2016 "How Do You DH?" Thread

[jm2e]

There is no substitute for a DH bike to just do stupid shit on.

I think this is a good way of putting it.
I've only ridden at a couple of bike parks. One is super flowy and the other is super technical. You could ride an enduro bike at either one and I have. But if you're there with a big bike, you'll have more fun, be more comfortable, break less shit and have a way bigger margin of error while in pursuit of fun and trying new shit. Lately I've seen more and more guys on single crown bikes at the bike parks, which I attribute to the popularity of Enduro racing. Lots of the guys (and chicks) I see on single crowns are fucking slaying it, and I realize they're getting fantastic training for races. Getting comfortable on super rocky super steep DH trails on an enduro bike would certainly make things seem more manageable once you're out of the park.

[grinch]

I think this is a good way of putting it.
I've only ridden at a couple of bike parks. One is super flowy and the other is super technical. You could ride an enduro bike at either one and I have. But if you're there with a big bike, you'll have more fun, be more comfortable, break less shit and have a way bigger margin of error while in pursuit of fun and trying new shit. Lately I've seen more and more guys on single crown bikes at the bike parks, which I attribute to the popularity of Enduro racing. Lots of the guys (and chicks) I see on single crowns are fucking slaying it, and I realize they're getting fantastic training for races. Getting comfortable on super rocky super steep DH trails on an enduro bike would certainly make things seem more manageable once you're out of the park.

A lot of enduro set ups lately at the park. Kind of like the new pintechs on the ski hill. I'll try more, do more , have more fun, save my ass more and my wrists will thank me after 10 or 12 laps with the big bike and that's at a bike park(silver star) that 90% of the time I'm on jump trails

[XavierD]

A slacked out enduro frame with a 170 or even 180 fork can get you a 64.X degree head tube angle on a 160-170 travel frame. Add in a tougher build and you can get a bike that is fully capable of ripping a down hill line on occasion and will jump better than any full DH bike.
It will also pedal to the top of the places you can't shuttle a hell of a lot better.

Just keep in mind 'enduro' build stuff won't stand up to the same level of abuse over time that DH stuff will.you can take do downhill single tracks on a trail bike, they just require more maintenance to keep them running. A couple lift served days a year should be fine for most all mountain bikes, more than that and you probably want to service your suspension more often, and will brake parts.

[Lindahl]

Good advice above - the main things in my experience are keeping those brakes bled (performance), pivots tight (durability), and oil in good shape (durability)

[summit]

A slacked out enduro frame with a 170 or even 180 fork can get you a 64.X degree head tube angle on a 160-170 travel frame. Add in a tougher build and you can get a bike that is fully capable of ripping a down hill line on occasion and will jump better than any full DH bike.
It will also pedal to the top of the places you can't shuttle a hell of a lot better.

Just keep in mind 'enduro' build stuff won't stand up to the same level of abuse over time that DH stuff will.you can take do downhill single tracks on a trail bike, they just require more maintenance to keep them running. A couple lift served days a year should be fine for most all mountain bikes, more than that and you probably want to service your suspension more often, and will brake parts.

Yea it depends on frequency and what mountain you ride. 10 days at Keystone is a lot rougher than 10 days at Winter Park.

[grinch]

Semenuk, Rheeder, etc etc etc can ride a crankworx course and pretty much anything on a short travel slope bike or even a hard tail. If they're spinning laps in the park you will see them on a Dh/park bike with a triple clamp. Speeds , amount of impacts dictate that. I have a Dh bike that fits and is durable so I just keep it built for durability and basically change pads and tires when needed. More dollars get spent on the uppy downy bike to save weight and get the fancy shifting and dropper whiz bangs. Depending on how many park days/yr you will do a Dh bike might be worth it. It certainly is more fun. For reference, my pedal bike is a 160mm rune. With a 26" rear wheel installed and frame positioned in the slack angle with 170 the head angle is 64 degrees, which along with the cs and bb to bar height is identical to my 26" demo 8 Dh bike. Longer tt/reach on the climber bike, shorter more playful on park bike.I can ride everything in the park on my rune, and sometimes do for shits, but the demo is better. 80-100 pedal days/30-40 park/shuttle days

[muted]

Semenuk, Rheeder, etc etc etc can ride a crankworx course and pretty much anything on a short travel slope bike or even a hard tail. If they're spinning laps in the park you will see them on a Dh/park bike with a triple clamp. Speeds , amount of impacts dictate that. I have a Dh bike that fits and is durable so I just keep it built for durability and basically change pads and tires when needed. More dollars get spent on the uppy downy bike to save weight and get the fancy shifting and dropper whiz bangs. Depending on how many park days/yr you will do a Dh bike might be worth it. It certainly is more fun. For reference, my pedal bike is a 160mm rune. With a 26" rear wheel installed and frame positioned in the slack angle with 170 the head angle is 64 degrees, which along with the cs and bb to bar height is identical to my 26" demo 8 Dh bike. Longer tt/reach on the climber bike, shorter more playful on park bike.I can ride everything in the park on my rune, and sometimes do for shits, but the demo is better. 80-100 pedal days/30-40 park/shuttle days

I'm not disagreeing with your argument about getting a DH bike, but of course the pros are riding the park with DH bikes. They get them for free. The hard part is being a regular guy on a budget. I'd rather have DH bike at Deer Valley but I can't afford three bikes so I use my Reign. A DH bike would be awesome on Fireswamp and the like.

[grinch]

I'm not disagreeing with your argument about getting a DH bike, but of course the pros are riding the park with DH bikes. They get them for free. The hard part is being a regular guy on a budget. I'd rather have DH bike at Deer Valley but I can't afford three bikes so I use my Reign. A DH bike would be awesome on Fireswamp and the like.

Fair enough. I guess my point is there is good deals out there on Dh bikes that are a couple years old , work great and plenty of life left and you can save your little bike some wear and tear. Lots of friends milking their older Dh bikes without complaint. Obviously you have to keep an eye on them but there is some incredibly durable ones out there

[muted]

Fair enough. I guess my point is there is good deals out there on Dh bikes that are a couple years old , work great and plenty of life left and you can save your little bike some wear and tear. Lots of friends milking their older Dh bikes without complaint. Obviously you have to keep an eye on them but there is some incredibly durable ones out there

True, good point. Much cheaper to buy a "good-enough" used DH bike compared to a XC or Enduro bike these days.....generally.

[XavierD]

26in DH bikes have next to no resale value right now. They will still work for a couple weekends a year.

[kidwoo]

26in DH bikes have next to no resale value right now. They will still work for a couple weekends a year.

Just don't dare try to ride them regularly.

The lives lost while thinking a 26" wheeled dh bike could undergo regular usage simply cannot be recovered. RIP

[summit]

It's funny... DH is the discipline where going to 27.5 has the least benefit. <flame retardant suit on>

[grinch]

Road 27.5 front and 26 rear last time at the park so I could piss more people off. Seem to work. I mean I pissed people off

[kidwoo]

Road 27.5 front and 26 rear last time at the park so I could piss more people off. Seem to work. I mean I pissed people off

Reverse that and I bet it makes a bunch of people smile


#chopperlife

[grinch]

Fuck ya. Would have to mount top tube shifter do full effect

[summit]

Road 27.5 front and 26 rear last time at the park so I could piss more people off. Seem to work. I mean I pissed people off

How did it ride

[grinch]

How did it ride

Ever so slightly slower side to side when pushing on the front initially . Seemed to adjust to it fairly quick(lap or 2). Felt like more traction but hard to tell if that was more rubber on the ground or the Wild rock'r 2. Mounted up same tire on my 26" front rim now so I'll probably do a back to back test to see. I'm liking the 27.5's on my rune. I like how they don't get hung up in rough stuff and carry speed everywhere. Don't care for the higher bb though. Good app for the pedalling bike. Even has me thinking of adding a 9er bike for the longer rides/sufferfests , if I can find the right fit. Low bb is One reason why I'll probably stay full 26 on the Dh most of the time and also more playful. Maybe I'll end up with it on the front more than I think. Demo is still pretty low with just the front 27.5

[grinch]

Getting into ak rover territory but all that reminded me. Has anyone tried on of these eccentrics. Not into ss but thought it would open up some frame options if I could use it to shorten rc at the same time lengthen fc of even lower bb or , in Damian's case, raise it
http://wheelsmfg.com/bottom-brackets...-brackets.html

[kidwoo]

Getting into ak rover territory but all that reminded me. Has anyone tried on of these eccentrics. Not into ss but thought it would open up some frame options if I could use it to shorten rc at the same time lengthen fc of even lower bb or , in Damian's case, raise it
http://wheelsmfg.com/bottom-brackets...-brackets.html

I thought about it when those became available. You really don't get much change. You'll notice the chainstays more the bb though so if that's a priority, it might be worth looking into. In my case, the money/outcome ratio was a little off.

[grinch]

Ya I guess 6 mm isnt much of a drop. Pretty good for shortening cs though. I used a pf adapter for my demo to thread in the shimano bb and I just haven't had any issues. Demo cs is fine. Thinking maybe Carbon norco optic among others

[jm2e]

Ironically, my MRP G3 blew up yesterday. All three screws that hold the guide to the backer plate rattled out completely. Jokes on me I guess for not checking them, but I haven't touched them since I put the bike together and have never even thought about it as a thing.

[grinch]

How did it ride

Went back to full 26. Playtime. I think I'll keep the 27.5's on the pedally bike

[grinch]

Ironically, my MRP G3 blew up yesterday. All three screws that hold the guide to the backer plate rattled out completely. Jokes on me I guess for not checking them, but I haven't touched them since I put the bike together and have never even thought about it as a thing.

That sucks. Mine is 9 yrs old. Gave it a good check yessir day after your post. Any pics?

[jm2e]

No pics of explosion. It was like 1000 degrees and I was desperately trying to figure out if my weekend was done. I found someone with enough bolts and spacers to rig it back up that day so lucked out and only an hour or so of down time.
I did take a Dremel to my wife's lower guide last week and improved the shit out of it. So much quieter and smoother than mine since the chain no longer rubs whenever she's in the small cogs.

[jm2e]

Planning to build up a new DH wheelset.
What rims do you guys like for chunky DH and casing jumps? Not necessarily looking for a lightweight race rim, but not really loving the idea of a heavy mother fucker either. Carbon is off the table for several reasons.
Currently looking at DT Swiss FR570 vs EX471 or WTB Frequency i25. Might need something beefier though.