2017 gravity season

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
Matty, that is THE question. Right now I got more questions than answers. DH only Monotasker -vs- super trail bike. Known bike for stupid $$$$ -vs- the unknown but WAY more bang for the buck.... Decisions decisions.
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Having gone the 160 travel route and having no place practical to ride around me, I'd go DH since you already plan to ride often next year. If you didn't con me into going to MCBP next year, I'd already be looking to replace it for Banshee Prime
 

Juggernaut

Master of the Metaphor
Having gone the 160 travel route and having no place practical to ride around me, I'd go DH since you already plan to ride often next year. If you didn't con me into going to MCBP next year, I'd already be looking to replace it for Banshee Prime

Understandable. But if you're wanting more opportunity to use it, why take the group to places like Lewis Morris? Wouldn't DMP in Randolph be a better central choice? I myself like Jungle. Mind you, I've only been like 4 times and only ventured up top twice.... But having ventured up top, I'll never skip the top again... And a 170 travel bike would get ridden there, where as a 200+ DH would not... Conversely, though as forgiving as a 170 is, it's no where near as forgiving at the park as a proper DH bike... And I ain't gonna be peddling uphill very much at the park. Oh the moral dilemmas.
 
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mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I really can't comment on the latest enduro bikes for park sledding. I have only had full on DH bikes so I was never limited to what runs I can do. That said there are much better bike handlers then me and many runs now that are flow runs.

I started racing DH on hardtail and elastomer fork for what it's worth and won on a Heckler when courses went across ski runs instead of down. This is of course was before big bangers Ever since give me more like 200mm+ more so I am not so beat up at the end of the day.

Also winter training
Lots of squats
Lots of upper body work
Grab the bike now and jump on shuttles at Glenn Park.
 

Juggernaut

Master of the Metaphor
I really can't comment on the latest enduro bikes for park sledding. I have only had full on DH bikes so I was never limited to what runs I can do. That said there are much better bike handlers then me and many runs now that are flow runs.

I started racing DH on hardtail and elastomer fork for what it's worth and won on a Heckler when courses went across ski runs instead of down. This is of course was before big bangers Ever since give me more like 200mm+ more so I am not so beat up at the end of the day.

Also winter training
Lots of squats
Lots of upper body work
Grab the bike now and jump on shuttles at Glenn Park.

Solid advice! I was actually working on a mental checklist for the off season and strength training as in the probably column.... moving to definitely now.
 

Monkey Soup

Angry Wanker
With the right 160mm bike, you can easily do a day of park lapping. Unless your doing those really big drops, or hitting the jump line all day long, where a propper dh bike will give you more margin for error. Only issue I've had this year was brake fade on the really long runs like top to bottom on K1 at Killington or such.
 

Juggernaut

Master of the Metaphor
Is it safe to say that no matter which bike you choose, using the largest diameter rotor that the bike will take is sound advice.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
I have Saint brakes on my DH bike and 203 rotors F&R. If/when I to go "full-enduro" I will probably get Saints for that as well, although rotor size will depend on the frame and fork.

A HD trail/enduro bike can work for most part riding, but a lot of my friends who tried that ended up getting full-on DH sleds. I actually tried that as well - my Carbine 275 was originally built to be a "do everything" bike, but I quickly missed having a DH rig. That said, a good rider on a trail bike can still drop me.

If you do want to run a trail bike at a place like Mtn Creek, do yourself a favor and invest in proper DH casing tires. I cannot recommend this strongly enough. It will make a HUGE difference in the bike's capabilities and thus your enjoyment. The difference between my Carbine on trail tires and Magic Mary Super Gravity tires was staggering. If you can swing it, a second set of heavier DH wheels would also be a good idea.
 

qclabrat

Well-Known Member
I have Saint brakes on my DH bike and 203 rotors F&R. If/when I to go "full-enduro" I will probably get Saints for that as well, although rotor size will depend on the frame and fork.

A HD trail/enduro bike can work for most part riding, but a lot of my friends who tried that ended up getting full-on DH sleds. I actually tried that as well - my Carbine 275 was originally built to be a "do everything" bike, but I quickly missed having a DH rig. That said, a good rider on a trail bike can still drop me.

If you do want to run a trail bike at a place like Mtn Creek, do yourself a favor and invest in proper DH casing tires. I cannot recommend this strongly enough. It will make a HUGE difference in the bike's capabilities and thus your enjoyment. The difference between my Carbine on trail tires and Magic Mary Super Gravity tires was staggering. If you can swing it, a second set of heavier DH wheels would also be a good idea.
Do you do Mary's in front and rear or a more "proper" rear tire for traction as in an XC setup?
Was planning to get the Mary on front and some thing like a High Roller 2 in the rear, but completely open to changes
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Maxxis minnons DHF/DHR all day long.
I have been on codes on both sleds with no issue though not sure if they still offer them. Either way you want 4 piston calipers.
 

Juggernaut

Master of the Metaphor
Lots of good intel so far everyone... Much appreciated.

So here’s the question I’ve been afraid to ask. Coil or Air shock. I’m leaning towards coil but I’m doing so on a gut feeling which is stupid. How can you (I ) trust a gut feeling about something I’m ignorant to?
 
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Ian F

Well-Known Member
Do you do Mary's in front and rear or a more "proper" rear tire for traction as in an XC setup?
Was planning to get the Mary on front and some thing like a High Roller 2 in the rear, but completely open to changes

For general park riding (not racing), rear-XC type traction/rolling resistance isn't as much of an issue. Even for racing, most guys tend to run the same tires front and rear. Makes spares easier to keep on top of. Ripping side walls is pretty common when riding DH, even with heavier DH casing tires, so having at least one spare in your car is a good idea.

I have Mary's F&R on the Carbine right now, but the last time I rode it was at Mtn Creek (I haven't touched it since I built the Primer). I mounted them partly because I already had them as spares for the M16C, which has the same combo. I have a lower resistance Rock Razor as well as a set of Dirty Dan mud tires, but I haven't used them yet.

To be honest, for pure park riding where durability is probably more of a concern than all-out speed/grip, I'd get a set of Magic Mary "Bike Park" tires, seeing how cheap and (supposedly) durable they are, although it would depend on if they can be run tubeless. I have no intention of ever running tubes on a DH bike again.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
If I didn't already own a quiver of bikes, I could definitely see a bike like the 2017 Nomad working as a do-it-all bike. Any feature it couldn't do on a DH trail is probably something I wouldn't ride anyway.
 

Monkey Soup

Angry Wanker
The new Nomad would make a great park bike, but a truck as a trail bike. A lot of these new long-wheelbase bikes are trucks . It’s not a travel thing, it’s a length and weight thing. Unless you shuttle or ride 5 miles of fire road to get to long, fast descents,
They are way too long for a trail bike. Take those
Reviews with a grain of salt.
 

Juggernaut

Master of the Metaphor
Bike....... Sorted.
3DD15A2E-266B-4C2E-A82D-57F17F9B7A1E.jpeg

Down to 3. Flat Pedals, FiveTens and Skilz.

That 3rd ones a biggie.:rolleyes:

#SummerOfPark, #SendIt, #HumpdyDumptyGoBoom:eek:
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I have only used triple crown forks for DH, what folks say about single crown for mostly all park riding.
 

gmb3

JORBA: Sourlands
JORBA.ORG
IMHO, Nomad is a great choice for park riding, not enough bike for DH racing, and a bit much for local trail riding. The less travel you have, the more skilz you need though... If you're a confident technical trail rider, DH should come pretty naturally. It's just the speed and jumps/drops that you'd need to get used to. Be careful on the natural gnar trails at creek, and work your way up in size for jumps/drops, that's all. Definitely spring for DH casing tires and potentially wheels if you can.
 
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