[yellowpasta2000]

Whats up guys i ride a hardtail mainly on xc trails and recently found krazy DH trails. i'v heard many people say dont use DH bikes for trail riding, y is this? id like 2 do both types of riding but with 1 bike.

Thanks
Anto

 

[redspotff]

Then you need to start looking for a Santa Cruz Nomad. They rule.

 

[lornibear]

redspotff is quite correct. You need a bike with about 6.5 inches of travel that can do the XC thing or the mild DH thing. There are many bikes on the market that could fit this niche, such as the the SC Nomad, Nicolai Helius FR, Tuner RFX, Foes FXR etc. I have one of these bikes and with a couple of specific wheelsets, you really can have two bikes in one (IMO), dependant on how you build it.

Although you will never beat a XC bike for XC and a DH bike for DH.

 

[darkest_fugue]

i use an SXT for all sorts of riding, it pedals really well and handles everything but at 37 pounds its heavy for xc and you really notice it if your with other xc bikes, im going to try and bring the weight down in the future

 

[brillantesdv]

y is this?\

generally pure DH rigs have lots of travel (8+") which makes it a pain to pedal efficiently. also they generally have slack head angles, again which makes pedaling not so fun.

 

[nightnerd]

The Reign X(0-1-2) is an option too. I own a X1 and bought it exactly for that reason. I wanted to ride the trails around the city but I also wanted to go with my friends ripping the shuttled mountain like Bromon or Mont-Saint-Anne. Man, that bike is really a do it all and so far, for my level, it does it without forcing me to sacrifice any fun.

 

[Linga115]

i was in your boat as well. i like going downhill but i cant afford to pay for lifts and shuttles all the time. so i gotta pedal up. im a college student as well so i can only really have one bike based on my budget. i got the kona coilair with the magic link. if you are into weird suspension design gadget kind of stuff check it out. it was cheap and does everything so i like it. if i had all the money in the world i'd go for a SC nomad for an AM bike.

if you are looking for a category of bikes... you're probably going for the All mountain part of the spectrum.

 

[essenmeinstuff]

If you ride a DH bike to DH trails, then its ok, but if you ride a DH bike on "normal" trails with no DH the MTB police will come and take your bike, then you have to walk out, and no one likes walking...

 

[venom600]

The Reign X(0-1-2) is an option too. I own a X1 and bought it exactly for that reason. I wanted to ride the trails around the city but I also wanted to go with my friends ripping the shuttled mountain like Bromon or Mont-Saint-Anne. Man, that bike is really a do it all and so far, for my level, it does it without forcing me to sacrifice any fun.

Agreed. The Reign X is a great option for this. Some other good options in this category:
Santa Cruz Nomad
Specialized SX Trail
Knolly Delerium-T

--Ben

 

[redrook]

If you ride a DH bike to DH trails, then its ok, but if you ride a DH bike on "normal" trails with no DH the MTB police will come and take your bike, then you have to walk out, and no one likes walking...

Yeah I hate those guys.

 

[Raptordude]

Krazy DH Trails? Just how crazy are these Krazy DH trails?

 

[bmxconvert]

The slacker geometry and wheelbase of a full on downhill bike puts it at a disadvantage. It's just not a comfortable and effecient riding position. I have taken out my Foes Fly with full race setup(boxxer WC, durace cassette, dual plys) for trail rides and done quite well keeping up with the others(partially due to its 36lb weight, sub 36 with singleplys), but when you stand up to do a climb and try to weight the front tire with bars in your lap it's not as great as a trail bike. The lengthy 45+ wheelbase makes turning tight technical corners more difficult.

I'm a big fan of the Foes FXR. Incredibly capable bike. Three of us local guys own Foes Fly's and love them for DH racing. However, since 2 of us got the FXR's it's been the bike of choice for everything. Trail riding, shuttling, even downhill racing. The bike pedals great with the Curnutt XTD coil or air or the DHX air. The geometry is adjustable via a rod end at the end of the shock to lower the bb and slacken the ht. However none of us have changed the geometry settings. Using a adjustable travel fork(we've got a 36 talas and a lyric u-turn) makes it absolutely amazing.
One of the guys actually sold his nomad to buy the FXR.

 

[One_Speed]

Ya people will talk you need this bike for that etc BS all day long.

if your strong and you set your mind to it, You can actually ride a DH bike uphill and for trail riding.

You just will sacrifice some speed for climbing and it will not be as fun on the climbs.

DH bike has different geometery and is usually much heavier.

SO when your climbing steep hill the front wheel will flop around easily. Again just gotta be stronger and use more balance. I have done it as well as many others.

A majority of these people aren't able to push themselves physically to the point to be strong enough to ride DH bike uphill so they will say it cannot be done.

or the classic BS line. "You need a DH bike to ride this trail"

Although 15 years ago the same trail was ridden by fully rigid mtb's.

Usually an excuse by people that don't got the skills.

Yes a DH bike will be more fun and way faster.

Some of the suggestions for AM bikes will be very fun bikes to ride yet not as performance orientated as a pure DH bike. Yet very close and way more fun to climb with.

Goes both ways:
A XC bike isn't made for DH but it can be ridden on krazy Dh trails. You just wont be as fast as a pure DH bike. Depending on your weight and riding style, also may flat or break some parts

IF your not racing you may not need (or even want) a DH bike.

I needed a DH bike for racing and wanted to get fitter for racing so I rode the DH bike on all the trail rides. (because I also couldnt afford another bike)

Eventually I could keep up on the DH bike. And when I got a XC bike I was much faster.

Choose what is going to be the most fun for you. Time for some research and test rides

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

generally pure DH rigs have lots of travel (8+") which makes it a pain to pedal efficiently. also they generally have slack head angles, again which makes pedaling not so fun.

that is why...it can be done but you get hell of a workout

 

[supramk388]

Canfield One! Pedals better than the Nomad and has more travel. It can be set at 7 or 8 inches but even at 7 inches this bike feels deep!

Good luck with things. :thumbsup:

 

[ducktape]

Sure why not! Most DH bikes don't weigh much more than a Wally World bike would anyway. If you don't care about speed (up the hills) or pedalling efficiency then throw a granny gear on your DH bike and go for it, like someone else has said the worst it will do is make you fitter.
Then off course if you really get to enjoy this whole "AM" riding thing more than pure DH well you can get a bike that will be ok for both DH and XC but not great at either.
Different people have different ideas of what riding is all about so if doing XC on a DH bike makes riding fun for you then go for it and don't worry about what others think.

 

[MaxBS]

I would go for a 4X bike. Like an Ibis Mojo. Light enough for xc and can be used for hard riding. Or a blur, morewoods 4x bike etc. I ride a 4x hardtail and have ridden trails where mates have been on vp frees and stinky's. Its not as coumfortable but its do able and very fun.
If youve got less travel your doing more of the work, your bike will bumping and drifting whilst you just keep control, stay loose and let your suspension and tyres find grip. I would go for a 4x bike.

 

[OilcanRacer]

sometimes i ride my xc hardtail and sometimes i ride my 8" dh bike on the same rocky trails that require alot of uphill pedaling.

the uphills are more fun on the xc.

the downhills are more fun on the dh.


a " in between" bike will only be semi-fun on both. had one and dumped it. just my "2 cents".

 

[dbabuser]

I would go for a 4X bike. Like an Ibis Mojo. Light enough for xc and can be used for hard riding. Or a blur, morewoods 4x bike etc. I ride a 4x hardtail and have ridden trails where mates have been on vp frees and stinky's. Its not as coumfortable but its do able and very fun.
If youve got less travel your doing more of the work, your bike will bumping and drifting whilst you just keep control, stay loose and let your suspension and tyres find grip. I would go for a 4x bike.

I agree w/ the recommendation for a 4x bike - my sx rules on descents, and doesn't climb too badly either. But not all 4x bikes have similar geo - some are as steep as xc bikes, so they won't descend as easily. And the Mojo is a xc/ trail bike - it's not a 4x bike. Lopes' has a longer fork and shorter shock (or maybe just run w/ a lot of sag) to make it lower and slacker.

 

[kenbentit]

I love my Canfield Balance, enough travel to handle anything short of full DH racing but it climbs too. Just look up "Mini DH", there are options now for doing what you describe. The 4X bike would also be cool if you're a fairly smooth rider. I have a Yeti DJ and while it isn't exactly the best thing for climbing it gets it done and is a blast on the DH (and of course, jumping).