[Diablo13]

I bought this bike as a full setup at Diablo at the end of last season and it is my first DH/FR bike. It came with the 05' Ironhorse Yakuza Kumicho frame, wtb laserdiscs with kenda kinetics, truvativ crankset with an e13handlebars, hussefelt stem, cane creek headset, and a manitou chainguide, 5th Element coil spring shock, hussefelt stance fork. I swapped the Manitou out for a Marzocchi Drop Off Triple that I got for free and put a 450 pound fox spring on the 5th Element because Progressive went out of business. This is my first season riding and it will absorb any terrain in front of it let it be rock gardens, jumps, curbs, etc. Although when purchased it had many problems most of them can be easily fixed and done by yourself. I payed $300 for the bike and did all the rest with the help of my friends so I didn't pay a dollar over $300 for this set-up but am saving to get an 888 rc and a fox dhx coil spring. In comparison to some of the bike's out there this was a good deal. Tell me what you think and if you have any suggestions I would like to hear them. Thanks.

Just another 14 year old
Chris

 

[sanjuro]

Real solid, sounds like you are putting together a pretty sweet bike.

I wouldn't worry about getting a new rear shock unless your old one blows. I use the 5th Element, and while a Fox is a better shock, I think your money is better spent on something else.

 

[Diablo13]

Hey Sanjuro thanks for the information turns out I am trading my frame for a Banshee Chaparral which I am pretty psyched about. I like those type of swing-arms better for some reason but can't wait to get it. I will be hitting 15 foot gaps quite soon and sessioning at a local place with my friends over river gaps, tables, drops, etc. It actually all started out this summer when I was riding around on my BMX bike. I was riding to the jumps I ride at(back then I tried to ride them) and I saw a couple guys with full suspension dh/fr bikes. I thought they looked pretty cool and I decided I wanted to get one so I bought a stock K2 Sidewinder F/S a XC bike which was full suspension and at that time I thought was the best bike I would ever have. I had bought the bike for $150 and thought no big deal than I started to do the jumps. I used the bike for 2 or 3 weeks and I started noticing the bars were getting bent the brake cables started falling out and the bike just started falling apart. That's when I tried selling my bike. I put it up for sale and within the first week I was paid $300 even for the bike. I was already to buy the Ironhorse when my mom took $100 to fix the so-called "damage" I have done around the house from biking(what can I say I love biking). So back down to $200 I had to figure out how to make $100. So as most other guys who don't get allowance out there would do I gathered up all the things that I thought would make money and started selling them. I finally made the $100 to total everything out to $300. Come the last day of Diablo after riding one of the rentals previously I chose which one I thought was the best, looked for the best seat and put it on there. I payed the $300 rode it across the bridge trying to do a wheelie for the first time on a dh/fr bike(didn't work) and rode towards our Dodge Durango. I took that bike home on that cold and windy day and waited until it warmed up the next day to take it for a ride. I rode it everyday after school until it started getting cold practicing wheelies, one footers, one handers, wheelie one footers, tweaks, etc. I learned how to ride in that month or so before winter and started getting used to doing wheelies so much that I would ride the path doing them. I put my bike away for the winter and waited for the snow to slowly melt. I would often go snowboarding at Mountain Creek and look for the bike trails and things I would try next season. Finally the snow started melting and I took the bike out again. I rode it for the past 2 months and started seeking out new places to ride because the jumps were starting to get too small for me when my friend found this place 3 towns away and about an hours ride(which I didn't mind too much except for the steady uphill climbs). We started building these jumps, gaps, transfers, wall rides, berms, whoops, and rock gardens up and started to ride at this spot. It had so much potential and it was once a spot where people rode as you could see the old river gap, trail gap, 3 old doubles, and old whoop, and we would continually find flathead shovels, spades, rakes, and wheelbarrows. My friends and I go back there now and ride all day during the weekend and build up the old jumps and everything else as we bring them back to life. I was dissapointed to find out that my dad's friend needs me to work for him on a 73' Mercedes Benz 3.0 every Saturday for 6 months which is when my friends usually go. Although if I work for him in 6 months time I will have made around $1,500 which I think is what I will end up doing so that I can work on my bike and buy parts for it. I will try to get up there Sunday's though so I can hit the short dh course through the rock gardens and cliff drops and jumps because there is something about biking that I can only but barely describe as irresistable. Even though I hit the 15 foot double and over cleared it by about 2 feet missing the landing and going from 9 feet in the air to flat or not getting enough speed and cased the landing or whenever I fell the times that I was speeding, in the air, and landing smoothly felt like you were slowly riding through time watching the ground beneath you speed by as you swiftly passed over it. I probably won't be riding until May because I am going to build my Banshee Chaparral up by myself but when summer comes I will be riding everyday no matter how hot and sweaty I get I will try to better myself the most I can.

Chris

 

[Diablo13]

That is pretty much my story maybe you can tell me yours.

 

[sanjuro]

Hey Sanjuro thanks for the information turns out I am trading my frame for a Banshee Chaparral which I am pretty psyched about. I like those type of swing-arms better for some reason but can't wait to get it.
[run-on sentence deleted]
Chris

Well, the Chaparral should be a better single-pivot design than the Yakuza. The "faux-bar" pivots are more rigid than a normal single pivot like the Yakuza.

 

[Diablo13]

Turns out the guy changed his mind. I am getting a free hard tail though so no complaints from me

 

[skatetokil]

jebus, what kinda hookup you got kid?

 

[Diablo13]

Friends with tons of bikes it is the Ironhorse Yakuza Chimpira