[tmtrebor]

Hey whatsup, this is my first post on this board and I have a pretty scrubbish question. I'm pretty new to the downhill scene, actually VERY new as I just had my first two experiences the past week, and was looking to get a new bike.
I have a question first though, I was wondering what the biggest difference between the downhill and freeride bikes was.

As I said, I'm pretty new to this area. I was looking mainly at two different brands, and more if you have better suggestions, Kona and Transition. Transition because my buddy told me they were good, and Kona because they are at the same store and I'm lazy. My price range is about 1700-2000, or less if possible . The guy at the store recommended the Kona Stinky, but I also noticed the Coilair. Since they look pretty similar, what are the biggest differences between the two?

I live in louisville, ky and there's not much to ride on here, but my buddy wants to go out to snowshoe and says I need a better bike. If you could help me out I'd appreciate it. Sorry I'm soundin like a scrub

 

[norbar]

Insead of a stinky - which in my opinon is simply crap you could try this:
http://www.rscycle.com/s.nl;jsessionid=0a01074d1f43d1180c39a3f84b3cbe15ea0c5398c545.e3eTaxaQbxmTe34Pa38Ta38Lbhj0?it=A&id=25506&sc=7&category=4959

It's a good base to start and you can build up with better parts.

Specialized Big hit would be a nice idea but I don't know the price.
Transition is a good choice but I doubt you will find one new for under 2000$ anywhere.

As for Downhill and Freeride bikes you just google it It's everywhere. In short - FR bikes is shorter, has less travel, is lighter and has a steeper head angle (that's the basics) than a DH bike. It's also usualy cheaper

 

[ZHendo]

well, the stinky isn't a dh bike, it's still considered "freeride". the difference between freeride and dh is that a traditional freeride bike has a slightly higher bottom bracket, a slightly steeper head angle and usually a significantly steeper seat tube angle. the wheelbase is also a bit shorter. the emphasis is on being able to ride many kinds of terrain, including uphills, so the seat tube angle is steeper to allow better climbing. the higher bottom bracket translates to a livelier feel and better pedal clearance on stunts and such.

these characteristics make for a more versatile bike, whereas dh bikes tend to be longer, a little more cumbersome at low speeds, and not as responsive on jumps and stunts. i'd say that if you're starting out, a freeride bike is the way to go so that you can explore a bunch of different kinds of riding.

as for the CoilAir and Stinky, the CoilAir is more of an all mountain bike, meaning it has more emphasis on being able to climb rather than take the big hits associated with freeride and lift accessed riding. if you're going to snowshoe, the stinky will handle rough situations much better, especially if you're a beginner. that said, i'm really not a fan of konas, i had the misfortune of being stuck on a kona rental in whistler for 7 days because i couldn't bring my own bike up. transition seems to make really nice bikes for the money though i haven't ridden one, something like a dirtbag would be a good freeride rig for you to learn on.

 

[tmtrebor]

thanks for the quick responses guys. I'm not really a "beginner" I have a pretty solid background in bmx and street, but recently made the transition to riding mountain bikes after about a year stoppage because my boxing trainer was getting mad when I would get hurt. I currently own a cannondale f600 (bought it used for like 200 tho) and have taken it down to ft duffield here in ky. They have some 3-7 foot gaps, and I was pretty solid clearing most of em (didnt try the non table tops tho, didnt want to ruin my bike if I missed). The guy at the store said he could possibly get me a bottlerocket for close to 2k, and a kona stinky for around 1600 I think. I have been on a kona before and didnt really like it, while it was not a full suspension, I felt it was pretty heave (much heavier than my cannondale). I do expect to put a bit of abuse on this bike as soon as I get it, and as I already have a bike to go uphill, I'm mostly looking for something to hit some large jumps, drops, and get some speed I cant get on my front suspension.

Thanks guys!

 

[norbar]

The bike I linked you if I'm not wrong should be free shipped to you so that should be no problem. It's in the class off stinky but should feel far better.

Bottlerocket will be very nice but I'm not sure if it's a begginers bike. I has not so much travel so if you make a mistake you may wish you had more. 7 point would be a safer bet but if you are not planing to go big and ride mostly small FR stuff maybe bottle is good. If you are going for bigger FR stuff and wanting to try a bit of DH 7 point is safer

Also for that price a mongoose black diamond double would be not such a bad idea. It retails just under 2000 but you can get it on some web shops for less.

 

[iandude94]

get a mongoose black diamond double, there sick

 

[stoney]

Where is sick? Are you trying to say that the Mongoose is sick? If so, try "they're" as in "they are" sick. However, your post provided no information for the OP other than the "sick" factor. What are you trying to say? Try describing a feature of the bike that makes it "sick" as you say.

 

[iandude94]

that huwt my feewings

but i just think there good for the price

 

[RMboy]

For that money you could get a pretty good used DH bike from ebay or forum. You would most likely get a better than if you were buying new!

It would just be used. but there's no harm in that;-)

 

[bizutch]

my buddy ripped it up on a 7Point last year coming from a motocross background. He raced Pro/Open on it and hung iwth everybody on full DH rigs. It really is a very solid build of a bike and pedals incredibly for a big bike.

The parts spec on it is better than the Kona by a mile...but if you want to keep your local shop happy and wanting to tune your bike, don't piss them off by mail ordering...get something from them. It will save you a ton in parts, labor, warranty, etc in the long run.