[seismic]

Well, - this question is kind of general and might therefore be considered stupid by some people, but then let us just say that I need a little general advice. Untill now I have been doing some freeride consisting of mostly jumps and drops, but recently I have gotten interested in doing some more DH racing due to some friends

Well, - I am riding an Army with Avalanche suspension setup and so far it had worked really well as a "drop bike" and freeride bike. Now, - I would like to try to set up the bike for DH racing and here I am not talking so much about what to buy, but more about some good advice on the bike setup. I am thinking about BB height, head angle degree, travel, progressive vs linear, compression, rebound etc.

It is not that I want or need a explanation for a beginner, but more some advice on what to change when going from dropping to racing. I know I should get another seat, maybe cranks ( I wont get rid of my fork or hubs because I like them), but I was thinking if some of you, from your experience as racers, had some good advice to an experienced rider, - but a very beginner racer

Thanks

My bike is here http://www.pinkbike.com/modules/photo/?op=view&image=322325 if you want to see my recent setup...now I run Maxxis tires though.

 

[Scurry]

Looks fine, I wouldnt worry about it realy, depends what type of trails but the bike doesnt matter as much as you would think. It doesnt look like you have a bashguard on there so I would do thatm maybe upping your ring size. You also might want to set you shock up with a litlle more sag.

 

[SuperSlow]

Id get a smaller seat, Speed up your rebound, and set the bike as low as possible. With a lower BB the bike wont push as much into corners. As far as head angle, it will depend on the course. Obviously the steeper the slacker. You may want to go with a slightly longer stem so its easier to weight the front of the bike while cornering. As far as travel, it depends on your riding style, if you just plow stuff youll need more travel. With more travel your bike will feel sluggish in the corners.

 

[Bicyclist]

I personally like progressive suspension, steeper head angle, and pretty stiff suspension. But that's just how I like my bike. It's all personal preference.

 

[Curb Hucker]

id get a smaller seat, lower the bike down, and get a lighter wheelset, the seismics and 2.8s non-tubeless are pigs

 

[biggins]

my advice would be to do a couple of runs on your current setup then go fomr there. the main difference is gonna be the way your bike responds at speed.

 

[mr.terrible]

Seismic: This is a bit offtopic but what kind of dh-tracks do you guys have over there in Denmark? From what I understand there isn't much elevation. Do serious danish dh-racers compete elsewhere, in Sweden perhaps?

 

[seismic]

That is right. We can go to Sweden or we have our own local (very smal) DH track. Not much elevation, more like berms, drops and jumps mixed with rock gardens and sharp narrow turns.

 

[360]

All depends on what kind of courses your riding really for setup.

I wouldn't bother changing any specific components, being comfortable on the bike is most important to me anyway.

Im not sure exactly what adjustments you've got on that thing, or how its setup at the moment, But coming from freeride to dh i'd assume you'll want to start running a lower BB height for better cornering and perhaps steepening the headangle a little.

personally i tend to keep my bike exactly the same whatever im doing, not because im lazy but i think its easy to put to much value on a degree here or a click there.

 

[seismic]

All depends on what kind of courses your riding really for setup.

I wouldn't bother changing any specific components, being comfortable on the bike is most important to me anyway.

Im not sure exactly what adjustments you've got on that thing, or how its setup at the moment, But coming from freeride to dh i'd assume you'll want to start running a lower BB height for better cornering and perhaps steepening the headangle a little.

personally i tend to keep my bike exactly the same whatever im doing, not because im lazy but i think its easy to put to much value on a degree here or a click there.

I have been running the same setup too, no matter racing or dropping. I just thought there might be some good advices for racing setups in general....and I might learn some

 

[seismic]

Roger that ! Anything else ???

 

[seismic]

No other suggestions ?

 

[mr.terrible]

This has been said before but I'll say it again anyway. I personally find that the rearsuspension adjustments play a big role in my riding. Finetune the suspension to match the terrain/track you are riding. If done right it can make a huge difference. At first it is a trial and error thing but you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. I have a 5th Element though and don't have too much knowledge about the Avalanche and how easy or hard it is to adjust. Oh, almost forgot tire pressure/choice might also be a thing to consider.

 

[The Mad Haderer]

Personally, i like to run really really soft and fast suspension on race courses and focus on riding smoother and smarter. the softer the suspension...the more your wheels stay on the ground(rocky/high speed stuff) and the more your wheels are on the ground the better you can control your bike. there is a line though to keep the bike from bogging in corners and not bucking you off on drops.

if you can get ur avy to run 35-40% sag and ramp up at the end of the stroke to bottom 2-3 times during a run ur set.

Firm believer in lower, steeper and shorter. (BB height, HA, and chainstay/WB)

 

[thaflyinfatman]

No other suggestions ?

The typical race setup is this:
- low bb, don't worry about hitting your pedals, it happens, but the cornering advantage is huge
- low bars (this makes an unbelievable difference in ride control); remove all spacers under your stem (maybe even run it upside down), and a low rise bar is good too.
- lowest ride height possible for the forks
- softer suspension setup with less damping both ways; fairly minimal compression, and only enough rebound to stop you getting bucked (don't slow it down more than you need to). This will help with traction and stability.
- Slacker head angle (to a point... some bikes are too slack IMO)
- Smaller seat so it gets in the way less, and so you can actually sit down and pedal if you're so inclined
- Progressive or linear rate (settings on a given bike) doesn't matter all that much IMO (but from bike to bike you notice big differences).
- Don't worry about bottoming out your suspension by setting it soft - just let it happen if you need to, and try and use your own skills to prevent bottoming harshly.
- Tyres at lowish pressures - I run 20ish on the front, bout 25 on the back, and never flat. If you run them too low, they'll squirm and roll sideways a lot, which makes the bike feel really vague and crappy; too high and you'll get no traction. Try XC tubes (or Stans tubeless even), if you pinch em easily then go back to DH tubes and don't worry about it. I've found you get a bit better traction with thinner tubes (even better with tubeless)
- Don't obsess about weight, it's really not a big issue unless you're at the pointy end of elite.

 

[dante]

go that way, REALLY fast. if something gets in your way, turn.

 

[MikeD]

The best advice ever for racing comes via Booger from Better Off Dead.

"Go that way, really fast! If anything gets in your way, TURN!"

MD

Edit: Dante, you rat bastard...stole my postmodern referential thunder!

 

[seismic]

well, - that is hard to argue with.

 

[dante]

The best advice ever for racing comes via Booger from Better Off Dead.

"Go that way, really fast! If anything gets in your way, TURN!"

MD

Edit: Dante, you rat bastard...stole my postmodern referential thunder!

bwahahaha, 4 minutes faster...

 

[Ian F]

My M-1 was set-up for pure-racing. I found that setting up the bike closer to my XC bike worked best for me. My riding position on the M-1 was nearly identical to my road and XC bikes. Seriously. I had my seat (a Flite) almost even with the bars. Ran a 90mm stem with Easton EA70 bars. Short stays (very easy to hop the bike). Low BB (like about 12" at sag). Always ran clipless unless it was stupid-muddy. Finally, I ran light (for DH) wheels: Ringle hubs w/ D3.1 rims and Michie Comp 16 2.5 tubeless (these same wheels are now on my XC bike with lighter tires).

I've seen a couple of guys do well on Army's so they can be set up for racing.

 

[SuspectDevice]

low, light, slack and slow
as you can see many people have different ideas on how to set up a race bike. Break out your wrenches and go train!

 

[seismic]

low, light, slack and slow
as you can see many people have different ideas on how to set up a race bike. Break out your wrenches and go train!

I am working on it :devil:

 

[thaflyinfatman]

Oh btw - don't fuss about weight, and especially don't bother replacing stuff cos it's "too heavy" or anything (unless it actually needs replacing and you want something lighter as well). Trying to lighten your bike excessively will simply distract you from riding, AND cost you a flying fcukload of money in the process. Just looking at your bike in that pic, I'd say the only thing maybe worth changing at all is the stem (to something lower) and possibly the seat (but that's only cos I hate those seats anyway ). Everything else on there is pretty good as is (yes cranks are fine!).

Edit: is it just me, or do you have some wack lacing pattern going on? Or is it cos of the huge hubs?

 

[bigkonarider]

Try & EXPERIMENT & SEE WHAT YOU LIKE. tHAT'S WHAT I'M DOING NOW ,GOING TO x-FIRM sHIVER SPRINGS & STIFFER 5TH eLEMENT COIL..
oh woops..caps...
So then i'll know the differences from Soft-saggy & bottoming & FIRM-rigid feel !
oh yeah, Flat tires suck,check those tires.
Everyone is slightly different,like the guy with the clips-long stem & seat jacked up.{that works for him} but would put me in the hospital because i slam my seat at all times & ride platforms & run a short stem...
Just go out there & give er...........................

 

[spoke80]

I would start by getting fit and doing a few races. Some folks like to race and some don't but before you get hype on a changing your shizzle around compete and see what happens. ink:

 

[seismic]

Try & EXPERIMENT & SEE WHAT YOU LIKE. tHAT'S WHAT I'M DOING NOW ,GOING TO x-FIRM sHIVER SPRINGS & STIFFER 5TH eLEMENT COIL..
oh woops..caps...
So then i'll know the differences from Soft-saggy & bottoming & FIRM-rigid feel !
oh yeah, Flat tires suck,check those tires.
Everyone is slightly different,like the guy with the clips-long stem & seat jacked up.{that works for him} but would put me in the hospital because i slam my seat at all times & ride platforms & run a short stem...
Just go out there & give er...........................

You might be on to something there...I guess a firm setup could be an advantage on a to-so-rough track ... especially in the berms

 

[seismic]

I would start by getting fit and doing a few races. Some folks like to race and some don't but before you get hype on a changing your shizzle around compete and see what happens. ink:

Well, - you are right, - and I am going to do that. I just thought that besides my own skills/practice and the lack of it, it would still be nice if there were some setup tips