[Aafimoq]

I'm a bit of a fan of mountain biking but very much in the amateur category (got a specialized rockhopper pro totally standard). Some friends are really into downhill and I saw this bike which although a five year old design looks like a bit of a bargain to me. I was wondering if any of the bikers on here had any thoughts on buying such a comparatively old design?

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/pr...C_20_Bike_2005

I have read loads of reviews saying it is excellent, but generally from the time it was new - anything to watch out for on older models?

[venediene]

I currently ride the same bike as you. mine is a 2004 model. great bike for the price. A bit basic on the options but it has an awesome frame and what it does come with is quality parts. I have only had to really adjust my cables 1 time after the initial stretch from breaking them in. And I weigh 220 pounds and have yet to see any cracks in the welds or warp a wheel, so I am more than happy with the bike. The place I worked for while I was in college bought 30 of them from a local company along with 30 helmets and a bunch of spare tires, pumps, and other maintenance related stuff. They sold the bikes for $20 over cost so I had him order me one. It was leaps and bounds better than the 5 year old mongoose I was riding. Didnt realize riding could be so much fun until I got a decent bike.

I didnt see anywhere in the description if the rear end was lockable or not. If not, in my opinion its really only good if you dont do a lot of climbing. Its probably not a big deal if you ride somewhere that you dont have to ride your way back out of the downhill. I guess if your in really good shape and enjoy a good workout more than your average rider it wouldnt be a big deal either. I used to ride with a guy that left his unlocked when he rode with me because he was used to riding stuff that was so much more difficult that any thing i would ride. Another buddy of mine had a really nice cannondale with lockable rear I rode from time to time and it was like working twice as hard even on a small incline if you had the bike setup for downhill and didnt lock the rear. It was nice that his bike locked the rear from a thumb switch, but dont see where that would be necessary. Its not that big of a deal to stop for a couple seconds to lock the rear.

There are plenty of other people on here that ride and know more than me, so hopefully some of them will show up. Otherwise if you have the money it looks like a great bike. seems to have most of the stuff you would expect a bike to come with these days standard, and seem to be quality parts unlike a lot of manufacturers. Looks like it has clip in pedals which in my opinion are worth their weight in gold, but thats something else you would have to buy if you dont already have the shoes.

My wife rides a gt and she loves it. She doesnt ride too hard but its been really reliable. nothing like being able to trust your equipment when your out in the middle of nowhere.

[kranfid]

I wouldn't bother, I'd save for a more recent bike. From reading reviews I see alot of people with problems with the frame cracking on that model.

for twice the price you could get this - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Fo...10/5360045275/

Brand spanking and incredible for the money.

[Aafimoq]

I'll leave it then. It was worth a punt at the price, but £1500 requires a bit of thinking about. I'm gonna borrow a mates Kona Expensive 2.0 (I can't remember the model) next weekend and hit a couple of trails to see if I enjoy it.

[jinnamys]

I too have a Rockhopper and it seems to me it can handle downhill. If you were more pro, maybe an upgrade would be worth it, but for me personally, the Rockhopper will meet my biking needs for the rest of my life... hopefully. I can't imagine ever getting another bike, unless this one just breaks in half or something.

Of course, this is coming from someone that was riding a somewhat-homemade, cast iron feeling, 2 ton weighing bike before Bush gave us "economic stimulus" money to spend. I did my part and spent it.... on a bike.

I'm also "amateur." I have lots of experience riding, but never competitively and I'm a big dude 6'4" and 250+lbs. Maybe there are aspects to riding downhill that I don't know about. With the exceptions for regular hills, creek beds and tree trunks, the trails I ride are flat.
________
Fisting Black

[pouslytut]

It depends on what you mean by "downhill." When I think of downhill, I think of this kind of bike:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/....0/4027/36669/

The bike you're thinking of getting has just 4" of travel and is meant for XC style only. It's NOT meant for big jumps or anything very rough.

[EzequielTMann]

Out of the bikes posted, I would get the Giant Glory, no brainer really, quality bike. But your not ganna get a top DH bike for cheap, they come at a price, maybe go for more of a FR (FreeRide) bike, which has good travel.

Bikes I would recomend are.

Giant
Norco
Intense
Iron Horse

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/ca...Mountain_Bikes

Also I would recommend shopping at CRC, if your after just bike parts and accessories.They don't have that much of a big collection for full bikes though. I personally just build my own up from the frame, works out cheaper.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/

[venediene]

Bikes I would recomend are.

Giant
Norco
Intense
Iron Horse

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/

I have rode an iron horse before and it was sweat, Only rode 1 giant in my life and it was pretty ancient but seemed like a quality bike. Someone else mentioned Kona earlier and I cant say anything but good things about all of their bikes that I have seen, but then again I dont think I have ever seen one under about $2000 US. Probably the best bike I have ever rode was a $5000 or so Cannondale. Top notch all the way around but couldnt tell you the model. It was one of the ones that had the single arm fork in the front, not even sure they make those any more. Ran into a guy that worked at the shop I bought mine from one day riding it. It was a rental from the shop he was trying out. Took it off some crazy jumps. He let me ride it for about 10 minutes but I was too afraid to come off any big jumps with it. something about that single arm on the fork made me nervous. [surrender]

[bestworkothlo]

There are various grades of what could be considered downhill bikes, where the basic difference is inverse relationship between how well they climb versus how well they descend. Typically the more geared a bike is to downhill, the more of a pig it will be to get to the top and vice versa.

For anything downhill you want at least 5" of suspension, on something like this:
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/pr...port_Bike_2007
With a bike like that, you can do light-to-medium difficulty downhill but still have the flexibility for doing cross-country.

For 'real' downhill you want something like:
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/pr...lite_Bike_2009
It has 8" of suspension which just about the maximum you can get. It will handle downhill nicely but won't do cross-country or climbs without a bit of extra work and won't handle all that well at low speeds.

I just got one a new GT Force 3.0 myself.

[EzequielTMann]

I have rode an iron horse before and it was sweat, Only rode 1 giant in my life and it was pretty ancient but seemed like a quality bike. Someone else mentioned Kona earlier and I cant say anything but good things about all of their bikes that I have seen, but then again I dont think I have ever seen one under about $2000 US. Probably the best bike I have ever rode was a $5000 or so Cannondale. Top notch all the way around but couldnt tell you the model. It was one of the ones that had the single arm fork in the front, not even sure they make those any more. Ran into a guy that worked at the shop I bought mine from one day riding it. It was a rental from the shop he was trying out. Took it off some crazy jumps. He let me ride it for about 10 minutes but I was too afraid to come off any big jumps with it. something about that single arm on the fork made me nervous. [surrender]

How could I forget Kona? Had a few of them and they are amazing bikes, one of my favourites I've owned. My all time favourite though is the Evil Imperial, for a hardtail this bike is just sick, built like a tank but handles like a Ferrari in the bike world.

[Aafimoq]

I'm now thinking of selling my '07 rockhopper pro and getting the 2010 rockhopper sl expert. It looks like a seriously good piece of kit.

[EzequielTMann]

It's not really a downhill bike though. What kind of riding you ganna do again, i know you said in your first post, but what kind of places will you visit, and what kind of terrain.

[Aafimoq]

It's not really a downhill bike though. What kind of riding you ganna do again, i know you said in your first post, but what kind of places will you visit, and what kind of terrain.

I do mainly trail riding / XC. Some of my mates are really into downhill at places like swaledale (I think). I was prepared to give it a go for what looked like such a bargain bike, but I think I'll stick to XC. To be honest, I don't think my limbs could cope with going the gym during the week and downhill MTB at the weekends.

[AndrewBoss]

shave and vasoline your nut-sack before undertaking any technical trials because of chafeage

[Aafimoq]

shave and vasoline your nut-sack before undertaking any technical trials because of chafeage

Please, I shave my nutsack for personal pleasure anyway.

[AndrewBoss]

Please, I shave my nutsack for personal pleasure anyway.

OK just Vaseline then.

but I also strongly suggest connect two wooden clothes pegs to each nipple and 4 to your bottom lip and one on each eyebrow also one on each earlobe and then one to you nasal septum

[payowlirriply]

OK just Vaseline then.

but I also strongly suggest connect two wooden clothes pegs to each nipple and 4 to your bottom lip and one on each eyebrow also one on each earlobe and then one to you nasal septum

Do you ever post anything worthwhile?

[AndrewBoss]

Do you ever post anything worthwhile?

nope

[payowlirriply]

nope

LMAO... just wondered.