Internal cable routing and Boost rear spacing bring this Nukeproof up to date with industry standards, making it a competitive ride for years of DH ambition. A Trail Bike or a Downhill Bike? As a general rule 29” wheels are still better suited to trails where you roll over obstacles and 27.5” wheels to trails where agility is required to dodge around obstacles, but the lines are increasingly blurred and bikes in both categories can be very good for many different types of riding. If you like to go big on a 29er, Orbea has delivered your dream ride. They achieve this using different frame layouts, materials, wheel sizes and components. 65° and below is getting into pure downhill race territory, bikes that are made to fly as often as they roll. Some of us are lucky enough to have a racecourse or a bike park close enough for a day trip, others have to make do with whatever trails are nearby. The privateer’s choice for shredding without breaking the bank. Support Region & Language us. The V4L four-bar suspension is superb at soaking all manner of bumps big and small. MTB requires you to respond with the right body language at the right time. This gives a cleaner appearance, more protection, and less likelihood of snagging but may make cables or hoses less accessible for maintenance. Downhill bikes usually have a slacker geometry, longer rear and front travels (and bigger rotors in the disc brakes for the added stability and control which the discipline demands. The end result is an all-around 29” mountain bike that’s at home on gnarly trails, bike parks, or flat out DH racecourses. And it’s available in four sizes, increasing the odds you’ll find a perfect fit. 65° – 66° indicates an “enduro” style bike leaning toward steep trails and big drops. Downhill bikes take significant impacts and need to have high-quality wheelsets. Its lower weight enhances acceleration, and the composite material does a better job of absorbing vibrations. Downhill bikes are heavier and stronger than other mountain bikes and feature front and rear suspension with over 8 inches of travel, to glide quickly over rocks and tree roots. If you’re looking for one bike to do it all and your idea of doing it all includes a bunch of steep stuff, this is a great choice! Most manufacturers now spec built bikes with air shocks because they are easier to adjust for riders of different weights. The V10 S 29 comes with Fox Performance Elite suspension and SRAM GX drivetrain components to help keep cost in check. The eye-catching, sculpted lines of the M16 have made it one of the most sought-after downhill bikes. DH bikes are available with 27.5” or 29” wheels. Wheel size is 27.5, meaning this is a bike that can be raced one weekend, and then whipped around the bike park the next. The head-tube angle is either 62.9 or 63.2 degrees, depending on the flip chip orientation. Our Bikes. Bike manufacturers have obliged by turning out a variety of machines designed to make the most of the interface that links gravity, gradient, and obstacles. Most modern mountain bikes now use a single front chainring and no front derailleur, with anywhere from 9 to 12 rear rings. Check out our, Quick Answer - The Best Downhill Mountain Bikes, Comparison Table - Best Downhill Mountain Bike, Reviews - The Best Bikes for Downhill Mountain Biking, THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKE, For more of our top mountain biking gear recommendations, check out the, For more on the details of mountain bikes in general, REI has an excellent. The frame also has integrated molded-rubber down-tube and chainstay protectors to quiet chain slap and guard against rock strikes. The Commencal Supreme DH 29 occupies a prominent place in mountain bike history as the first complete production-ready, 29-inch downhill bike to hit the consumer market. Bike geometry is a complex subject. DOWNHILL MOUNTAIN BIKING. The frame is lightweight carbon fiber, the wheelset is the premium DT Swiss EX-501, and the brakes and drivetrain are Shimano’s famed XT line. If you’re like most of us, most of your riding will be done near your home. They're made for riders by riders, with no detail dubbed too small to perfect. Both are used to build bikes at all price levels, but carbon bikes are moving into a preferred position in the high-end market as new molding technologies produce lighter and stronger frames. Kona’s flagship DH race bike jumps solidly onto the 29”-wheeled DH race bike bandwagon, matching a traditional RockShox Boxxer double crown DH fork with a pair of 29” wheels. Many manufacturers use proprietary carbon fabrication processes like Yeti’s Turq and Niner’s RDO carbon to deliver the best possible strength-to-weight ratios. This bike straddles the line between Enduro and Downhill racing, mating 29” wheels with big Maxxis Minion downhill tires and top of the line RockShox suspension to produce a big-wheeled ride that’s ready for any terrain. That’s a lot of value for a bike in this price range. The best downhill bikes are built to hit a set of criteria: strong, light, stable, forgiving and fast. Bikes with 29” wheels have traditionally used less travel than their smaller-wheeled counterparts, partly because adding more travel with a large wheel diameter tends to lift the front end of the bike to impractical heights and partly because the larger wheels absorb shock by rolling over obstacles rather than hitting them and bouncing off. … 2018 world champion Amaury Pierron’s ride of choice. Thredbo Retail and Rental offers an extensive range of the latest gravity focused enduro and downhill bikes from Norco, plus e-bikes and recreational mountain bikes. This guide to the best downhill mountain bikes should help you choose the right tool for you. They are preferred by all major manufacturers and most users. While it used to be that coil shocks were the overwhelming choice for DH sleds, air shocks have begun to catch up in recent years. We can point you to the gear but you’ll have to develop the skills! Outside of wheel size, this is arguably the most hotly debated topic in the downhill bike arena. Unique features include an adjustable dual-link suspension that allows for two travel settings: 214mm and 241mm. For this list of the best downhill mountain bikes, we’ve taken a liberal definition of “downhill”. Downhill riding involves high speeds and hard obstacles, and serious injury can occur if things get out of control. 0 bids. Chainstay length, BB height, and shock progression; all can be tweaked for your style of riding. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Larger rotors have more stopping power and are preferred by downhill riders. Today, you can get a V10 with 29er or 27.5 hoops, allowing riders to choose based on height and riding style. “Coils are more reliable and have better initial sensitivity, so the suspension will have a better overall feeling,” says Anderson, noting that Santa Cruz sells only DH bikes spec’d with coil shocks. Suspension still makes it easier, and most downhill riders prefer to keep it long! 2020 model getting rid of it because I have just bought another new bike. Bike manufacturers have obliged by turning out a variety of machines designed to make the most of the interface that links gravity, gradient, and obstacles. Downhill riders will need an good sense of balance to navigate through the toughest terrains under high speeds. Its slack 63.5-degree head-tube angle, low bottom bracket, long chainstays, and sprawling wheelbase help keep you planted and in control even when riding on the ragged edge. This suspension system is also on the new Enduro, which we found floated through rock gardens with no hang-ups. They’re wrong. SRAM and Shimano are the dominant drivetrain manufacturers and their products are used on most quality mountain bikes. The Dissent is highly adjustable, too. Your budget, skill set, and intended riding style are all important factors when deciding on wheel size, frame material, geometry, and component spec, which all play a significant role in how a bike handles and how much it costs. Available in 27.5- and 29-inch wheel configurations, the Fury platform utilizes what GT calls its LTS four-bar suspension system, which is designed to deliver ride-smoothing bump absorption, predictable braking, and minimal pedal feedback. But if spinning park laps and mastering airborne tricks is your primary goal, a 27.5-inch-wheeled steed with a shorter rear end will be more playful and poppy—and arguably more fun. Since 1972 GT Bicycles has proudly been developing bikes, for every type of rider, with a consistent mission. With a claimed weight of 34.5 pounds—with tubes—this is one of the lightest 29er DH bikes around. Component highlights of this race-ready machine include a top-of-the-line Fox Factory DHX2 shock and a Fox Factory 49 Float fork (both with 200mm of trail-smoothing travel), SRAM’s well-regarded Code R brakes with 200mm rotors front and rear, and grippy Maxxis Assegai 29x2.5 tires. When you’re tackling gnarly steeps, Scott recommends you shorten the chainstay, slacken the head angle, and make the shock more progressive by using the lower chip setting. And for most of us, improving our riding is more about better legs, lungs, and skills than better drivetrains, wheelsets, or forks! 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