piperfraz Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Hi guys, Need a bit of advice... Hoping to get a downhill bike for my birthday, but not got a clue in the slightest on what a good bike is! All I really know is that disk brakes are much better for that kind of riding..... So what are you guys thoughts on dowhill bikes? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewie87 Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 there are literally hundreds of choices when it comes to downhill bikes dude, what sorta budget you got? second hand or brand new? downhill bikes are very good at one thing only that is going downhill going back up really isnt on the menu so if you are thinking about dabbling in a bit of downhill and then having a punt around the local woods or trail centres you'd be much better going for an alpine based bike i used to have a downhill bike and now have a alpine bike and i can the alpine bike is a million times better unless your going to be serious about riding downhill then id go for a lighter more pedalable bike, just my opionion though mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piperfraz Posted September 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 there are literally hundreds of choices when it comes to downhill bikes dude, what sorta budget you got? second hand or brand new? Not sure on budget to be honest. Kinda useless but just wanna see what kinda prices different bikes are. Either new, or a good condition second hand one downhill bikes are very good at one thing only that is going downhill going back up really isnt on the menu so if you are thinking about dabbling in a bit of downhill and then having a punt around the local woods or trail centres you'd be much better going for an alpine based bike i used to have a downhill bike and now have a alpine bike and i can the alpine bike is a million times better unless your going to be serious about riding downhill then id go for a lighter more pedalable bike, just my opionion though mate Yeah I suppose, what kind of downhill did you have? And which alpine do you have now? What do you think of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radfax Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Well there is a lot of things that you need to cover really. What sort of riding you want to do and how much money you have to play with are obviously big factors. I am possibly not the most educated person on this subject but i have had a bit of experience (about 3ish years on and off over a period of around 5 years) but to really give you a better idea on what you should go out and get i think you would need to give us a few pointers to work around. What sort of riding would you be doing and most importantly how much are you wanting to spend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt rushton Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 Saying your not sure on budget leaves it abit wide open! Like it's been said before if you want to ride downhill at trail centres, you would be miles better on a alpine/freeride bike. For trail centres I have an Orange 5, because I got it from work. But for proper downhill, where there is a proper uplift, to take you to the top and no pedaling up hill. I have a Orange 224. Either way there both expensive bikes. A good seconde hand Orange five will set you back about £1500- £2000. And a Decent Orange 224 will be around £2000-£3000 seconde hand aswel. You can get cheaper downhill bikes, but to be honest you will be looking at around £1000 for a half decent bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radfax Posted September 13, 2011 Report Share Posted September 13, 2011 I think the above sums it up, I didn't want to put any figures up and scare you away but it is not cheap. That said you can do it cheaper When i first started out i got myself a 05 Kona stinky from a local rider, I picked it up with a cracked rear chainstay for £30 and managed to pick up a new rear triangle for £25. The joys with the Kona was it was more than a capable frame and did me well for a long time, the rear hub spacing was the standard 135 and the shock spacing wasn't abnormal nor was the Seat post size or anything like that so there was loads of cheap replacement parts floating about. I built that up with a set of "04 boxxers and the thing didn't cost me much more than about £500 all in. Not cheap but considering the going rate of some things i felt it was pretty cheap. After this i stepped up to a M1 and then over onto a M3 and none of them have cost me any more than £1500. You will be able to build something up to get you started on for around the £600 mark, but for that expect to search high and low and expect to spend a lot of time getting things to work as they should. It will not get you the newest stuff on the shelves but some of the best stuff i have ever used is a few years old now anyway! Then again some of the best riders i know started out riding downhill on Sidekicks and DS1's many many moons ago! A good seconde hand Orange five will set you back about £1500- £2000. And a Decent Orange 224 will be around £2000-£3000 seconde hand aswel. You can get cheaper downhill bikes, but to be honest you will be looking at around £1000 for a half decent bike. Never rode a 5 but everyone who has one rates them so highly. 224's are brilliant bikes, I had a 223 earlier this year which i got for a super bargain. Stripped frame needing painting, also needed the BB thread rethreading. Shock 2008 boxxers Spank wheelset Minion tires Hope headset along with a few other little bits For £325 but had to drive all the way up to Leeds to get it. There are some well priced bikes out there which you can get hold of, but you just have to look really hard for them and whip them up quick when you find them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe O'Connor Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 My mate rode a GT DHI for a year. Was such a sick bike, had quite a short wheelbase and you could corner hard on it. Was such a nice bike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewie87 Posted September 14, 2011 Report Share Posted September 14, 2011 i used to have a old school kona stab then switched to a stinky primo but i never did much downhill so i decided to part ex it for my santa cruz buillit that i have now brilliant bike so simple and so nice to ride i have ridden quite a few downhill tracks on it not racing but the frame is more than capaable of uk tracks you can get a saracen myst (i think thats what its called) its a cheap entry level downhill bike ready to go out the box rated quite highly by MBUK for around £2500 or for double that price you have the trek session 88 and everything in between and thats just brand new second hand is an even bigger minefield Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piperfraz Posted September 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2011 Not sure on budget, although fairly low compared to some of the prices people have said. Possibly £200-£350. It's really a bike that i can use everyday, but that I can also use for downhill trails etc. My mate is selling his Kona Shred for £250, is this a good deal? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewie87 Posted September 17, 2011 Report Share Posted September 17, 2011 shreds are only hardtail so probably wont be any good for downhill use really although people do use them. for 200 to 350 your going to struggle to find a downhill bike have a look on pinkbike.com there are loads of downhill/freeride bikes for sale on there some are quite cheap ive just had a quick look, but you may need to stretch a few hundred pounds furthur i think to get a decent one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piperfraz Posted September 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 Hmm, I'll maybe have a think then... Any good brands in particular/any ones to avoid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew62 Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 Without being rude for £200 - £350 you have such little options. Bikes for that money are usually very poor. Any downhill bike that sells for £200 is sure to be utter misery. As you're young and don't have a lot of money just get a nice little bike that's fun to play on. A cheap full sus bike will be so much more horrid to ride then a cheap hardtail, as unfortunately any full-susser that actually works cost's a fair bit 'o' cash. The Kona shred will be a great little play bike, but £250 second hand seems a bit much considering you can get them new for £350. I have a non-biking mate who wanted a cheap little hardtail who was on a similar budget to you and he bought a shred. I've ridden it and whilst it is very basic, it is at least strong and it is very good fun to ride, which is the most important thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt rushton Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 Not sure on budget, although fairly low compared to some of the prices people have said. Possibly £200-£350. It's really a bike that i can use everyday, but that I can also use for downhill trails etc. My mate is selling his Kona Shred for £250, is this a good deal? Cheers To be honest i'd go for a hardtail for that amount, dowbt your going to get that good of a hardtail for that much though to be honest. If your not in a hurry for it, I would wait and save up abit, then spend around £500-£600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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