[ZHendo]

I have a broken collarbone at the moment, so naturally I've been doing what all injured people do: drink beer and think about building a new ride. I've never owned a DH bike, but I have the itch and I'm curious to the point that I want to buy a frame in the next couple week and start building one up as I rehab my shoulder and get back in shape. I have access to a few frames in particular at good prices new, but I can also just buy used. I've never owned a real DH bike before and it could very well be a novelty thing that I enjoy building up and riding a few times, but I'd like to at least give it a go.

I've been riding for a long time and currently ride a Nomad Carbon with a pretty aggressive build (coil sprung, single ring, burly wheels, etc). I'm 6'1 and pretty skinny, but I prefer nice roomy cockpits and fairly low-slung bikes. If choosing between cornering ability and plow-ability, I choose the nimbler and more aggressive bike every time.

Between these frames, which do you think is best for someone who has never owned a DH bike before and wants to explore that side of the sport more consistently?

Giant Glory
Specialized Demo 8
Pivot Phoenix
Devinci Wilson
SC V10
Trek Session 88 (non-carbon)
Transition
Kona Operator

Let me know what you guys think or if there's another frame that I should be seriously looking at, but I feel like I have a pretty solid list going. Any insights you have about ride characteristics or anything like that is much appreciated. I know that I can get my hands on a new Pivot, Trek, or Transition for a good price, and the others would likely be things I dig around for in the classifieds, so keep that in mind. Thanks.

 

[ustemuf]

Large 2011/2012 Demo 8

my sixth mountain bike, but my first DH bike... it's pretty badass... in a lot of ways. yeah everyone has one, but who cares.. the ride is awesome.. short chainstays make it really fun to ride. low bottom bracket makes it handle like a beast.. just gotta learn when to pedal and when not to pedal.

originally a freeride bike, transformed into race geometry. it's tough as nails, easy to ride, great at jumping.

if not the demo i'd go for the carbon v10, the wilson, or the glory.

 

[jackalope]

I would go with whatever your favorite WC rider is on.

Seriously, every bike you listed is a balls out pinner machine and will work great for you (i.e. the bike will in no way "hold you back"). They all have modern DH geometry (believe the Glory now comes with an angleset) and none of them are abjectly heavy, with the V10C probably being the lightest.

If it were me, I'd probably lean towards whichever one I can get the best deal on, especially if it's the Phoenix as I've always thought of them as the evolution of the IH Sunday. If money was no object, then probably the V10C, as I'd like to try a carbon bike - and more importantly, Steve Peat rides one.

 

[Tetreault]

Giant Glory- Good bike, better price, rides well when set up, playful and overal probably the best bang for your $
Specialized Demo 8- I'm personally not a fan of the feeling of the frame, but many people do love it, Mainly because i don't love the feeling of FSR
Pivot Phoenix- I like the feel of dw link, shorter feeling cockpit, but playful and fun depending on the build you choose
Devinci Wilson- Plows, Canadian made, cool company, awesome ride, like the finish and aesthetics as well
SC V10- carbon or old?
Trek Session 88 (non-carbon) Never been on a session or any ABP bike, so i cannot comment
Transition- 450 burly linkage single pivot, plows, heavier, good bike but it doesn't seem like what you want and what you described
Kona Operator- With the other options you have, i personally would look at something else, if the deal is right however, Its simple straight forward, and rides like a 8" dh bike.

Just my quick opinion on these bikes, I've ridden all of them to some degree through friends bikes ect (except the session)

 

[ZHendo]

The main issue for me is that I want something that's fun to ride. I may end up training and racing this bike, but for the most part I'll be blasting through the woods here near Seattle. I forgot to mention that I also get Intense stuff for a good deal, but the M9 seems a little too racing-focused to me. The Devinci, Pivot, Demo and Glory are the most intriguing at thsi point as I doubt I could afford the carbon V10, so I'd likely have to go with the most recent aluminum model.

 

[SuspectDevice]

The 2012 Operator is really sick and really cheap. True story.

 

[weedkilla]

All of these bikes will feel like a plow machine after a Nomad, there is degrees of that in these bikes but nothing like the difference between the nomad and any of them.
While the Kona and Giant are going to win the bang for the bucks race I would recommend the V10. There is something about Santa Cruz bikes where they all feel kinda the same, I think you will swap between the Nomad and the v10 the easiest. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the ally V10 and its also one of the most forgiving bikes for a rider new to DH. Santacruz sizing is short across the range, but if you ride a large nomad, a large v10 will feel comfy, if you are on an xl then you may want to look elswhere.
I would put the specialized in the "try before you buy basket", the short back end, long front is a love or hate feeling.
If there is a deal to be had on any of them, and you get on well with whomever is giving the deals - then that would be my second recommendation after the v10.
My opinion on the three you can get a deal on -
Trek - least to do with, have seen them set up to hug the ground or to pop off everything, light and fast. A scalpel.
Pivot - rock solid, dependable ride. Needs some attention to how its set up to get the most from it. Good fun though. A Samurai sword.
Transition - What you see is what you get, beast, loves doing stupid things, quite adjustable so if you know what you want and like fiddling you can get it dialled to suit you. A Machete.

 

[ZHendo]

Its not going to be my first time riding a DH bike and I have done a ton of riding and Whistler and various other places, so I do realize that the bike will feel loads different than my Nomad. However, for the kind of riding I've been doing near Seattle I think that's a good thing, and I've been getting into some steep and deep that my Nomad is not especially fond of. The Santa Cruz is a bit of a dream at this point, but I'll see what I can pull together...I have ridden a Session 88 before but it was the first version, and honestly I wasn't that impressed. However, the new ones seem a lot more solid, and with the deal I can get its hard to say no.

 

[Da Peach]

Pretty hard to go wrong really...

 

[demo 9]

demo 8. fast fun and low. sick bike

 

[ZHendo]

The Demo 8 is certainly high on my list, they just seem a little hard to find. Out of curiosity, have any of you spent time on the Rocky Mountain Flatline since they redesigned the frame?

 

[worship_mud]

The 2012 Operator is really sick and really cheap. True story.

i'm with SD on this one, if the price is a point to consider! the kona is a reliable, decent and cheap bike! i personally own a spec demo and can recommend it without hesitation, but the Kona is hugely popular around here and is liked by many riders on a budget....

 

[Tetreault]

do you work for a shop?

 

[ZHendo]

No, I haven't worked for a shop for a few years now, but I have some connections through one of my jobs. Its primarily a useful hookup for parts, but a handful of frame manufacturers will also help me out.

 

[Tetreault]

originally a freeride bike, transformed into race geometry. it's tough as nails, easy to ride, great at jumping

there is no carry over from the orginal demo to the current one the old one was atrocious.

I'm in the Same boat as Jackalope here, get what ever one comes at the best price to you

 

[StyledAirtime]

Scrap all ideas and get a Zerode.
Frame up.
Wonderful bike. Great geo. low maintanence
Plus wicked cool looking.

 

[motobutane]

No, I haven't worked for a shop for a few years now, but I have some connections through one of my jobs. Its primarily a useful hookup for parts, but a handful of frame manufacturers will also help me out.

Why no mention of a 951 ? Great bike IMHO

 

[ZHendo]

The M9 and 951 are both potential rides as well, but the 951 has always struck me as a peculiar bike, and all the reviews on it seem to be pretty lukewarm relative to some other bikes available at the moment. I've heard pretty much unanimously that the M9 is a ground-hugging speed machine, which is not really what I'm looking for.

I'm going to reach out to the guys at Zerode, but that frame is WAY too expensive for me if I can't get a deal on it.

 

[jackalope]

Actually, I've changed my mind. Get one them Guerilla Gravity bikes and let us know how it rides!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/167500004/guerrilla-gravity-gg-dh-beta-prototypes

 

[dfinn]

Support the local guys. TR450 is a great bike.

 

[norbar]

I agree with Weedkilla if you want a similar feel Santa kinda keeps it around the lineup.


Though if we throw bikes we love around a Legend is an awesome option. It's not super poppy but agressive? It rewards you for such riding and it will never fail you. On my third season and it's the first frame that never worries me something will go wrong after a crash or a case.

 

[ZHendo]

I can't get a deal on the Santa Cruz, so that's pretty out of the question. I am on a large Nomad and I do sometimes wish I had a longer top tube, so I'm wary of the V10c in the first place. The Specialized is not looking like a viable option at this point because I can't get access to one for a good price. The Pivot and Trek are going to be the cheapest, alongside a TR450 if I want one, so I'm focusing mostly on those right now, admittedly with a lean toward the Trek.

 

[Wa-Aw]

Pivot is a great bike. It sounds like it's exactly what you're looking for. Not sure if the large would fit you though.

 

[ZHendo]

Reviews on the Pivot seem to be all over the place and after talking to a guy I trust I'm thinking that it may not quite be on the same level as some of the other bikes I'm looking at. I can get an M9 from Intense at a solid deal, but I've heard mixed reviews on whether its suitable as an all around DH/gravity bike or if its pretty much exclusively a stuck-to-the-ground race bike.

 

[jackalope]

In that case, I will break out the tried and true: "Ride What I Ride - It's Awesome!" response

**It really is an awesome bike

 

[MinorThreat]

If you looking for something a bit snappier and still built-for-PNW-riding, how about the TR 250 or the Blindside?

 

[p-spec]

get a session,tried a fuel ex9 on some aggresive trails the other day,fell in total love.

the abp is so lively,bike jumps insane,brake pivot works very very well too.

I might be on a session next year cause I am so blown away by the fuel and the way it rode,suspension wise and everything.
And the fact trek is lifetime warrenty

 

[ZHendo]

Sorry to keep dragging this thread onward...new developments once again. I reached out to all my contacts, and the frame options are as follows: Intense M9, Transition TR450, maybe Trek Session. The Trek may no longer be available as a frame only in the alloy version, and there's no way I spring for the carbon. Both the Intense and TR450 can be had for a great deal, and while I know they're significantly different bikes, there are things to like and dislike about each. Can anyone provide any opinions based on real life experience on both bikes? I'm very familiar with both single pivot and VPP suspension and have looked into the geometry numbers, but I would really appreciate some more in depth input.

 

[kickstand]

Sorry to keep dragging this thread onward...new developments once again. I reached out to all my contacts, and the frame options are as follows: Intense M9, Transition TR450, maybe Trek Session. The Trek may no longer be available as a frame only in the alloy version, and there's no way I spring for the carbon. Both the Intense and TR450 can be had for a great deal, and while I know they're significantly different bikes, there are things to like and dislike about each. Can anyone provide any opinions based on real life experience on both bikes? I'm very familiar with both single pivot and VPP suspension and have looked into the geometry numbers, but I would really appreciate some more in depth input.

I am down tot he exact same three choices.

I have a trek fuel and I love it, but the m9 and tr450 are also great choices, so I am keeping the thought of possibly getting a trek alive.

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/i-love-these-threads-bike-should-i-buy-tr450-951-m9-others-251257/

some m9 vs tr450 info for you.

 

[ZHendo]

I've been trolling your thread a little bit too, it just seems like it has kind of derailed at the end there...lots of good information from individual M9 owners and TR450 owners, but not much in terms of direct comparisons. Both sound like awesome bikes and both companies have been awesome to deal with in my experience, so its a tough choice.

On another note, I confirmed with Trek that they do not offer an aluminum Session frame-only anymore...quite a bummer for those of us that can't afford an over $4000 frameset.

 

[kickstand]

Yeah the trek is $$$....prolly out for me.

 

[TheMontashu]

Get a new canfield, fastest most fun bike evarrrrrr.

Seriously the thing accelerates through rocks, and with the stays shortened up the thing RAILS corners and actually jumps

New carbon ten is wayyy to long, just like my old AL one, and it feels dead as all hell, just like the old one.

New demo is wiched fun, but does pretty poorly through the super rough, the FSR gets really caught up on suare edges

 

[davec113]

I'd prefer a TR450 over a M9 if that's what it's coming down to... I have Treks and like the single pivot. I love my Session, you could look into a Session 8 complete and sell the extra parts, I'd guess the Session 8 complete bike is about the same price as the 9.9 frame only.