Downhill mountain bike

mtbeire

Hi, I was trying to get into to mountain biking as I have been interested in it for a while. I found a 2007 Rocky Mountain RM7 for 650e. I was wondering what you would think of it and if you think it is worth buying.Thank you

JBokeh

It would be a good bike to get you into the sport, but You'll feel the need to upgrade it pretty soon as the technology on it will be getting pretty long in the tooth, and the forks will probably be past their best,and the bearings will probably be duff in the rear pivots

I'd buy it and not touch it bar maintenance, and spend money on things such as a helmet, armour, and a good pedal/shoe combo. Go somewhere like Bikepark Ireland and get an uplift day and you'll see your handling skills improve tenfold. Once you find your feet and decide it is for you then you can buy something a bit fresher with some more modern forks and shocks, that is owned by someone that still uses it regularly and keeps it serviced

I recently bought myself a 2012 transition tr450, and it is a blast, I've been into MTB for years, and done everything apart from DH. I started on a Kona stinky that I got from Donedeal for around 800, beat the snot out of it for a few months, and sold it for 700 having only put a set of pads and a gear cable/housing onto it

xxyyzz

Are you set on downhill mtb specifically or just mountainbiking in general? Starting out you might be better off getting a 2nd hand hardtail and getting out with a local club. You'd be amazed at the insane sh*t you can get up to on a hardtail plus steep technical climbs are as much a part of mountainbiking as the descents imho. A downhill rig will limit you to descents only, you can either push back up or sign up for an uplift day. As mentioned above, buying a 2nd hand dh rig is a risky business, they have a very hard life and parts are insanely expensive.

rizzodun

I'd echo xxyyzz, a DH bike would limit where you can ride it, if you're not close to a place that has an uplift you may find pushing the bike uphills all day get pretty tiring and ruin your enjoyment, maybe a really good hardtail would be a better starting point. I started on a hardtail about 18 months ago and can do most trails apart from big jumps or really gnarly downhill sections. The uphills don't kill me either.

Maybe think about where you're going to be riding at first and then look for the best bike to suit the terrain, you can always rent a bike in bikepark Ireland to try out some DH stuff if you find you really like it.

mtbeire

I have been using hardtails, but I wanted to try get a DH bike as they would handle the rough sections better. I also wanted to join a club as next year i'm doing Gaisce in TY and that requires me to start a new skill. I was hoping to also eventually enter some small competitions as well. Thanks for feedback!

ceidefields

You will not know yourself on a proper downhill bike - SO much better than a hardtail. For the 2007 Rocky Mountain 650B, the devil's in the details:

- How hard/often was it ridden? Raced
- What kinds of components does it have - fork, rear suspension, rims etc?
- How well was it maintained?
- Does the fork have any leaks?
- Size tyres?

If you can post that information, we can chat about whether or not it's a good deal. Bear in mind that a pure downhill bike is really not easy to pedal uphill at all. Pedaling is not your friend on these bikes.

I just got a downhill (I also have an all mountain bike) and it's brilliant for flying down rocky, technical stuff, jumps, gaps etc.

ceidefields

Also, if you're looking to compete in DH, a DH specific bike will really help.

Tenzor07

Full on DH bikes would be a pain unless you are going to somewhere that has uplifts, pushing a bike up a hill for 30mins to come back down in 5mins is no fun!
These days modern Trail/Enduro bikes have between 130-160mm of travel, more than enough for what most people need. These bikes go uphill quite well as they are light enough, and strong enough for the rough stuff.

Bring up you skill level before going for a full on DH rig.

JohnBee

What about an all mountain/trail bike? Full sus, usually adjustable. Half way between downhill and hardtail.

ceidefields

So I saw that you were thinking about racing downhill and went into full on "excited about downhill" mode. I'm with Tenzor07 - all mountain is really what you need for most Irish terrain.

Now that being said the 2007 Rocky Mountain 650B kinda IS an all mountain bike. It's not a downhill bike like they sell these days. I would caution against purchasing this bike because it was the very first year Rocky Mountain did the 650B.

@Tenzor07 - I agree with your overall point, but I would actually argue that riding a pure downhill bike on pure downhill (uplift only) is actually way easier than riding an all mountain bike. I've ridden both at Whistler (yeah, I count myself as really lucky) and it was WAY easier on a downhill. As long as you don't have to pedal uphill, a pure downhill will just carry you over steeps and rocks and all kinds of ****e.

JBokeh

If you've friends into downhill, pushing the bike uphill is just as enjoyable as going down it, it's quite social once you're all on the same wavelength. One bigmouth there and everyone gets their head wrecked with " DID YOU SEE ME GO THROUGH THAT ROCK GARDEN"

If you've the basics of bike control on trails mastered, id go for a full on DH bike, learning is best done on a hard tail as they're not forgiving, and you learn how to handle the bike around rock gardens, and body positioning. a DH rig with big travel can cover up a multitude of sins, and you'll develop bad habits.

If you want to pedal up stuff look at getting a DH rig that has had a normal single crown fork put on it, with maybe 180mm of travel, it won't be easy, but it beats walking up the hills

xxyyzz

I have a 170mm yt wicked pro that has a double on the front which can spin up most technical climbs (slowly). I've yet to meet a descent that can't be smashed on it. Probably more bike than I need for Killarney's tight rooty slippery descents but it's an awesome machine.

ceidefields

Also if you're going to race, you really want a triple crown. Check out Pinkbike classifieds for what's a fair price!

mtbeire

Thanks for advice everyone, I bought a 2007 Kona Stinky, after realising that the rm7 was no longer for sale. I found the bike excellent. I went on rough, rocky downhill trail near my house and it took a beating but still rode very well.