[Addicted34]

Hi fella's, new here.

I bought a bike from my cousin who used to race downhill/ride trail. He no longer rides actively and so I figured i'd snatch it from him for cheap. I think I am riding a very decent but dated bike which is okay as I am new to the sport.

What I know of it so far is it has:

DMR hardtail frame
Dirtjumper III fork
Kenda Tires

and that's about all I know about it, I need to get new brakes which I can get the info on from a local shop but my real question is : For christmas I can get some new parts as a gift, what all can I do to help the bike perform " that much better" I see all these little gadgets and parts in the magazines but upon researching I cannot find any info as to their actual purpose -- I am finding the technical/parts side of things difficult to access as most things seem to be for experienced riders who know what parts will improve what aspects of their bikes

Short version : What parts are crucial for improving my bikes performance and what do they do.

Thanks so much!

Ryan.

 

[Addicted34]

Bump..

 

[gonefirefightin]

as a beginner you will def need some decent brakes but you dont need any crazy 4 piston super spendy trendy set ups.

a simple set of older xt's or xtr's are easy to find and easy on the wallet and will give more than enough stopping power for a beginner on the DH bike.

once you start getting the hang of things you will want to update your suspension but here is the crux. with the bike you currently have you will be better off finding a older full suspension DH bike to better fit your needs if you intend to continue in the sport. as for now? ride the wheels off that beast and check out whats on the lift lines and trails and you will get a better idea of what your getting into.

 

[Addicted34]

Thanks a lot, brotha!

So I shouldn't spend put any money into upgrades for this bike? just new brakes so I can keep ridin hard? I've ridden her quite a bit and love it, getting the hang of smashing through flowy down hill sections and what not

 

[gonefirefightin]

better brakes will be your only limiting factor on that bike. the faster you get the faster you will need to slow for certain sections. eventually you will notice your hardtail is much slower over a full suspension frame in alot of aspects.

since you wont really get that much out of your hard tail down the road you should keep it around but start considering full suspension bikes for your next upgrade. hardtails are fun but a real DH is bike awesome!

 

[IH8Rice]

a better fork wouldnt hurt either

 

[jonKranked]

this may sound like obvious... but fresh new tires make a huge world of difference over old worn out ones.

that being said, aside from brakes, don't have any itchy trigger finger to start upgrading stuff all willy nilly. get a feel for the bike first, determine what you like and don't like about it, and upgrade accordingly.

 

[jonKranked]

a better fork wouldnt hurt either

dj's aren't bad forks, but they are crazy heavy. a lighter fork would make a notable difference. check the classifieds on here, you'll be able to snag a good replacement on the cheap. for that bike i'd recommend something like a rock shox pike - used ones in good shape can be found for $300 or less these days.