[360]

I'll be racing dh on my hardtail this winter, i usually ride a tomac204 but its currently broken and the repair bill is too high and i have very little money at the moment.

Im looking at transfering a few bits off the dh bike to my hardtail to make it abit more dh friendly.

as it stands the ht is a 24 le toy mk3 with Z1(01) 20mm, single speed and a 24/26 wheel combo.

I'd like to run gears but i've got a single speed specfic hub. so my questions are:

1. should i swap some forks, i've got avalanche dhf-8s on the tomac, i know big forks on hts get a slagging but i want to get down the hill as quick as possible i dont care what it looks like , but am i likely to be quicker with these on?

2. Currently theres some narrow azonic ultra cross bars and a 50mm stem on the ht, bunging a long stem and wider bars on, good or bad?

3. any suggestions for the gearing its a 20:39 at the mo which is obviously too low, i need something that im gonna be able to get a good start with but still crank at a decent speed, 14 or 16t cog for the rear?

finally any general tips for ht dh would be helpful since im so out of practise on the damn thing i suck pretty bad.

 

[CBJ]

Stoney you stole my thoughts except the clipless part.

DH tubes or tubeless in the back.

Because you only have suspension in the front you/I tend to put more weight on the front and this way you risk washing out. That has cost me a broken collar bone but I have has a lot of fun DH'ing my HT. Thats why its good with a big fat rear tire that can give you extra suspension.

 

[xy9ine]

i did a few dh races on my letoy. i was running a 7" fork, and the H/A was fine. running a fat rear tire helps. i endorse the clipless as well - definately helps to keep the feet on the pedals when the rear is chattering through the knarl.

 

[partsbara]

whats up with the 204 ?

 

[neversummersnow]

sell the DHF and fix the bike!

Running DH on a hardtail is fun though, throw the DHF on the LeToy and see what happens.

I personally think 5-6" is as much as a HT needs...

 

[seismic]

You use your Avy !

I know a couple of friends who have been running the old Monsters on HTs...it worked fine !!

 

[dromond]

You use your Avy !

I know a couple of friends who have been running the old Monsters on HTs...it worked fine !!

Especially if by fine you mean had a very high bb and possibly unstable in corners? Something to consider.

 

[Tom DH]

Last year I ended up not having a DH frame over the winter and I didn’t know what frame to get next so I ran my hard tail over the winter. It is so much fun old tracks become new tracks and there’s no mud to get clogged up in the linkage.

I used an old Azonic DS1 frame that I have had for years and the idea was to put a set of boxxers on it and see how long it would take to snap the head tube off, but the frame healed up strong. I even had a good old V brake on the back. The set up worked great.

If I was you I would put the Avalanche on it if you are going to do it go all the way. A triple clamp up front dose make a big difference it will feel more like a downhill bike.
You said you are running a 24/26 wheel set up in it. If I was you I would buy a cheapish 26” rear wheel and then it will be better over the bumps and then you can put your gears onto it, also I would just put the wider bars on and keep the short stem.

 

[JRogers]

whats up with the 204 ?

Yeah, inquiring 204 owners want to know!

 

[seismic]

Especially if by fine you mean had a very high bb and possibly unstable in corners? Something to consider.

Well, - of course it is not a race bike, but riding DH I think it is nice with some travel and going through big rockgardens on a HT actually makes a high BB an ok thing to have.

 

[MikeD]

Only way to solve the fork issue is to try both forks. Regardless of what we speculate, only you will know for sure...I don't think a LeToy would have too much of a problem, geometry-wise, with the big fork. 26" wheels and some 2.5ish DH tires and you should be set.

If you do like the singlecrown better, you might find the newest crop of singlecrowns to provide a really, really stiff-tracking front end while keeping good geometry intact. Shermans especially...

Go that way, really fast...if anything gets in your way, turn!

MD

 

[360]

I was asking for some input on the forks, because i'd need to swap the headset race over and getting the race on/off an avy steerer is an absolute pig of a job.

unfortunatley my big feet mean i cant use clipless pedals[]

as regards to the 204, well my bearings died again, due to my own superbly slack maintence i didn't get on the case for changing them quick enough, when i did take the swingarm and link off to check on what could be salvaged and what was buggered, i found that i've actually ovalised the hole that the 2 bearings push into on the main swinglink. Im not sure exactly how this has happened but the bearings on one side where much more damaged than the other so i suspect theres been some very uneven forces at play.

Anyway im looking at a new link and a sack full of bearings, due to my currently unemployed status i really cant afford it at the moment.

oh and i need my shock serviced and new bushings etc.

anyway thanks for the comments, given me some ideas to think about

 

[partsbara]

funny you mention bearings... i took all mine out the other day and set about finding new ones... no big surpirse that the german SKF dealer tried to ream me... for the 10 smaller linkage bearings he wanted 10 euro plus change EACH !!!!!!... i didn t even bother asking what he wanted for the bigger swingarm bearings...

needless to say a quick call to australia had it sorted... got the bearings i needed for 1/4 the price...

fricken euro prices are mental

 

[360]

got a name for these aussie guys?

i just got quoted £150 for a full new set

 

[partsbara]

got a name for these aussie guys?

i just got quoted £150 for a full new set

just a local shop in my home town

AWB - associated world bearings

is 1 fiddy quid what you ve paid in the past ???

 

[360]

yeah for a full set thats with trade discount too and not even the proper bearings.

I've been looking for high quality bearings (ie ntn or skf) but i cant seem to find the right sizes and local companys havent been able to sort me out either.

 

[partsbara]

i can t vouch for the quality of these yet... i was offered chinese bearings (prolly cr@p) and japanese ones... i took the jap ones... the small bearings ended up costing me 2.10 pound each, about 3 euro - or $5 aussie...

anyway, from a previous post of yours i noticed that your swingarm (the larger 4 bearings) are a different size than mine... very strange... mine are a 6903...

you might have some luck with this page sam...


http://www.abiindustries.com/enduro/endurobearings.html

only enduro bearings but maybe worth a look...

i ll let you know about the quality of the jap bearings when they arrive

later

paul

 

[partsbara]

forgot to mention, if you want SFK there is a local shop here... i can get em for ya no worries...

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

Ran my Evil dh for awhile. Set up with a Sherman and 2.5's. Was a blast to ride,light and very "flickable"(yeah it's a word)

 

[Bicyclist]

It all depends on the course. I would say for really rocky stuff, use your Avy. Otherwise, go with the Zoke.

 

[BMXman]

I would recommend going with a single crown with 5"-6" of travel and a 2.5 front tire...and make sure the rear rim is pretty sturdy because it will take a beating. I raced all last season on a hardtail and it was the most fun I have had racing in a long time...D

 

[ChrisRobin]

I don't know about anyone else but when I tried DHing on my HT (did it once...NEVER AGAIN!). I used 28" wide bars. I found it helped a lot...made things more stable, especially since you get knocked around.

 

[BikeFan84]

usually a HT with a 7 inch fork, then a 24 inch wheel with a 3.0inch rear wheel. Hell, just get a Morphine with a Monster T '02

 

[madbob]

whats up with the 204 ?

you lookin fur parts?

 

[Gary]

360 -
Obviously it's up to you what forks you want to use, but for innerleithen you really won't need more than 4" as long as the forks are set up ok, if you do choose to fit the big forks, do yourself a favour and flip the stem to lower the bars and raise the legs in the crowns or you'll find the slower tighter sections a nightmare. If you are running single speed with a 39 tooth ring, a 17T or 18T sprocket will be fine, you need gearing you are able to pedal out of the corners and accelerate with, not something for pedaling long straights, with that gearing the only section you are likely to spin out on is the tunnel, but as long as you land far enough onto the downslope in the trees from the road jump (after the quarry)freewheeling the whole of the tunnel is just as fast, and won't leave you knackered for the lower sections. innerleithen is all about cornering fast and not braking, not pedalling a high gear.

Ironic that if you don't race the www you'd probably be able to afford to fix your DH bike

 

[partsbara]

you lookin fur parts?

nah mate... shes still goin strong... put an 05 888 rc on last month

fricken snow here tho'

i m just waiting for my bearings to arrive from the land downunder

partsbara

 

[madbob]

nah mate... shes still goin strong... put an 05 888 rc on last month

fricken snow here tho'

i m just waiting for my bearings to arrive from the land downunder

partsbara

I almost replaced my shiver with a 66RC, but I would lose an inch of travel, and gain an inch between the axle and the crown. The bike is already to slack for the trail riding I do around here.

You getting close to the end of your time in Germany? Do you know where your going next?

 

[HTFR]

360 -
Obviously it's up to you what forks you want to use, but for innerleithen you really won't need more than 4" as long as the forks are set up ok, if you do choose to fit the big forks, do yourself a favour and flip the stem to lower the bars and raise the legs in the crowns or you'll find the slower tighter sections a nightmare. If you are running single speed with a 39 tooth ring, a 17T or 18T sprocket will be fine, you need gearing you are able to pedal out of the corners and accelerate with, not something for pedaling long straights, with that gearing the only section you are likely to spin out on is the tunnel, but as long as you land far enough onto the downslope in the trees from the road jump (after the quarry)freewheeling the whole of the tunnel is just as fast, and won't leave you knackered for the lower sections. innerleithen is all about cornering fast and not braking, not pedalling a high gear.

Ironic that if you don't race the www you'd probably be able to afford to fix your DH bike

4"??? dude, thats a bit short! id say 6, 5 if you still wish to venture out into the street aspect of riding.

 

[partsbara]

I almost replaced my shiver with a 66RC, but I would lose an inch of travel, and gain an inch between the axle and the crown. The bike is already to slack for the trail riding I do around here.

You getting close to the end of your time in Germany? Do you know where your going next?

about half way through mate... 3 year tour... looks like we ll extend as well... as much as i bitch i really do like it here...

i just wish the alps were a little closer...

 

[Gary]

4"??? dude, thats a bit short! id say 6, 5 if you still wish to venture out into the street aspect of riding.

dude, What are you on about? he didn't mention street riding at all. he's asking about set-up for racing a track that's about 25mins from where I live. In Scotland !!

why would you need a 6" or 5" fork to ride street?

 

[Sir_Crackien]

you don't need that much travel for street. but for fr and dh its really nice to have