[mohshee]

So at Angel Fire this past week, I got a lot of confused questions as to why I was riding a 5.5" travel bike (The bottlerocket). People were like, "that's only a 5.5" travel bike, right? It a slope-style bike, not really a DH bike". But I can definitively say that you don't need oodles of travel to ride DH courses (and the World Cup course at Angel Fire, no less).

I'm not sure if the shorter travel bikes require more finesse (not that I'm that finessed, by any means!). And you can't blindly bulldozer over harsh drops and big boulders without thought (I ate some s*@t early on in the week). But I think investing in a good 5.5 or 6" travel bike allows you the ability to use it for more then DH too. It's a bit more versatile. I also wonder, if down the line, when (or if) i get a full-on DH bike, I'll be able to use it better.

Anyways, I love the BottleRocket. And it has earned it's place in my home .

 

[goodtobeIrie]

I'd say the benefit you will see most from riding a mid travel bike, especially before getting a full travel DH bike, is that you will learn to be a much smoother and more skilled rider...with a mid travel bike you have to learn to maneuver stuff more skillfully...as opposed to a full on DH bike, where you can pretty much just ride over even the largest of rocks, bumps, ruts, and roots....plus you will learn how to land a drop, rather than just letting the suspension suck up all the impact...this is why most people recommend starting out riding a hardtail...you don't have the suspension to pick up bad habits...

 

[TreeSaw]

I'd say the benefit you will see most from riding a mid travel bike, especially before getting a full travel DH bike, is that you will learn to be a much smoother and more skilled rider...with a mid travel bike you have to learn to maneuver stuff more skillfully...as opposed to a full on DH bike, where you can pretty much just ride over even the largest of rocks, bumps, ruts, and roots....plus you will learn how to land a drop, rather than just letting the suspension suck up all the impact...this is why most people recommend starting out riding a hardtail...you don't have the suspension to pick up bad habits...

I down-graded from an 8" full on DH bike to a 6-7" Freeride bike (AS-X) and have noticed that I have learned more about picking a good line and maneuvering my bike rather than just holding on and going full-steam ahead down the hill.

 

[altagirl]

I have a DH bike (El Cuervo), trail bike (AS-X) and a rigid SS.

I do like the real DH bike geometry on race courses, and it's more forgiving. If you can only get one, I'd certainly get something more all purpose and do your regular trail riding and racing on it. There's no reason you can't, it's just not ideal for either. Honestly, since I bought my SS, I ride that more than anything, and on trails where people give you that "Oh, you won't be able to ride a rigid bike on that trail". But it makes me focus on my handling skills and stay fluid on the bike, which is actually really fun. Hell, I raced a super D on my rigid bike today.

And even for serious racing - not all DH courses are ideally suited for a true DH bike. Some are more pedally, or less technical and you might be better off with a lighter bike with less pedal bob.

Anyway, don't worry about it and keep having fun on whatever you want to ride on.

 

[TRANSITION-MJR]

Ive have owned riden and loved the Transition Preston, Ditbag, Granmal and the BottleRocket. last year i raced on the GranMal, this year i am racing DH on my BottleRocket, i have now raced the same course on the BottleRocket as i did on the GranMal, i have no complaints with a smaller rear travel DH bike, so far i actually prefer it, i think im faster in most sections than on a bigger travel bike. yes a smaller travel bike may get a little overwhelmed in big/long rock gardens but you can still charge and ride threw it. but everything else the bike rips on, i prefer finding a smoother line and paying attention to my technique and i think im faster. i loved the granmal but i couldnt ride much else with it, now i have the BR and i ride everything with it, and i cant get enough of it. one thing to think about if your serious about doing DH, put a bigger fork on the front, go with 7 inches i read a review that put a boxxer on the front and the bike ripped, i raced Diablo on my BR with a fox 36 up front and went home happy but thinking a little extra up front may be he ticket so now i think im gonna look for a fork just to race with and keep the fox 36 for everything else.

 

[luvz2ridez]

I totally agree with Transition MJR. I don't race, but I do ride the shore and I find that my bottle rocket with 7" in the front can handle anything my friends do on their DH bikes. I have the Marzocchi RC2X fork and it's pretty plush and can suck up anything. It's saved me from endoing many a times. I do not feel the 5.75" of travel in the rear hinders me in anyway, in fact, I like it because I do think it makes me faster...

 

[tronfnknblows]

I totally agree with Transition MJR. I don't race, but I do ride the shore and I find that my bottle rocket with 7" in the front can handle anything my friends do on their DH bikes. I have the Marzocchi RC2X fork and it's pretty plush and can suck up anything. It's saved me from endoing many a times. I do not feel the 5.75" of travel in the rear hinders me in anyway, in fact, I like it because I do think it makes me faster...

The shore is really not a great example for comparison between a freeride based bike and a DH bike, since it is primarily a freeride location. However, I think the premise of this thread is that you do not _need_ a DH bike to ride DH-style terrain- well, in the same manner you can use a DH bike in places that it is not really 'meant' for.

Most people should agree that you don't NEED a DH bike to ride DH. Depending on how much abuse you want to put your body and your bike through, you can ride pretty much any bike in any terrain (within reasonable limits). You can learn a lot from riding a small travel/hard tail bike in harder terrain (in my opinion everyone should learn to ride smoothly on a hard tail, then get suspension...).

I own two hardtails, a mid travel and a DH bike. I LOVE riding my DH bike (I think it is actually the favorite of all my bikes), but I actually use my mid-travel the most b/c its more appropriate in a lot of local terrain and I'm able to work on my skills more (I'll actually be leaning it out even more suspension-wise in the near future).

I think one thing to consider w/ small vs long travel bikes is the terrain, and how fast you actually want to ride that terrain. If you're riding slowly, you can probably ride any bike pretty much anywhere (this obviously does not apply to racing). If you're riding quickly, the suspension on your small travel bike may not be appropriate for the speed and terrain- and if that's the way that you want to ride then you should probably consider getting a DH bike.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to what you really want out of riding and what bike is the most appropriate for that.

 

[mohshee]

The shore is really not a great example for comparison between a freeride based bike and a DH bike, since it is primarily a freeride location. However, I think the premise of this thread is that you do not _need_ a DH bike to ride DH-style terrain- well, in the same manner you can use a DH bike in places that it is not really 'meant' for.

Most people should agree that you don't NEED a DH bike to ride DH. Depending on how much abuse you want to put your body and your bike through, you can ride pretty much any bike in any terrain (within reasonable limits). You can learn a lot from riding a small travel/hard tail bike in harder terrain (in my opinion everyone should learn to ride smoothly on a hard tail, then get suspension...).

I own two hardtails, a mid travel and a DH bike. I LOVE riding my DH bike (I think it is actually the favorite of all my bikes), but I actually use my mid-travel the most b/c its more appropriate in a lot of local terrain and I'm able to work on my skills more (I'll actually be leaning it out even more suspension-wise in the near future).

I think one thing to consider w/ small vs long travel bikes is the terrain, and how fast you actually want to ride that terrain. If you're riding slowly, you can probably ride any bike pretty much anywhere (this obviously does not apply to racing). If you're riding quickly, the suspension on your small travel bike may not be appropriate for the speed and terrain- and if that's the way that you want to ride then you should probably consider getting a DH bike.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to what you really want out of riding and what bike is the most appropriate for that.

Yeah, I do agree. I bought the BottleRocket predominately because it is perfect for the terrain I have available on a day-to-day basis. I can't do much with a full-on DH bike in central TX. It seemed to be a good bike that would allow me to race and ride DH, but also use it on some more technical local trails. (I think I do need a more appropriate crankset -- riding trails is exhausting on the uphill with this bike! I have a 34-tooth gear with a 165 mm crank arm. But good cardio, I suppose)

I also feel equally competative on this bike (it corners at speed sooooo well!). It was a really good purchase.