[yellowpasta2000]

I want to DH but all i have is a hardtail hardrock with a rst 100mm travel fork.(not disk brake) what can i do or change or look forward to upgrade that wont put a hole in my pocket cuz im on a tight budjet.

-also what would b the most travel fork i can put on this bike? i want a lot more travel!

Thanks
Anto

 

[yellowpasta2000]

would this work with my bike?? Rock Shox Domain 302

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rock-Shox-Domai...ryZ36135QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[ducktape]

The bike was probably not designed to take more than 120mm, going bigger puts more stress on the head tube and you risk breaking it, and I imagine due to the geometry the handling would feel pretty strange too.

To give you an idea even the Giant STP which is a dirt juper and can dabble in a bit of DH can't take more than 140mm/150mm without risk of frame cracking.

You should look into the Norco Shore range - Like the Sasquatch, Rampage etc, these are a good example of frames designed for 160mm travel and suitable for DH riding, if you can score one 2nd hand as a whole bike it will ultimately save you upgrading your hardrock.

But in saying that even wally world bikes have been taken to nomans land and back ( we all start somewhere).

I had a hardrock back in '01 (well up until '05). They are good bikes and can be versatile, but I don't think I'd be putting that much travel on it. I'll leave it for others more experienced to back me up or give you some better feedback.

 

[bxxer rider]

my friend did that exact thing, he hasn't snapped the head tube to it aint that bad, he has marz junior t pro up front with 170mm travel, every thing is fine

 

[William42]

my friend did that exact thing, he hasn't snapped the head tube to it aint that bad, he has marz junior t pro up front with 170mm travel, every thing is fine

You boggle my mind sometimes. Truly astonishing.

Heres how to get a specialized hardrock ready for downhill: get one of those bear suits that can withstand getting hit by trucks, dropped down hills, etc - basically the best amour ever. Ride the sh1t out of it and you'll be ok when it breaks.

Otherwise, sell it and buy a different bike. Its not meant for it, and its not going to do well.

 

[Jerk_Chicken]

Anyone notice the frequency of questions like this and the type of questions from n00b's, including them asserting their little knowledge as FACT and then they get defensive when more experienced users here call them on it?

 

[Djponee]

i hear ya jerk_chicken. if you ride a hardrock on dh with a longer fork than it can handle, you are just gonna end up with a huge dental bill. here's and idea, get a new bike that can handle dh.

 

[Hesh to Steel]

Wasn't this guy JUST deciding between a kumicho and an aniki? Like, 24 hours ago? I guess hw miscalculated his christmas gift budget.

 

[SHIVER ME TIMBERS]

sell it and buy a new frame

 

[Ouroboros]

I still have one. It's a beefy, solid frame and I'm not ditching it until I can get a good FS rig. Having said that, it will never be a DH bike. It's fine for AM riding though. I have my fork set at 130mm and it seems fine, no difference in the handling.

 

[yellowpasta2000]

Wasn't this guy JUST deciding between a kumicho and an aniki? Like, 24 hours ago? I guess hw miscalculated his christmas gift budget.

yupp that was me. im actually getting long travel suspension on my truck so cant afford a DH bike anymore so thought i can maby make my hardtail a lil better 4 DH trails...

 

[Clutchman83]

Hardrocks are actually great trail bikes, but they will never be a DH bike. I know a guy who started upgrading his, ended up with X.0 drivetrain, top of the line Truvativ cranks, E13 chainguide, Mavic Deemax wheels, Juicy Carbon brakes, 55 TST fork... The bike looked good but he was so scared to push it for fear of ripping the head tube off he never actually used the components. I bet he spent around $2k upgrading that bike and then just putted it around because he didn't want to buy a new frame.

You can get DH bikes for around a grand used if you hunt enough. Save up some money and keep an eye on craigslist and the pinkbike classifieds.

And bxxer still cracks me up with some of the scheisty crap he posts.

 

[d.n.s]

this is my full upgraded hardrock 06



but i don't think this is able to run DH

 

[bxxer rider]

You boggle my mind sometimes. Truly astonishing.

well its fine for my friend as he only rides DH up to 5 times a year so he needed a cheap bike to use, because he races motocross so he doest have much time or money for DH.

 

[Jerk_Chicken]

Does he have money for teeth?

 

[mtnbiker0755]

You could "technically" ride a Hardrock with a 100mm RST fork on some DH runs. It just will not be fun at all. Since the Hardrock is built as an entry level bike, it will not do well on a DH trail. A longer travel fork won't do much to help you: Yes, it will help the fatigue and stress on your arms/wrists/hands, but the rear end will still be bouncing around everywhere.

Quick question: Have you ever ridden your Hardrock with someone that has a DH/FR and switched bikes for a rock garden? I actually just did yesterday and we hit some gnarly rock gardens. Now, while I was able to clean them on my hardtail, when I jumped on his rig, I was quickly reminded of why a full squish bike is SOOOO much more fun!

If you absolutely can not get a full squish bike, and you want to make your bike more "DH worthy," the best advice I can give is get some Maxxis Minions!

Sorry for the long-winded response, but I hope this helps.

 

[Gemini2k05]

well its fine for my friend as he only rides DH up to 5 times a year so he needed a cheap bike to use, because he races motocross so he doest have much time or money for DH.

I think we have very different definitions of Downhill...I think by downhill you mean p*ssy cross country. Cause I'm pretty sure 1-2 runs at speed down my local DH trails, or hittinga few hucks, and I could snap that bike in 2.

 

[StinkyFTW]

my friend did that exact thing, he hasn't snapped the head tube to it aint that bad, he has marz junior t pro up front with 170mm travel, every thing is fine

DO THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT HE JUST SAID:.

 

[bxxer rider]

I think we have very different definitions of Downhill...I think by downhill you mean p*ssy cross country. Cause I'm pretty sure 1-2 runs at speed down my local DH trails, or hittinga few hucks, and I could snap that bike in 2.

this is my friend your on about, he does take things slowly, i don't.

 

[dascro]

This quest gets more and more lame every time I read it.

If you aren't going to listen to what everyone says, why ask?