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Some advice on Downhill riding please
I need some advice if any is available on getting into Downhill riding. I ride XC, freeride now on a Specialized Enduro 5" travel bike. But have always had a desire to ride a chunky downhill rig. I just want to know if I purchase a downhill bike would there be any weekend groups I could link up with that do downhill riding as i dont think it is a discipline that I should do on my own. Also after clipping in for so long on road and mountain bikes, from what I see this is a no no when it comes to riding downhill, platforms only is this correct ? Thanks
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Peaty clips in
Comes down to personal preference I think, DH will test out your confidence/ability enough without worrying about bailing off if you need to. (which you will)
Although as a beginner DH I have flats on my DH Bike. Decent shoes and decent pedals and you'll have PLENTY of grip.
Since starting DH Ive even moved to flats on my AM bike (more to make sure I don't get lazy with foot position on pedals), but have stuck with Cleats on XC/commuter bike.
But when I did Cannonball, Thredbo (twice) I took an old pair of Shimano DX's as clipping in is something that I'm familiar with (road and XC).
As darkmuncan said, there's no right or wrong set-up, comes down to personal preference.
I will get some of those flats with screws in them that are like razor blades when they hit your shins !!
Do any of you ride full DH bikes at red hill or oxford falls on weekends
Hey Jools,
I'm just about to sell my DH/freeride bike, Its a Santa Cruz VP Free which hasn't had much use, perfect bike for red hill as you can still pedal up hill if you need to. 8 inches of travel for the way down! I'll be letting it go for under $2000. Call or email me if you want to have a look, I'm at Freshwater. 0406 531 632 [email protected].
-I found clip in platform pedals to be a good option , especialy if your used to riding clipped in on your XC bike. Crank Brothers Mallets is what I ended up with.
have fun! -Nate
Can you send me a link of what it looks like, perhap from the site. Does it have single or dual crown fork? what year model is it and colour?
I ride a freeride bike with 7" of travel and did the cannonbal run at thredbo with ease on it. I do not clip in at all as i like to slide around corners with the inside foot off the peg. Also i would not be able to count the number of times i have lost balance and used my feet to stabilise myself or gone over the handlebars and had to eject!
As the others say, its preference.
However my 02 c is flats for freeride (as you have mentioned this in your post) and if trying to ride it trail and clips for DH. Mind you, if you ride the DH at Awaba, you might wan to consider flats for the first few times.
1 if your clipped your committed
2 if you stack it bad on a really steep section and your stiil connected to your bike, you wont have to walk down the hill to get it!!!
ps im going to oxy tommorrow for some committment
Hey Jools
I posted my bike in the classifieds with the specs and emailed you a pic, check it out!
nate
I started out using flats for all types of riding but later used clipless exclusively for XC. DH/FR has always been ridden with flats by me. Again, that is personal preference and something that comes down to user feel, riding style, etc. I find flats work excellent for the ultra-techy sections that constantly stop/start at Red Hill. Re-clipping would just be a pain there. It probably does not make that much difference for faster and flowy trails like Ourimbah and Oxford Falls.
My opinion on bikes would be to get something with at least 7.5" of travel and 8" forks. Everyone will have an opinion on that, but more than 7" of rear travel will make your ride very comfortable. If you need the bike to ride around Red Hill and other places, get 7-8", preferably with forks and rear shock with a lock out. You would be amazed at how well you can still climb a heavy bike with the lock-out engaged. If you are only doing DH runs only (not much uphill riding), go 8-9" of rear travel. Also, get the biggest and best brakes you can afford. I reckon XT's are the minimum for these kinds of bikes. Mine has Saint levers, calipers and 8" rotors and these are totally killer for braking power.
I would not recommend doing DH/FR by yourself, or at least any of this kind of riding where you feel it necessary to be using a full-face. You are asking for trouble otherwise. Plus, you have such fun doing DH/FR that you don't want to waste the fun by having no-one to tell about it. Also, you will need other dudes around if you end up shuttling your runs.
Nobmob is not ideal for setting up DH/FR, but there are a few lonely gravity battlers out there. 15-20 maybe? I think once we get older the age factor kicks in and less dudes are doing it. But there are plenty more on Rotorburn if you have posted there. Oh, both Manly and Western Sydney clubs have racing (even introductory) to get you involved.
Clipless for DH. all the way.
Only 2 world champs have won on flats.
You can get your foot off a clipless pedal easier and faster than a good DH platform with long spikes. It's the getting it back on and clipped in that can take a bit longer.
For most tracks where you are not intending to put your foot down in every corner clipless is the go.
If you ride two feet up and pedalling (Peaty, Atkinson, Nicho V) clipless will be a way better option.
If you ride like a moto rider, foot out drifting (Sam Hill) platforms.
you've all been helpful and informative. I am close to securing a good deal on a NORCO since the weekend and will be up at Red Hill or Oxford falls in no time. Julian
Sweet ride those.
If you're keen to hook up with others for a ride, just turn up to Oxford Falls any weekend. There's always a bunch of guys doing push runs of the top half of the track - just introduce yourself and tag along.
Thanks to a couple of guys who were up at Morgan Road on Sunday morning (one on a Santa Cruz and another on a NORCO Team DH) for pointing out the trails to me. I did a few push runs and was pleasantly surprised to see how many ramps, jumps and other fun obstacles have been integrated into the trails up there. I need to get some more serious armour, if anyone is selling a FF helmet and some body armour I may be interested. I went for platforms pedals with pins, can anyone suggest good shoes around the $100 mark for downhill riding, I have heard that they just need to have a solid platform and the less tread pattern the better (for grip). If I want to show off my new rig how do I attach a photo here ??
See here: http://nobmob.com/node/6005