[luv2rideu]

So, I have been perfectly happy with my electra cruiser, she has treated me well, but thanks to my BF I've got the DH bug bad!
They just opened a mountain bike park in southwest Austin Tx (ATX), check it out anyhoo.. http://twinparkscountryclub.com/mountain_biking.htm
... There is a few good lookin' burms, quite a few jumps, up to 30ft.? tabletops, and plenty of trails. Back to da point, I'm a newbie and am interested in DH and freeride, eventually jumpin', if I'm thrilled with it...So I have been checking out the Santa Cruz Bullit/Heckler, Haro extreme, My BF has a Kona Dawg...and I'm in love with it except he doesnt think it is such a good bike to start with...especially if I dump $1500 on it and decide its not right for me. So whatdaya think...hardtail/ or full suspension? Luv sum advice from my fellow ladies......and monkeys.
Thanx!!

 

[dhjill]

If you want to get into freeride and DH, I'd say a full-sus bike is the way to go. They are certainly a lot more forgiving than their hardtail counterparts! After you develop some skills, getting on a hardtail "to keep it real" can be fun, though.

As for what brand...well, I'm a little jaded since I work for Haro...but you really can't go wrong with an Extreme if you are looking to choose between that and a Santa Cruz. They are both single pivot bikes with very similar geometry, so choice really boils down to how much money you want to spend. A complete Haro will run you about what just the Bullit/Heckler frame alone would cost. Of course, Santa Cruz has the boutique "made in the USA image" (however if I'm not mistaken SC has taken production of both those models to Taiwan) that you can use to impress your friends, but if you want to have a little money left over to buy gear, get the Haro. Just my opinion, of course...

Shameless plug...if you want to go with a full-blown DH bike, I have a Haro DHR for sale. Check out the buy/sell forum.

Good luck!

 

[luv2rideu]

DHjill, checked it out.....Looks like bruises and stiches on wheels to me, but its a bad ace bike, talk about throwing myself into DH, how much does that thing weigh? And is that a big factor in riding it? (or walking it uphill, whichever comes first) I'm looking at spendin' $600-800, but if I find sumtin thats really worth it I could go up to $1200. Thanks for the input!

 

[dhjill]

ha ha ha! Yea, I've had some bruises and stuff from riding this bike...but all worth it! I've never had this bike on a scale, but I would venture to say that it weighs somewhere in the 40lb range.

Weight is a really important factor and it will really depend on what type of riding you plan to do. A full-on DH bike is pretty much just made for riding/racing down hill and hucking...stuff like that. You'd never want to take a bike that on an a cross-country trail ride. They are heavy and have no front derailleur. If you plan on riding some extreme stuff like drops, rock gardens, and steeps or if you plan to race...nothing beats the stability of having a bike that has 8" of travel to suck it up.

If you think you are going to be doing a little trail riding (read: uphill riding) along with hitting up some jumps and berms, then a long-travel freeride-type bike like the ones you are considering are good choices. They won't be nimble-quick up a hill...but if you are patient, you can just spin them right up a hill. A nice crank set-up to go with is a bashring with a middle and little chainring (like what you see on the Haro Extreme bikes)...that way, you've got good clearance but still have some gears to work with.

So there you go. Sorry to write such a novel!

 

[luv2rideu]

Thanks again for the input...anything helps. So Im supposed to recieve the '03 Haro x3 thats posted here in the 4 sale forum on Fri. so hopefully every thing works out, along with the weather for this weekend....I wanna play with my new toy, my BF just picked up a new stinky deelux frame that is built up pretty sweetly, so hopefully he will have the patience to guide me through DH...or at least give me a few pointers.

 

[dhjill]

Thanks again for the input...anything helps. So Im supposed to recieve the '03 Haro x3 thats posted here in the 4 sale forum on Fri. so hopefully every thing works out, along with the weather for this weekend....I wanna play with my new toy, my BF just picked up a new stinky deelux frame that is built up pretty sweetly, so hopefully he will have the patience to guide me through DH...or at least give me a few pointers.

Awesome! Have fun. That will be a great bike to try out a little DH.

 

[Repack]

How tall are you? Will it be for pure DH? If you are a smaller-statured rider, I would suggest a 6"ish travel freeride bike wuth a 24" r wheel. DH bikes are built for average sized men. 6" is plenty if you are small, and the 24" r wheel will give you better angles for DH. It will also give you a bit extra stanover. A Specialized Big Hit comes to mind. Also a CDale Gemeni, in addition to the bikes you mentioned. The only thing I don't like about the BH is that it has a long headtube that prevents you from using a flat crown. The Iron Horses are also nice. A 1.5 headtube with an e13 reducer headset allows you to get the front end very low. The e13 DRS (Dual Ring System) works very well if you plan on it being an all-around bike.