School me a bit - Gravity Based Bike

Johnny Utah

Johnny Utah

Well-Known Member
Hello homies. A wee bit over ten years or so I was a big gravity bicycling guy, I am afraid more time has passed than I can comprehend since I have really been involved in that side of things.

Some life happenings have fallen in line that will put me in Whistler for July of next year. This will not be my first time there and I can fully budget a few days to ride the park. Being I had always wanted to go back, it is a nice carrot to get back into some cycling shape.

That being said, I am thinking I am going to start looking for a new/used sled over the winter so I can get on the local hills prior to getting out there?

What is good, what to avoid?

I have owned and ridden free ride bikes, slope style bikes and full on race rigs. I even used to ride the big Brooklyns way back.

I know I don’t need a huck monster like my old Brooklyn, and I certainly know I no longer want to ride a 4” travel bike down the mountain.

Already have a trail bike, so I am not looking to kill two trail experiences with one bike.

My last few DH bikes were Santa Cruz V10’s, the 26” wheeled version, I loved it - I hear the new ones are waaayyyy longer. Not sure I would want to run an enduro bike, as I like to make a lot of runs and feel eight inches or so of travel makes for a more comfortable day. Oh, I am not a big jumper.

What is reliable and fun to ride? What is the kids into deez dayz?

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Hard to say, TBH. All of the current bikes are really good and will be far more reliable than the bikes we rode 20 years ago.

If there is one thing I can say about relatively "modern" DH bikes - at least as far as my last DH bike goes - a 2016 Intense M16C - is they are "race" bikes and seem to want to go at race-speeds in order to "work" if that makes any sense. I always felt like the pilot was the limiting factor of that bike in a big way - much more so than when riding my enduro bike with a bit less travel. My general thought is any trail or feature the enduro bike can't handle is something I probably shouldn't be riding anyway...

That said, various factors have me looking at building another DH bike. Specifically, a Tora EVH - which is a modern take (geometry-wise) on the old BMW Race Link. Not because I think it's an inherently better bike but just because I think they are cool. Granted, I think I may have missed my window to order one from the UK, but I honestly haven't checked yet so I don't 100% know for sure.

I'll also say, after some quick browsing on Pinkbike, it looks like a buyer's market for used DH bikes right now.
 
God there are so many good bikes out there now for this.....My pivot firebird for example...I have happily ridden just about every tech trail at creek with it, jumped all the jumps that I can do anyway....but then I have also spent 6 hours in the saddle riding it with almost 7000ft of climbing. Its pretty versatile for a ~34lbs bike.
 
Don't discount modern enduro/super enduro 170/180mm bikes--they have become very capable with modern long/low/slack geo and burly components and you can still pedal them. Some are even dual crown compatible if you want to experiment My XXL enduro bike has a longer wheelbase than many XL DH bikes and is only .5 off in head angle. from dh geo. As Ian said, modern DH bikes only come alive at race speeds so big enduro bikes can be lighter, more agile and just more manageable for most folks. Of course, you only live once and the DH bike formula is very alluring....
 
granted my DH bike is "old" and I already have it, but do I need it? absolutely not. My Bronson is fully capable of all the stuff I'm riding on the DH rig.
 
Idk a dedicated park bike is hard to beat , sure enduro bikes are plenty capable but having the 12sp derailleur flopping around is annoying af after getting used to the quiet nature of the 7sp dh drivetrains . Transition tr11 is pretty popular at creek not just a pure bread race bike that can do everything without breaking the bank .
 
Ryan.P said:
Idk a dedicated park bike is hard to beat , sure enduro bikes are plenty capable but having the 12sp derailleur flopping around is annoying af after getting used to the quiet nature of the 7sp dh drivetrains . Transition tr11 is pretty popular at creek not just a pure bread race bike that can do everything without breaking the bank .
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It's gearbox super enduro bike then...
 
Sometimes I like the idea of a single speed DH bike - something the Tora can be set up for - but then I remember spinning out the 34-11 on my Megatower going into the last step-up jump on Gronk at Thunder Mtn and remember gears are nice to have...

I agree I could definitely see my next meat-power enduro bike having a gearbox.
 
Ryan.P said:
Idk a dedicated park bike is hard to beat , sure enduro bikes are plenty capable but having the 12sp derailleur flopping around is annoying af after getting used to the quiet nature of the 7sp dh drivetrains . Transition tr11 is pretty popular at creek not just a pure bread race bike that can do everything without breaking the bank .
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I agree with Ryan. Forget enduro. Go straight to a full on park/DH bike. Your body will thank you. Mullet is great but if you have the option, (and you’re not a big jumper) go full 29er. Some inexpensive options that come to mind are the Specialized Status DH and YT Tuesday.

Any modern DH bike is going to feel awesome, compared to the old 26” bikes.
 
Ryan.P said:
Idk a dedicated park bike is hard to beat , sure enduro bikes are plenty capable but having the 12sp derailleur flopping around is annoying af after getting used to the quiet nature of the 7sp dh drivetrains . Transition tr11 is pretty popular at creek not just a pure bread race bike that can do everything without breaking the bank .
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a.s. said:
I agree with Ryan. Forget enduro. Go straight to a full on park/DH bike. Your body will thank you. Mullet is great but if you have the option, (and you’re not a big jumper) go full 29er. Some inexpensive options that come to mind are the Specialized Status DH and YT Tuesday.

Any modern DH bike is going to feel awesome, compared to the old 26” bikes.
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ya, I certainly don't disagree...as much as my firebird works great for me at bike parks...I would actually like to have a DH bike too just to offset some of the abuse it takes. Just this past weekend in 4 days....5 ride, 25 miles at creek, 15 miles at mooch, ~10 miles at the ridge, 16 miles at trexler. A bike JUST for dh parks would be nice...if I could just stop buying new bikes for my kid all the time

But @Johnny Utah if you are ONLY going to ride it at a bike park, then I agree with Ryan and @a.s. ...If you want to pedal it at all, then id go for an enduro bike
 
Johnny Utah said:
Hello homies. A wee bit over ten years or so I was a big gravity bicycling guy, I am afraid more time has passed than I can comprehend since I have really been involved in that side of things.

Some life happenings have fallen in line that will put me in Whistler for July of next year. This will not be my first time there and I can fully budget a few days to ride the park. Being I had always wanted to go back, it is a nice carrot to get back into some cycling shape.

That being said, I am thinking I am going to start looking for a new/used sled over the winter so I can get on the local hills prior to getting out there?

What is good, what to avoid?

I have owned and ridden free ride bikes, slope style bikes and full on race rigs. I even used to ride the big Brooklyns way back.

I know I don’t need a huck monster like my old Brooklyn, and I certainly know I no longer want to ride a 4” travel bike down the mountain.

Already have a trail bike, so I am not looking to kill two trail experiences with one bike.

My last few DH bikes were Santa Cruz V10’s, the 26” wheeled version, I loved it - I hear the new ones are waaayyyy longer. Not sure I would want to run an enduro bike, as I like to make a lot of runs and feel eight inches or so of travel makes for a more comfortable day. Oh, I am not a big jumper.

What is reliable and fun to ride? What is the kids into deez dayz?
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What "local" hills would you be riding over the winter that you'd prefer having a DH bike that you run until/through your Whistler trip?

If you're riding regular NJ trails I'd go back to the Enduro bike suggestion so that you have a bike you can enjoy all year round, unless you're actually going to be on DH trails a majority of the time. I can't imagine it's worth dragging a DH bike all around regular trails this winter just for a week in Whistler.

If you're living in a spot with great DH over the winter, disregard, but I thought you lived near the shore.
 
Santapez said:
What "local" hills would you be riding over the winter that you'd prefer having a DH bike that you run until/through your Whistler trip?

If you're riding regular NJ trails I'd go back to the Enduro bike suggestion so that you have a bike you can enjoy all year round, unless you're actually going to be on DH trails a majority of the time. I can't imagine it's worth dragging a DH bike all around regular trails this winter just for a week in Whistler.

If you're living in a spot with great DH over the winter, disregard, but I thought you lived near the shore.
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I have a trail bike already.

The plan would be to get on the hill (anything within a six hour drive) at the end of this season and the two months next season prior to my trip to get adjusted again. I have ridden moto every Saturday for 2.5 years now, sometimes we dual sport over 100 miles off-road with single track looped in - I should pick it up fairly well again.
 
UtahJoe said:
ya, I certainly don't disagree...as much as my firebird works great for me at bike parks...I would actually like to have a DH bike too just to offset some of the abuse it takes. Just this past weekend in 4 days....5 ride, 25 miles at creek, 15 miles at mooch, ~10 miles at the ridge, 16 miles at trexler. A bike JUST for dh parks would be nice...if I could just stop buying new bikes for my kid all the time

But @Johnny Utah if you are ONLY going to ride it at a bike park, then I agree with Ryan and @a.s. ...If you want to pedal it at all, then id go for an enduro bike
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I have a Evil Calling trail bike for trails - looking for a full time bike park rig.
 
Johnny Utah said:
I have a trail bike already.

The plan would be to get on the hill (anything within a six hour drive) at the end of this season and the two months next season prior to my trip to get adjusted again. I have ridden moto every Saturday for 2.5 years now, sometimes we dual sport over 100 miles off-road with single track looped in - I should pick it up fairly well again.
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Trail Bike isn't an Enduro bike.

But yeah, if you're actually going to ride DH and be committed, DH bike.

Are you planning on only Whistler or surrounding trails?
 
Unless you live where there are long fireroad climbs that lead to bomber downhills, enduro bikes are dumb. They are heavy and pedal like shit up technical trails. You’re better off with a long travel eBike.

With that said- I did buy my son an enduro bike. It was a better option than a DH bike because he can ride all the trails at Creek and still pedal it around the neighborhood with his friends. He hates climbing. 😆
 
Santapez said:
Are you planning on only Whistler or surrounding trails?
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That is a really good question - I am open to going into Squamish or something similar. The last time I was there (2014) we rode two lines that were off the mountain, all loam and they were superb. Any recommendations?

But, unless there is a shuttle or a guide group, I will probably stay near Whistler Village for the trip as I have some other items on the agenda while I am there, and I won’t have a car. I think I can squeeze three or four days of riding out, last time I went in 2014 we rode the hill for four days straight, but day four I was past arm pump issues and was headed into bicep failure - that day I posted up near the crabapple hits and just watched.
 
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