Demo 8 too heavy for racing??

kidwoo · Dec 28, 2005

Stock with a heavy set of hubs they weigh about 41lbs.

It's probably the lightest stock bike you can buy.

Get it.

Bicyclist · Dec 28, 2005

Yeah, I race on mine no problem. I absolutely love it. It's loads better than the 9 IMO and way lighter/more race oriented. It rails like a champ because of the low BB. Get it. You won't be disappointed. It's stable and manuverable.

DHCorky · Dec 29, 2005

They made the Demo 8 because it was more race orientated than the Demo 9.

DownhillnDunkey · Dec 29, 2005

i think a medium would be better. but i rode one up in whistler and it was nice. just have it setup right ; )

S.K.C. · Dec 29, 2005

I got my Demo 8 back in Feb. 05' and have raced it plus everyting in between, and it is a great handling bike. The adjustable geometry is great for flexibilty too.

As far as weight is concerned the Demo 8 II with its stock build should come in around 42 lbs.(MBA review test weight form the Jan. 06' issue) By comparison the Demo 9 Pro is around 47lbs. stock, and with the extra inch of travel in the back, it is quite beastly for DH racing. Most other DH race specific bikes are in the 39 to 43 lbs. range. If you were to take the Demo 8 II and upgrade to a Boxxer Air WC, RF Atlas cranks, a Thompson 4X stem and an SDG I-Beam seat you could shave another 2 to 2.5 lbs. off the bike.

The only difference between the Demo bikes (both the Demo 8 and 9 share identical geom. except for the parameters dealing with rear travel and BB height) and other DH race bikes, is the WB. For a Med. size frame, the Demos have a WB of 1183mm or 46.57" Your avg. DH race specific rig has a WB of around 45.5" But the extra inch of WB makes the bike much more stable at speed.

I too was worried about handling characteristics of the Demo, but the low TT combined with the overall low center of gravity and super short chainstays make the bike very easy to manuever around tight corners and through tech. rocky sections. I'm 5'11" and weigh about 165 lbs. and for me the bike feels great.

I came from riding an 02' Big Hit which was more of a FR bike with a 67.5deg. HA and a 44.3" WB. When I started riding my Demo 8, cornering was fine thanks to the short chainstays and low TT - this allowed me to get really low on the bike. As far as the WB - it's amazing what an extra inch can do, because compared to other bikes, the Demo was WAY more stable. Its like a missle - just point and shoot. Ususally on shorter WB bikes the handling feels "twitchy" or the bikes wants to "hunt" while at speed going over loose or bumpy terrain. With the Demo 8 I found that I don't have to overly focus my attention on what the bike is doing. I can go nearly flat out and the bike just stays super stable and on line, without any drama.

Hope this helps.

bicycleman · Dec 29, 2005

you shouldnt have any problems with it i raced it for 1 season and im getting a new one. I am 5' 8" and 130 lbs. they have a lot of flickability. also the Demo 8II comes with titanium springs stock for the fork . The only problem i have encountered is that the shock adjustment knobs are hard to reach. For racing i would go with the Demo 8 II . And for hardcore Drops and mountain dew type stuff i would go for the Demo 9.

Netguy · Dec 29, 2005

I recently just got my 2006 Demo8 Pro. I moved from a 2004 Demo9DH. Even though its only about 5 pounds, I was surprised at how much lighter the bike was. This bike flat out rocks. I think its the perfect bike. Its so nimble, and the rear end feels much lower to the ground, compared to the Demo9. I moved to the 8, because I wanted something a little lighter, and a tad easier to pedal. The Demo9, while being an awesome bike, I think was a tad overkill for me. I really dont think you need 9 inches of travel. The 8inches feels just as good, and more plush than the 9. Its very active. I think the Demo8 would be an awesome race bike. Very possible to get it close to 40lbs. If its anything like the Demo9 on the long fast straightaways, its going to be the perfect bike.

Bicyclist · Dec 29, 2005

Netguy said:
Very possible to get it close to 40lbs.

Oh, easily.

bikenweed · Dec 29, 2005

I have a small Demo8, and I would not recomend it as a race bike.

I'm 5'9", 160lbs, and the bike felt very twitchy at speed compared to my medium M1, large AS-X, and the V-10 I rode for two days. Maybe if I had a medium or a large D8 things would be different. For fast stuff, the bike felt quite nervous. The bottom bracket isn't really all that low, but it definitely isn't tall by any means. Who cares about two geometry positions? That's something I could change with a new shock, I want adjustable progressive/linear settings, chainstay length, seat tube angle, head tube angle and bottom bracket height. The D8 did absolutely rock the technical stuff, but when I think race, I think high speed world cups and the high speed runs where I've been living in Spain. If you're 5'9", I would definitely check out a medium and a large, but the chainstays are still too short IMO. In berms, with a hard pump, the bike loves to loop out, and you have to watch it on long, low jumps. It's not a bad bike, it just isn't the ultimate race machine. Do not agrue with me, this is my opinion after 2 races, a week at Whistler, a week at Northstar, and a few weeks riding some of the hardest trails in the word. Take it or leave it.

Oh yeah, the bike is really plush and it feels pretty light. The weight is in a great place, in the center and down low, and overall it isn't heavy.

Gex · Dec 29, 2005

39lbs wet...

Netguy · Dec 29, 2005

Gex said:
39lbs wet...

Gex...you got a Demo8! Nice. Just got mine put together recently. Got to love that Ano Brown!

Ash

bigdrop05 · Dec 29, 2005

Those Demo bikes are sweet. That would be a great choice for DH racing over there !
I found that where you live & what terrain you are actually going to ride makes the choice of what bike to get..
My last bike- a 1'st generation V-10 & 66RC was very hard to keep in most trails & DH runs around here.It was too much slack HA & choppered quite a bit.But it woulda be great at Mt.Snow or places like that.
So i now ride a BULLIT for freeride & quicker handling.

BKQuill · Dec 29, 2005

"Demo 8 too heavy for racing?? "

One word: NO

Jeremy R · Dec 29, 2005

BKQuill said:
"Demo 8 too heavy for racing?? "

One word: NO

Yep, we kind of have verifiable proof of that around here.
We have been getting our azz kicked repeatedely by Demos since they were in prototype form.

In all seriousness, the demo 8 is a bike that I have seen friends get on, and instantly become a faster racer.

dhbuilder · Dec 29, 2005

Jeremy R said:
Yep, we kind of have verifiable proof of that around here.
We have been getting our azz kicked repeatedely by Demos since they were in prototype form.

In all seriousness, the demo 8 is a bike that I have seen friends get on, and instantly become a faster racer.

same thing here at windrock. two good riders got demo-9's and very quickly be came MUCH faster and better.

BKQuill · Dec 29, 2005

Jeremy R said:
the demo 8 is a bike that I have seen friends get on, and instantly become a faster racer.

Maybe I should get one, then maybe I could at least still see the back of your jersey instead of thinking "Damn it, where the hell did *insert your name here* go?"

I rode one a couple times at the outdoor demo and it was such a nice ride, it did everything great and did it with little effort, I could see how it could make someone faster.

BKQuill · Dec 29, 2005

Oh yeah, the Demo 8 that I rode was a medium and was easy to throw around and it just felt like a perfect fit, I'm 5'9"....

Bicyclist · Dec 29, 2005

Yeah, go for the medium. I too have one and I'm 5' 9" and it fits perfectly.

dhbuilder · Dec 29, 2005

BKQuill said:
Maybe I should get one, then maybe I could at least still see the back of your jersey instead of thinking "Damn it, where the hell did *insert your name here* go?"

I rode one a couple times at the outdoor demo and it was such a nice ride, it did everything great and did it with little effort, I could see how it could make someone faster.

man, if you get one. that makes one more person my old ass will have to try to keep up with.

S.K.C. · Dec 30, 2005

Bikenweed:

The D8 did absolutely rock the technical stuff, but when I think race, I think high speed world cups and the high speed runs where I've been living in Spain. If you're 5'9", I would definitely check out a medium and a large, but the chainstays are still too short IMO. In berms, with a hard pump, the bike loves to loop out, and you have to watch it on long, low jumps.

...yeah - getting the sizing right according to your riding style and physical attributes does seem to be pretty important when getting the most out of the Demos. I think that some people believe that because it is a Demo it is going to be this huge frame, so there is a tendency to recommend a frame size smaller than what you would be used to. When I first got my Medium Demo 8 I was seriously considering getting a small instead, but I trusted the guys at my LBS, and it turned out to be the perfect size for me. (I'm 5'11")

One thing I did w/ my setup for 05' that worked against me was running a 30mm stem. This shifted my neutral-center back too far on the bike when I was in the proper attack position. For 06' I'm getting a Holzfeller 40mm or maybe a Thomson 4X 50mm to sort that out.

Demo 8 too heavy for racing??

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