Downhill Bike for fontana...

im lookin for a new bike...and i want to race fontana this year and want to build a bike that is more suited for racing there....I was lookin for a frame today and came across a Transistion BottleRocket.... And the other one is a 2005 Intense Uzzi VPX....Uzzi is a used one that the person never rode and is the right price...anyways i heard that a 6" bike is what you need for fontana and i wanted to build a lighter bike then the Demo8 i ride now... witch is easy to do the demo is 44lbs... as i hear the wall is a b**ch to pedal and my demo dont pedle...:lol:... so i am lookin for some input.... Please dont write some long thing about why the bike you say is the best just post some facts..!!!!plz.... i have a reading BS problem....I JUST DONT...I do appreciate the help...

P.S. im a 34 yo longtime BMXer and will be racing in 27-34 sport to start... and look foward to meeting you all that race...Cant wait....thank you so much for the input...

 

Have you looked at a Mongoose Khyber. Price is right and being as I ride Mongoose my choice is based on how they ride. I also was impressed with a Chumba Evo I rode. But you are right, a 8 inch travel full DH is a bit much for fontucky.

 

ya i looked at them....not a bad bike but was looking for maybe something i little shorter in the stand over area..

 

If you can get your hands on a Slopestyle- that's what I'd suggest. Bottlerocket will work fine, but is a little heavier and be cheaper.

Otherwise, just lighten up the Demo 8 instead.

If you go with the UZZI VPX, get the "slacker" dropouts to slacken the HA a little.

 

How bout a SC v10 06? For sale.

 

I have to agree its a great bike for Fontana races. I will take my SS over a full DH bike anytime for Fontana races.

 

Chumba makes a pretty good DH frame, weight is a relative term in the gravity discipline though. Also with how small that place is a Path Ventana or even an Evo could do very well when ridden properly. If you are looking complete the Haro X7 is rad and cheap.

 

ill be riding my sx trail in the same class. its a 6"bike thats a "little" lighter then some bikes at fontana and it seems to be pretty nimble.

 

As for me I'm looking at building a Demo 7 with a Fox Float 36, 09 deemax w/tubeless maxxis and maybe even install my Hammerschmidt on it for the "dreaded" wall sprint to the end. I'm thinking it should be right around 35lbs if I do decide to go this route.

 

As much as I slam on them........ I will say this for a direct answer to your question

Socom.

In the words of Mr Steber himself..." I designed the socom for racing at Fontana"

 

the socom would be a good choice. light, still 8" travel, not super slacked out, and the frame can be had cheaply.

plus, it's a 73/135mm BB/wheel, so sourcing cheap cranks and wheels would be easy.


I personally also like the 6" bike a lot for fontana. Even more, I like the combo 8" boxxer and 6" rear on my reign. enough fork to take some of the gnarlier lines, while still retaining pedalability, lightness, and a good pop off any jumps, lips, etc.


A slopestyle would be cool as well. lower BB for good cornering, lightweight, but strong enough to take the abuse. they run on the smaller side iirc, but you may like that coming from the BMX background.

you can also safely run a bigger fork on that bike (a la boxxer). it does raise things up a bit and messes with the cornering a tad.

another fun idea: slopestyle, boxxer, and slacker dropouts. 8" front, 6.5" rear, 13.5"ish BB (might actually be lower), and a 64.5* HA or so. it's like an M6 with 3" less travel. silly idea, but could be really fun on some of the courses. a heavy build (say, saint cranks, heavy wheels, brakes, etc), would get you to around 38lbs on a bad day, and down to the 36ish area for a lighter setup. That would also be a perfectly suitable backup bike for any gnarlier DH, should the demo go out of commission.


with regard to the bottlerocket, I hear they aren't the best high-speed bike. good for jumping, but not much DH. fontana is mostly smooth, though, which helps, but occasionally there's some stuff where it's helpful to just let go and plow.

 

hmmmmm...... well.......im not trying to save money ...thow i do shop around when it comes to bike stuff it is all over priced...and if you just check aroung the corner the the same thing for $40 less....so guess i need to just lighten up the demo and change out the shock and fork...maybe turn it in to a 7".....i do like the bike alot but need to loose the lbs.....I still like the bottlerocket for some reason....maybe build it for jumping.....or just build it for 4x......decisions decisions.... i do need to build a XC susp bike too ...and like the new VF2 from Chumba....i would get good use out of that....cuz i ride the loop to much and my ass is getting tiered of me HT....

Thanks for some input and all is used to help me in the decision's im tired and need to get some sleep it was a long night........

 

The wall.. its not that bad pedaling.. its just really low grade downhill.. there is some races that you have to pedal either almost flat or low grade downhill.. I guess your saying you got weak legs? work them up!

 

guess youll see.....how weak they are....

 

Since you'll be racing against me you might need this.


:beer:

I look forward to seeing you out there. Any riding this week?

BTW there is a Bottle Rocket on Craigs for $1500 with a Fox 36
:?:

 

tat, look into the Banshee Rune. Great 6" bike, has a longer wheel base, VERY good pedaller, and the suspension really opens up at speed. Ive seen them with light Manitou forks all the way up to Fox 40s, and they are killer rigs!:bang: Mine is over at ISOtuned suspension(Drakethomas) gettin' a fork upgrade right now!

 

fwiw, if you plan on racing 4X, the bottlerocket might be a bit much. lighter BR builds come in to around 32-35lbs. for reference, most of us in the beginner class have light hardtails in the 28lb range, and can at least get out of the gate pretty quickly. to each his own however.

for lightening the demo, probably fork, wheels, tires, and cranks should get you a decent weight reduction. for racing, if you're comfortable swapping to clipless pedals, you can also lose some weight there.

 

You can get a 575 and put a 6-7 in fork on it, my buddy killed it on this set up.The best pedaling near 6 in bike made period.

 

for my money i'd be looking at an AM bike. that way you have something you can not only rail for the fontana race but use around socal as well.

rune
575
or sx trail would have my vote

 

You need 2 bikes, really, because the course is sometimes set up steep and rough, ideal for a full blown DH bike, and sometimes the course is set up mellow, and a AM bike would be fine. It's a conspiracy by Donny to sell more bikes!!