Howdy from west Texas ya'll.
New to the board but not new to MTBing. I have been MTBing since the late '80s. After racing BMX professionally for about 6 years, I gave it up and tried MTBing. Rode off and on for the next 18 years (I'm 42). Well after spending the last year or so racing MTB's pretty seriously, I have decided to slow down a little and try something different.(Got tired of all the training and seriousness,wasn't having fun anymore) I recently purchased a hardtail Marin freeride/dirtjump bike. I love to ride fast downhills but got tired of all the climbing in actual MTB races. Also there are not many XC courses that have jumps.
Although I am older and not a great jumper, I still like to try it. One thing I would like from y'all is to give me some advice on setting my bike up to do a downhill race. Iplan on doing my first one on April 24th in Cloudcroft,N.M. I will be entering the novice class and I could use some setup tips.
Right now my bike is pretty much stock. I just put a chain guide on the front and got rid of the front derailleur. Anyways my bike has a Manitou Stance fork (130mm), front and rear Hayes mechanical discs, Truvativ 5 D cranks,Alivio rear der.,etc. Some of the components are low end and I will be upgrading in the future.
One question I have is about tire pressure. Do you guys run a high or low pressure? The tires I am running (Kenda Kenetics) recommend 40-60lbs. Should I run the recommended pressure or lower? I always ran about 30lbs psi on my XC country bike.
Do you run a softer or more rigid fork setting for downhill? I noticed that if I run a stiffer setting for jumping it seems to handle better. I am sure I will have more Q's but this is getting kind of long and I don't want to take up any more space for now. I really like the site and will be on more frequently. Thanks for all your help!
New to the board but not new to MTBing. I have been MTBing since the late '80s. After racing BMX professionally for about 6 years, I gave it up and tried MTBing. Rode off and on for the next 18 years (I'm 42). Well after spending the last year or so racing MTB's pretty seriously, I have decided to slow down a little and try something different.(Got tired of all the training and seriousness,wasn't having fun anymore) I recently purchased a hardtail Marin freeride/dirtjump bike. I love to ride fast downhills but got tired of all the climbing in actual MTB races. Also there are not many XC courses that have jumps.
Although I am older and not a great jumper, I still like to try it. One thing I would like from y'all is to give me some advice on setting my bike up to do a downhill race. Iplan on doing my first one on April 24th in Cloudcroft,N.M. I will be entering the novice class and I could use some setup tips.
Right now my bike is pretty much stock. I just put a chain guide on the front and got rid of the front derailleur. Anyways my bike has a Manitou Stance fork (130mm), front and rear Hayes mechanical discs, Truvativ 5 D cranks,Alivio rear der.,etc. Some of the components are low end and I will be upgrading in the future.
One question I have is about tire pressure. Do you guys run a high or low pressure? The tires I am running (Kenda Kenetics) recommend 40-60lbs. Should I run the recommended pressure or lower? I always ran about 30lbs psi on my XC country bike.
Do you run a softer or more rigid fork setting for downhill? I noticed that if I run a stiffer setting for jumping it seems to handle better. I am sure I will have more Q's but this is getting kind of long and I don't want to take up any more space for now. I really like the site and will be on more frequently. Thanks for all your help!
