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Newbie downhill advice - tires and fork

Dane Schley

Chimp
Jun 25, 2015
17
2
Denver Colorado
Hi everyone. I am 15 years old and I am relatively new to downhill. Last year I bought a Gary fisher all mountain bike and I snapped the frame, so I bought a 2004 Astrix Huckster but I suffered a back injury shortly after that so I sold it.

I was just cleared to ride dh again so I bought a 2010 specialized demo 8i. Everything on the bike is original except for drivetrain and pedals (and grips). It still has the original tires lol. It has about 16 rides on it total. The guy that I bought it from just took it in for a tune up.

I need some advice on what to do now. It has a boxxer race fork with high and low speed compression and rebound on the bottom. I'm kinda stuck and I don't know what to do. I would like setup the bike to me with minimal money because I spent most of my money on the bike and I need tires. I don't know how to setup the fork and rear shock (dhx 4.0 spring). I think that the current springs are a little bit to hard for my weight but I am growing very fast so I'm not interested in buying springs. What should I do to get the bike and suspension more customized to me?

I ride a lot of urban freeride/downhill (like stairs and stuff) and also dirt jumps/park. But I mainly ride urban.

I am also looking to buy some tires but I don't have very much money. I like the maxxis dhf and dhr combo but I can't afford that, any alternatives or should I just save up for the dhr/dhf?

Let me know if you guys need pics or have any questions. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks and have a great day.
 

TrumbullHucker

trumbullruxer
Aug 29, 2005
2,284
719
shimzbury, ct
whats your weight? and what pound spring does your dhx 4.0 have? what spring does your boxxer have?
start with your weight and go from there, fox and rock shox have tuning .PDF's on their websites that help you tune your suspension.

in my opinion, a demo is not the best bike to be urban hucking around ( pedaling wise ), but if you dont mind pedaling with it, more power to ya
 

Dane Schley

Chimp
Jun 25, 2015
17
2
Denver Colorado
whats your weight? and what pound spring does your dhx 4.0 have? what spring does your boxxer have?
start with your weight and go from there, fox and rock shox have tuning .PDF's on their websites that help you tune your suspension.

in my opinion, a demo is not the best bike to be urban hucking around ( pedaling wise ), but if you dont mind pedaling with it, more power to ya
I weigh about 135 but I am currently gaining (muscle). I'm not sure what springs I have. Does the rear shock have it labeled on it? Yeah I noticed that the demo doesn't pedal very nicely, but I don't mind. It rides the urban stuff really smooth so that's why I like it so much. I almost got a transition blindside but I decided on the demo. And thanks you for the advice. I will be sure to check the fox and rockshox websites. Do the websites have the adjustments for the older models like mine?
 

TrumbullHucker

trumbullruxer
Aug 29, 2005
2,284
719
shimzbury, ct
I weigh about 135 but I am currently gaining (muscle). I'm not sure what springs I have. Does the rear shock have it labeled on it? Yeah I noticed that the demo doesn't pedal very nicely, but I don't mind. It rides the urban stuff really smooth so that's why I like it so much. I almost got a transition blindside but I decided on the demo. And thanks you for the advice. I will be sure to check the fox and rockshox websites. Do the websites have the adjustments for the older models like mine?
yes the rear shock has the # pound written on the spring. the websites should have them, possibly in their archives, but you can always google ( for example 2010 boxxer tuning ) and im sure something will pop up
 

FlipSide

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
1,376
804
Yes, if money is tight, go for used tires. Used high-end tires are much better than new cheapo tires anyway.

Riding brand new tires is indeed an amazing feeling, but it doesn't last and you can get decent performance from a tire for much longer. The key is to become friend with a dentist who only rides brand new tires and unload them from him for minimal $$$ when the tires still have plenty of life in them.
 

Dane Schley

Chimp
Jun 25, 2015
17
2
Denver Colorado
Your bike probably has butchers on it right?

Ain't nothing wrong with those at all.
Mine has specialized clutch in the front and chunder in the rear. There is plenty of tread left but they are starting to peel. They are the original tires from 2010. The nobs are starting to peel off a bit
 

Dane Schley

Chimp
Jun 25, 2015
17
2
Denver Colorado
image.jpeg

I'm not sure if I should get new one because of the condition or just keep these until they wear out. My concern is that they are too weak and will get flats easier because they aren't tubeless... What do you guys think?
 

AngryMetalsmith

Business is good, thanks for asking
Jun 4, 2006
21,079
9,787
I have no idea where I am
If you're mostly riding pavement then those tires are probably fine, unless the rubber has gotten hard with age. Again since riding pavement buy some lightly used tires that are not as old.

Run your tire pressure much higher than you would for dirt and you'll get fewer pinch flats and the bike will be a little bit easier to pedal.