Mountain Biking/Downhill
From YouWiki
Downhill MTB is a mountain biking discipline that, as the name implies, involves rapid descent of a steep offroad track with berms, jumps, rock gardens and other obstacles appropriate to skill level. It is classified as an extreme sport and has a high risk of injury, but an even higher risk of fun!
Riders' descents down the downhill course are timed using a stopwatch, the aim, of course, being to achieve the shortest possible times. Since downhill tracks have no great uphill sections (due to the nature of the sport as well as the equipment used - that is to say Downhill bikes are usually significantly heavier than other dual suspension mountain bikes and are therefore much harder to pedal uphill) great speeds are achieved by riders, and they can get massive air on jumps.
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[edit] Downhill bikes
From Wikipedia:
- "A downhill bike tends to weigh between 17 to 25 kg (30 to 50 pound), most commonly 16-20 kg (35-45 pounds), and usually feature a full-suspension design, and frame geometry that leans back further than other mountain bikes. As of 2006, 203 mm (8-inch) is the 'norm' for suspension travel however some commercially available bikes can have as much as 254 mm (10-inch). Large-diameter 203-5 mm (8-inch) hydraulic disc brakes moderate the riders' speed, just like in motorcycles or cars. Downhill bikes and freeride bikes are very similar but there are some slight differences. Downhill race bikes typically are much lower and have slacker head angles than freeride bikes, so that the bike is more stable at speed and in corners. Freeride bikes have a more upright geometry and a higher bottom bracket height, so that they are better for jumping and stunts, however Freeride bikes sometimes use single crown forks, which are smaller and lighter than the dual crown forks often used by downhill riders, dual crown forks usually have around 200 mm (8-inch) of travel, and single crown forks are usually around 180mm (7in)maximum. The price of downhill bikes ranges from 2000 US dollars or 1500 British pounds for an entry level bike, all the way to 9000 US dollars or 6000 British pounds for a top of the line world cup race bike. The price differences have to do with the components that are on the bikes, also the more expensive bikes are usually made with higher quality materials and more time and care is put into quality frame production. Choosing components on a downhill bike, as with most performance orientated bicycles, involves a tradeoff between weight and strength. Parts have to be strong but still must be light. Recent advances in technology have allowed companies to make very strong but still very light components.
- A great deal of innovation occurs in DH bikes as professional teams sometimes spend tens of thousands of dollars to save weight, increase suspension efficiency and improve handling they develop new materials and geometries that trickle through to consumer markets on a consumer level downhill bike and other bikes.
- More recently (2007-present), most world cup downhill bikes have showed a trend towards lighter weight, air-sprung suspension forks and rear shocks. This is to reduce weight and improve responsiveness. In the UK and other parts of the world, many Downhill bikes also have lesser travel these days, with 6-7 inches (150-180mm) instead of the older standard of 200mm or 8 inches. This is for the same reasons as the switch to air-sprung suspension.
- This has led to blurred boundaries between freeride and downhill bikes. Where Freeride bikes used to be lighter and made up of steeper angles, Downhill bikes now occupy this description, with freeride bikes now heavier and comprising slacker angles. This is for two reasons; 1) Many world cup downhill tracks are more technical than before, requiring steeper head angles to facilitate faster changes in bike direction. 2) Newer Freeride-lite bikes offer lighter weight than either downhill OR 'full-on' freeride cycles, meaning that freeride bikes can focus on being tougher, and downhill bikes can focus on being lighter, while freeride-lite bikes can offer a little of both.
- Freeride-lite bikes are generally for those who like to be able pedal up hills as well as down them, and are slightly heavier and tougher than trail bikes.
- Downhill gear features body armor and full-face motocross-type helmets. "
An example of a YouWikian Downhill bike is the Norco Atomik 2008.
[edit] Downhill tracks
Although the basic idea of a downhill track is simply a winding, steep decline through a forested area, many different obstacles and features may be included.
These include jumps, rock gardens, berms (banked corners), log rides, ladder bridges, North Shore, log rollovers, and technical rocky descents.
Downhill tracks are usually made by riders in local forest area for training and recreation (see Glenrock Lagoon) but they may also be made by professional race clubs or recreational mountain bike parks (such as Whistler in Canada and Killingworth in Newcastle).
[edit] DH communities Online
In Australia, Downhill mountain bikes are most easily purchased by lurking Farkin.net in the Trading Area section of the forum, where you can definitely get a great deal, or by visiting The Bike Shed Mortdale, Sydney.
Internationally, the best mountain bike community (where you can also buy DH bikes) is Pinkbike.com.
Don't forget to check reviews on specific bikes at mtbr.com.
[edit] Picture gallery
Sourced from PinkBike.com
Pinning a berm |
Backflip |
Huge drop |
Pinning it into a corner |
Huge jump |
Girls do it too! |
[edit] Downhill videos
- Some Crazy Downhill:
- Massive speed
