DH Bike Choices aka pushing the limits to the N+1 rule

I saw some pictures of the lift line and it looked insane.

Your comment about buzzing the rear tire is common. I do it on my Megatower once in awhile, but I have slightly longer legs (5' 10" w/ 34" inseam). Tire buzzing is the reason a lot of guys like the mullet set up. We'll take your word for it on the bruises.

On tight corners you really have to lean the MFer over to the point of it feeling exaggerated. Easier said than done, though.... at least for me.
 
a.s. said:
Good meeting you today Jon. Hope you got some good runs. That line was crazy loooong.
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Same here. If that thing was a XL, i'd love to take it for a rip. I got about 5 runs in before the sun was getting low and throwing glare on the trail (about 3pm). In comparison, on any weekday you can get 4 runs per hour since you can ride straight off the mountain and right up into a gondola without stopping. Plus the crowd was getting pretty rowdy by afternoon as mot people were 4+ beers in by then. I didn't get the memo that white claws and bud lights were the thing to pound between runs. I felt like such a chump with just a camelbak filled with peasant water. 🤣

Here's just a portion of the long ass morning line as it wrapped all the way around the wall, over to the bridge then figure-8'ed into the field.

IMG_20201108_111411.jpg
 
a.s. said:
A quick review for @graveyardman67 and anyone else looking at the Commencal Supreme DH 29er...

The bike feels long and rolls really f’ing fast. On my first run at Mountain Creek I overshot almost every jump from Upper Dominion through Crapshoot. It wasn’t until my 3rd run that I started to feel comfortable and in control but it required a lot of break checking.

Tech sections like Exodus and Slayer were a breeze with the 29” wheels. They really do make a significant difference. On the down side, I had some trouble keeping my speed through tight turns. I’ll need more time on the bike to adjust to the long wheelbase.

One complaint is that the rear wheel hit my ass on a few too many occasions. The worst was when I overshot the cabin drop by about 6 feet. I have some nice bruises on my inner thighs if anyone cares to see? :oops: It happened on a few other occasions where I didn’t land so hard. I’ve never had this problem before so I’m not sure if it’s the bike, a need for more compression dampening (heavier spring?) or that I need to adjust my body position. I suspect all three. I’m 5’11” with a 32 inseam, riding a size large as per Commencal’s recommendation. I could see this being an issue for shorter riders who want to get on a 29er DH bike. It’s definitely something to consider.

Unfortunately the lift line at MC was really long today so I only got 5 runs. I’ll need a lot more time on the bike to really know it’s potential. I’m also an old rusty fart, getting on a DH bike for the first time in 3 years so take my review with a grain of salt.

It does feel good to be back though. :cool:
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You're like the Cosmo Kramer of MTB, falling ass-backwards into the deal of the century! I too remember the sting of over-shooting the cabin drop last year on my first try, it was the straw the broke the rear Easton's back. They said to get enough speed and not brake check.... It was a long walk down to the bottom after that. And also the last time I used my own bike at Creek.
 
Captain Brainstorm said:
You're like the Cosmo Kramer of MTB, falling ass-backwards into the deal of the century! I too remember the sting of over-shooting the cabin drop last year on my first try, it was the straw the broke the rear Easton's back. They said to get enough speed and not brake check.... It was a long walk down to the bottom after that. And also the last time I used my own bike at Creek.
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That's the last time I listen to Jeff Lenosky! 😁 Actually I watched some 12 year old drop it and gauged my speed on that. In hindsight I should have rolled up to the edge for a better look. If it wasn't for 200mm of travel, I'd have broken something too. :oops:
 
When I look at the Cabin Drop, the idea of overshooting the landing never crossed my mind... well... not entirely true... I remember reading somewhere that when Gwin did that feature when it was on the US Open course, he launched the ramp, jumped over the entire flat "Cabin" part, and landed the transition - at warp speed.

Overshooting a landing is an interesting feeling... There is one jump on the Gronk trail at Thunder that I've overshot a few times and basically landed to flat. Fortunately, the Megatower and Helm fork took it like a champ although I lost so much speed clearing the next jump was tough. It is a weird feeling to be so far up in the air you have time to think about how high up you are... "ok... push down... oh... no... not yet... pull up again... now push down a bit..." *thud*
 
JonF said:
Same here. If that thing was a XL, i'd love to take it for a rip. I got about 5 runs in before the sun was getting low and throwing glare on the trail (about 3pm). In comparison, on any weekday you can get 4 runs per hour since you can ride straight off the mountain and right up into a gondola without stopping. Plus the crowd was getting pretty rowdy by afternoon as mot people were 4+ beers in by then. I didn't get the memo that white claws and bud lights were the thing to pound between runs. I felt like such a chump with just a camelbak filled with peasant water. 🤣

Here's just a portion of the long ass morning line as it wrapped all the way around the wall, over to the bridge then figure-8'ed into the field.

View attachment 143002
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Holy F! I left at 1045 as it just double backed on the bridge!
 
a.s. said:
That's the last time I listen to Jeff Lenosky! 😁 Actually I watched some 12 year old drop it and gauged my speed on that. In hindsight I should have rolled up to the edge for a better look. If it wasn't for 200mm of travel, I'd have broken something too. :oops:
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The dirt was exceptionally fast this weekend , probably best conditions all year
 
Ian F said:
Tire buzzing is the reason a lot of guys like the mullet set up.
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This sounds interesting. Today I noticed a ding in my rear wheel. I might look into replacing it with a 27.5 next season.

The front has a 29x2.35 tire. Wonder if it would be odd to run a 27.5x2.5 in the rear? Might change the HA too drastically.
 
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a.s. said:
This sounds interesting. Today I noticed a ding in my rear wheel. I might look into replacing it with a 27.5 next season.

The front has a 29x2.35 tire. Wonder if it would be odd to run a 27.5x2.5 in the rear? Might change the HA too drastically.
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maybe your tire gauge was right and you were running 21psi. LOL Sup A!

-Vinny
 
jvrock said:
maybe your tire gauge was right and you were running 21psi. LOL Sup A!

-Vinny
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My cousin Vinny! I'm still not convinced my tire gauge is working right. Thanks for the company on Saturday. It was great riding with you and Lee. Hopefully I'll see you guys again this Saturday.
 
Id_rather_be_skiing said:
Holy F! I left at 1045 as it just double backed on the bridge!
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Most sundays we get in 9-10 runs in a half day. Sunday we did 2, though we paused for the jam both times. Truth is as crazy as the lines looked, the longest we waited was 38 minutes, and that's less than one or two Sundays back in june.

Anyway, sweet new bike to the guy with the supreme!
 
NJ-XC-Justin said:
Most sundays we get in 9-10 runs in a half day. Sunday we did 2, though we paused for the jam both times. Truth is as crazy as the lines looked, the longest we waited was 38 minutes, and that's less than one or two Sundays back in june.

Anyway, sweet new bike to the guy with the supreme!
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I was spoiled...used wfh as an opportunity to go only mid week. Damn daylight savings!
 
I keep a back-up set of pedals in my spares bin when doing DH riding. Sometimes I wonder if that's why I've never broken a set of pedals. They certainly get plenty of rock strikes,
 
I'm still pondering a new DH bike. Still considering one of these from the UK:
1611233475796.png

They posted on IG some estimated pricing. Not cheap, but I wasn't expecting it to be. Around $4K USD for the frame. Assuming the frames are made to order to customer specs, I plan to go with a 27.5" oriented frame, since I still have my Industry 9 Grade wheels and Dorado 27.5 fork left over from my M16C. Hoping to run a 30.9 or 31.6 seat tube to allow for running a dropper since I'd be nuts enough to try riding it as a trail bike once in awhile.

I also really want to "duplicate" the picture above with my '72 Triumph GT6, so my plan is to have it painted the same shade of green as my car.

1611233948807.png

Because if I'm buying a bike I'll probably ride less than a handful of times per year, it needs to be fun and a little silly.
 
i'm still on the fence on getting a season pass for 2021. the end of 2020 lift lines were insane. the corona bike craze has drifted into down hill and i fear its gonna be nuts up there again from now on
 
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