is kinda standard on FR bikes and around 200 on DH bikes, pro´s / con's with these travels for heavy riders or is it more a matter of preference?

3. As for rear shock I'm not sure, seems a spring coiled shock like a vivid 5.1 or dhx 5.0 6-700 lbs coil are good choices or maybe a roco.. guite overwhelmed by the choices here.

4. Other tips also appreciated, not sure I'm qualified to build my own bike from parts so mostly considering buying a complete one and upgrading as needed, so any tips on nice rides with a decent pricetag will be most welcome.

Thank you for any answers.

Sincerly / Daniel the Awful Swede


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## AL29er (Jan 14, 2004)

Sounds like you are more in the market for what is now labeled All Mountain. Basically mini dh bikes that can pedal around or up the mountain too.

I am a hair lighter than you, but have always gravitated towards this type of bike. My current bike is a SC Heckler setup with an air fork and a coil shock in the back.

To your questions:
1. SC vs. DC, IMO there is no need for DC for the riding you are describing. Plenty of strong 140-160mm travel SC forks.
2. Stick in the 140-160mm travel range if you still want to pedal the bike everywhere.
3. Coil shock in the back is a good idea for reliability. Honestly the top mfg all produce good coil shocks, from there it just boils down to features and on-trail adjustability. Fox is really the best in terms of support in the long run (when it breaks down 5 years from now you will still be able to get parts for it). Why the dhx5.0 over the new rc4? IMO the new hi/low compression adjustable shocks are where it's at.
4. Advice? Stick around, search the boards, read reviews, and ask specific questions as they come to you :thumbsup:


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## Awful_Swede (Aug 6, 2010)

Thank you for the reply,

really sound advice and I will consider them in my further research! 

/ Daniel


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## watermoccasin (Jan 28, 2004)

If you're looking at doing bike park or shuttle runs, buy a full-on downhill bike with dual crown fork and slack head angle. It gives you a much bigger margin of error when you screw up. If you're just wanting to hit some of the jumps along the trail, then a burly 5-6 inch trail bike like Al29er suggests is the ticket.

Personally I'm a big fan of the Norco and Giant DH bikes because they've got great confidence-inspiring geometry, and are tough and less expensive than most. My trail bike is a Norco Six with a Fox Float 36 on the front (a true mini-DH bike that I've ridden several times at Whistler).


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