Downhill Disaster
Discussion
A new downhill course has just openned over here, near Garmisch.
www.bikepark-oberammergau.de/V2/bikepark.html
I though it would be great to try it as I've never done anything remotely similar before. So I threw my 10yr old Scott Vail hardtail, c/w Rock Shoxs and skinny tyres/skinny frame and drove down. The first clue that I was making a huge mistake was when I arrived at the car park/lift and saw everyone wearing full face helmets, body armour and bikes that resembled motorcycles without engines(plus additional strengthening).
Still, I took the lift up and started to ride down. Christ. What a big mistake. Even with my rim brakes full on, I could barely control my speed. I got off to walk through some of the worst sections, but I could barely stand up. Stopped before a particularly brutal looking drop, contemplating my imminent death, some kid took pity on me and pointed out an alternative route I could take back to the base. I still crashed a couple of times and really thought I was looking at serious injury at one point.
If any of you do this sort of thing for fun, you have my utmost respect.
BOR(ex-downhiller)
www.bikepark-oberammergau.de/V2/bikepark.html
I though it would be great to try it as I've never done anything remotely similar before. So I threw my 10yr old Scott Vail hardtail, c/w Rock Shoxs and skinny tyres/skinny frame and drove down. The first clue that I was making a huge mistake was when I arrived at the car park/lift and saw everyone wearing full face helmets, body armour and bikes that resembled motorcycles without engines(plus additional strengthening).
Still, I took the lift up and started to ride down. Christ. What a big mistake. Even with my rim brakes full on, I could barely control my speed. I got off to walk through some of the worst sections, but I could barely stand up. Stopped before a particularly brutal looking drop, contemplating my imminent death, some kid took pity on me and pointed out an alternative route I could take back to the base. I still crashed a couple of times and really thought I was looking at serious injury at one point.
If any of you do this sort of thing for fun, you have my utmost respect.
BOR(ex-downhiller)
LOL i watched some of this kinda action on extreme tv when they reviewed some courses in British Columbia.... the lads where talking through a 10 minute decent off some mountain.... some of it was like unless you knew (which obviously you would, by prep'ing for the run) you could easily kill yourself by not pushing hard enough to clear some of the huge drop offs....
madness..... and some call it fun
madness..... and some call it fun
You'd be amazed by just how much a downhill bike copes with steep terrain. They really do flatten out the slope and make it rideable...I have a full suspension XC bike and thought that it would cope ok with some DH but it was scary as hell. I borrowed a mate's DH bike and it completely changed the course and ended up loving it. It really is one of those sports where you need to start with the right equipment. Try and rent one some time...
XC rider in the week, but DH rider at the weekend! Advice to everyone whos only ever done traditional mountain biking and thinks DH riding is stupid, lazy, easy, etc... Try it.
Hire a suitable bike (key is slack angles, plenty of travel, good brakes and big soft tires) and get up to an Uplift.
The best bit about DH riding (and biking in general I think) is that unlike snowboarding, waterskiing etc, all you need is a bike and a hill. Something that this country has plenty of.
And remember next time someones moaning that British sport is up the swanny, we are home to the Current, and multiple, Male and Female World Cup champions.
Innerleithen for me on BH Monday, ooooh yes please!
Mountain biking is the best sport in the world
snotrag said:
And remember next time someones moaning that British sport is up the swanny, we are home to the Current, and multiple, Male and Female World Cup champions.
Ooooh, and I've just realised, hopefully I shall be sharing beers with said Female World Cup Champion at my mates leaving party this weekend :smuggrin:
Edited by Neil_Bolton on Wednesday 2nd May 10:01
bor said:
I'm glad to hear that a proper DH bike makes a big difference and that I'm not a complete failure. You can actually rent a DH bike for the day, but I'm still feeling too emotional to even consider it.
Go for it.
Think of it this way. You wouldn't take a Ferrari 360 on the Paris Dakar... but if you were in a big 4x4 then it would be fun!
bor said:
I'm glad to hear that a proper DH bike makes a big difference and that I'm not a complete failure. You can actually rent a DH bike for the day, but I'm still feeling too emotional to even consider it.
Legs and arms still aching.
Legs and arms still aching.
Do it, you'll be amazed at the difference and your confidence will be restored.
Yup. Hire yourself a proper DH bike and have a good bash at it again. Sure the other guys there will give you tips. Riding DH will teach you excellent bike handling skills which will help when riding XC, I can absolutely bomb down most XC routes thanks to the confidence DH gives you.
Be warned - your about to move into the premier league of expense
Be warned - your about to move into the premier league of expense
snotrag said:
Be warned - your about to move into the premier league of expense
Nah.. The Apollo FS26 is all you need for DH! I know, because the chappy in Halfords told me so!
A friend of mine hired a proper DH bike on holiday in New Zealand, and said it really did make going down nutty slopes similar to cornering in a 2CV. How fast you can do it is limited only by the nerve of the person riding!
Rim brakes are evil!!!
Second the house swapping offer. Not sure my landlord would be pleased, but I'd be loving it! Wanted to move to Whistler a while back - having done a few ski seasons I thought I'd concoct a way to ski in the winter and ride in the summer. It never happened.....
Second the house swapping offer. Not sure my landlord would be pleased, but I'd be loving it! Wanted to move to Whistler a while back - having done a few ski seasons I thought I'd concoct a way to ski in the winter and ride in the summer. It never happened.....
DH is a lot of fun! I used to frequent Aston Hill in Aylesbury quite a bit and will hopefully be there again this Summer, if I have the time ...
The kit does make the world of difference though - As soon as you have several inches of suspension travel underneath you, multiple pot disc brakes with 6" rotors and the correct geometry frame you'll be flying down those hills with no problem! Whether you're attached to the bike or not is a different story
Rent out a good DH bike and all the safety kit and give some runs a go. Take it easy at first and if you can, walk the track first to find good lines and areas that may cause you difficulty. Go slow at first and keep out of the way of other riders on the track. After a couple of runs your confidence should build, so go a little faster.
Then by the end of the day you'll find out what 'pump up' in your arms is like!
The kit does make the world of difference though - As soon as you have several inches of suspension travel underneath you, multiple pot disc brakes with 6" rotors and the correct geometry frame you'll be flying down those hills with no problem! Whether you're attached to the bike or not is a different story
Rent out a good DH bike and all the safety kit and give some runs a go. Take it easy at first and if you can, walk the track first to find good lines and areas that may cause you difficulty. Go slow at first and keep out of the way of other riders on the track. After a couple of runs your confidence should build, so go a little faster.
Then by the end of the day you'll find out what 'pump up' in your arms is like!
ikemi said:
Take it easy at first and if you can, walk the track first to find good lines and areas that may cause you difficulty. Go slow at first and keep out of the way of other riders on the track.
Excellent advice this.
Always WALK THE TRACK. Eg at Aston, there's a set of turns over roots just as you start the black run. If you go what looks like the easiest line, its easy to come off. But if you go to the right and off a small drop (ie a 'worse' line) then it makes it easy to take the next left turn.
It's tips like this that make DH much much easier. So go on a busy day and stand near to the sections you're not sure of and watch a few riders go through.
Downhillers do it all the time. Just session parts to work out the smoothest way.
My usual ride is an s-works fsr, with hope brakes and around 5" of travel. It's an xc machine but handles dh and jumps quite well. There are some nice mud drop in's and ramps near me I go on, about 40' high. Recently I went down these on a borrowed team norco, with around 8" of travel. It felt so different. The 40' drop in was more like a small 6' blip on the landscape. You could ride off a cliff with that thing feeling confident. But it was a real lardy bitvh to get back up the top again! No wonder they have lifts. All the local dh lads push up hill.
rico said:
Neil_Bolton said:
Ooooh, and I've just realised, hopefully I shall be sharing beers with said Female World Cup Champion at my mates leaving party this weekend :smuggrin:
Tracy Moseley? Nowt to be proud of mate!!
[/cruel b*stard]
I think your being fair, she is defo a man and should not be aloud to compete as a woman
Anyonr know of decent DH tracks near my new home of Amersham? I seem to remember going to Aston Hill a couple of years ago which was quite
any others?pvapour said:
Anyonr know of decent DH tracks near my new home of Amersham? I seem to remember going to Aston Hill a couple of years ago which was quite
any others?Aston Hill is the only place that springs to mind ... Check out: www.southerndownhill.com
I used to be a member of those forums a few years ago - You'll find all the course locations/information you need for the South!
pvapour said:
rico said:
Neil_Bolton said:
Ooooh, and I've just realised, hopefully I shall be sharing beers with said Female World Cup Champion at my mates leaving party this weekend :smuggrin:
Tracy Moseley? Nowt to be proud of mate!!
[/cruel b*stard]
I think your being fair, she is defo a man and should not be aloud to compete as a woman
Anyonr know of decent DH tracks near my new home of Amersham? I seem to remember going to Aston Hill a couple of years ago which was quite
any others?if shes a man, i am a woman,
she looks cool to me every time i have seen her, pictures can sometimes lie.
seen some people look cool in pictures and rough as f in real life.
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