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 .
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 .