cortina DH8 opinions

[FyrFytrRyn]

found a bike to buy.. its a cortina DH8, heres some specs... 9” travel rear via Avalanche racing shock. 8” front travel via Marz-888 forks. Mavic DH wheel set, Hadley hubs. Hayes 8” hydraulic disk brakes. Profile CroMo cranks w/ platform peddles. DH bars(31., Race Face seat/post. Intense DH tires (new). XT components. Single chain ring in front, 9 speed in back. Started with the frame and custom built the entire bike for racing. 39Lbs.

general opinions on this bike? been looking into a Dh and light freeride bike to get... i know its not practical to pedal this bike up hills, but if i dont mind a bit of cranking and hiking, it wouldnt be a bad bike huh? i want something i can ride very agressively. i think this is it..

heres a pic...

[roadkillross]

looks awesome i say go for it

if u let me try it out lol

[CalEpic]

If you're looking for a full-on down hill bike it should be fine.

If you want an all around agressive trail bike you can actually pedal I would look more along the lines of a light free ride type bike. I would check and see if there are any more of those Giant Reign frames left for $499 at Wheel World. There's a Kona Coiler for sale on this site. Much more versatile bikes in my opinion but again. It just depends on what you want to do and how much you want to spend.

Fun stuff buying bikes

[roadkillross]

theres some DHR's and a demo 8 at performance cycles in Santa monica and a gripload of small intense frames for around 1000 for most of em

[FyrFytrRyn]

yeah i sent messages to "arlo9" about that coiler, but havnt gotten a reply, and this cortina is less money soo, but not up hill friendly.i know i cant ride the kona as hard as the cortina right?

if any of you know the guy personally thats selling the kona tell him to check this site, or give him my number (909) 723.4315 im interested in it.

[CalEpic]

Coilers are plenty beefy. I don't think you'll need to worry about breaking one. Check the mtbr.com classifieds too. There should be plenty of 5-7" heavy duty bikes out there.

[Flat Broke]

Almost as important as the type of bike, is how it feels to YOU. Make sure you're able to get a ride on whatever your looking at buying, or at the very least something with very similar geometry. Don't get me wrong, that Cortina looks tits and the 888 and Avy would be super plush. It would just suck if you wanted to hit some trails with your friends and were always bringing up the rear until you encountered some serious DH action.

Coilers, Prestons, Demo 8, MKIIIs, etc. etc. etc. would all be improvements over your Cdale, so go out and kick some tires at the local bike shops.

Also, you might want to check pricing on new Coilers as well if you're interested in them and can't get a hold of the seller. I haven't checked that ad for a while, but I remember thinking that a new one wasn't too much more money, but I can't remember if there were upgrades etc. I believe Kona's discounted the 06 coiler to somewhere around 1600 new. The Path carries them, so a quick phone call could confirm current new pricing.

Chris

[soul rider]

looks nice...inspect the heck out of it, cracks, linkage play, oil leaks. is cornita still in business? in case you need spare parts for the frame
if all is well go for it.
i pedal a Banshee cahapparal with a 38th ring & dual crown fork up every hill on the fully loop (except the last bitch) up cholla 2x at Aliso, it will only make you stronger
granny gear what's that?

[TURNERob]

Are you going to be doing 10ft drops? No, I didn't think so.....that bike is most likely total overkill for the type of riding you do I'd imagine. Get something with at least 2 rings up front, that type of bike just makes no sense for anything but lift assisted/shuttle riding. I'm sure its probably a sweet bike, but you need to find a happy medium. Look for a 5-7" travel bike as CalEpic suggested, something with a front derailleur......you'll thank us later.

[spookydave]

39 pounds with profiles and an avy shock hu? I'd check that if it matters to you. Might want to check the length of the profiles too. Mine are 165mm. Keeps them out of the rocks but makes it that much harder to pedal.

I gotta agree with Rob in a way.
I have a Santa Cruz Bullit and a Brooklyn Race link.
The Bullit does everything ok including what ever DH you could ever sack up for. But when it comes to the high speed, rough stuff the brooklyn blows it away. It has a much longer wheelbase and more weight. It just works way way better in rough DH sections at speed.
Every other place the Bullit is better.

I donno if you have ever takin a big bike for a spin or not. If not I'd let you take mine for a loop around the Oaks sometime. It would give you an idea of what you're in for before you spend the coin.

My inlaws lived in Big Bear and I rode the lifts all the time. That's the only reason I have a full DH bike. They are tons of fun to ride but with out a lift they are alot of work.

[FyrFytrRyn]

thanks for all the helpful replies fella's.. ive ridden a turner DH bike that a friend has, just in a parking lot and off some small drops and i loved it, but like most of you have mentioned its a DH rig and thats where its gonna be happy, you dont see many lowered civics winning the baja 1000 do you? lol. maybe ill just wait and see if the guy with the coiler will reply soon...

[soul rider]

pricepoint.com has Banshee chappy frames for cheap...they're bomb proof

Not sure how long you have been riding for....I'd say get really comfortable doing as much as you can on your current bike, and then when you feel you NEED more travel go ahead and get a burly downhill bike.

I was looking at Coilers before I bought my Heckler. They are completely different bikes(duh), the Heckler being a little more climb friendly than the Coiler in my opinion. I've in no way pushed the Heckler to its limit, but I'm not the lightest of guys, and I do ride pretty hard, and feel like the Heckler was the right choice for the type of riding I do. You might want to look into a Heckler if you want to do more aggressive riding and still be able to climb.

[FoShizzle]

Originally Posted by TURNERob

Are you going to be doing 10ft drops? No, I didn't think so.....that bike is most likely total overkill for the type of riding you do I'd imagine. Get something with at least 2 rings up front, that type of bike just makes no sense for anything but lift assisted/shuttle riding. I'm sure its probably a sweet bike, but you need to find a happy medium. Look for a 5-7" travel bike as CalEpic suggested, something with a front derailleur......you'll thank us later.

TOTAL overkill indeed......

[FyrFytrRyn]

dino, i know what u mean. im 210 lbs and 6 foot, and i feel the c-dale flex every time i push it, im afraid its gonna do more than that soon. HA! ive grown up racing moto-x and BMX, branched into skatepark and street bmx and about 2 years ago went to a XC MTB and im looking for something that will better match my agressive style. im a very smooth and technical rider so ive been able to do well ont he c-dale in rough sections (not too rough, i dont want to destroy it)...

what do you guys think of this bike as compared to the coiler??

http://classifieds.mtbr.com/cgi-bin/...uery=retrieval

[soul rider]

coiler would be more of what you are looking for. that other bike just might be a lateral move.

took another look at it...stout frame...though i am not a fan of air shocks and by your weight you're a clydesdale and might kill it

SoulRider is right, an airshock would be risky for someone of your size and the Reign would be pretty much a lateral move.

If you get the Coiler you will most likely want to get a DHX coil for it...then get it PUSHed, Rob got his PUSHed and noticed a huge difference in performance. If I had the c.r.e.a.m. right now to get my DHX PUSHed I would. Try to sit on a Heckler, I bet you'll like it.

[FyrFytrRyn]

you guys callin' me fat? lol. i know im in the L&F club, so i wasnt sure if that reign would be good, besides its too much. im 99% sure im gonna buy this cortina, its a total hook up on price, comes with bike specific tools, armor, helmet, below waist pads and a stand for 750.00.. i cannot pass this, im picking it up sunday.. ill stiffen it up and go pedal it around, worst case is that i have a DH bike thats a little harder to pedal and ill have to sell the c-dale for a true AM bike. but im pretty sure this cortina is gonna work out, wethe ri become used to it as a AM/free ride or use it as a strict DH. id rather spend this money on a bike i know ill love, rather than a AM bike thats a little easier to pedal that i might not be happy with. who knows, maybe downhill will be my new thing.. i do like going fast down steep hills

[Skeeter]

well whatever you pick, just ride and enjoy

[Krunk]

Killer deal ! True you won't be doing hudge drops , but it'll be stable at high speeds.