Mountain Biking - Down Hill bikes for youngsters

I am 13 and would like to know what downhill bike would be good for me, i'm about 5 foot 4

What is your budget?

Well you're at that age where you're probably about to grow a bit more real soon. You'll have to guess how much though. I wouldn't want to invest too much into something that I wouldn't fit in a year though, so you may want to get something that's a tad big for you. Or you could always just hang onto your components and do a frame swap down the road if you grow. We kinda need to know what your budget is though. I'm assuming you're pretty light too, but that may change soon. But for now, at least you don't really have to worry about what frames can hold up under you.

If you want a reasonably priced DH rig, go for an Iron Horse SGS, you can find em pretty cheap

I am 13 and would like to know what downhill bike would be good for me, i'm about 5 foot 4

Depends on your budget and the terrain you ride

Also, I wouldn't spend too much on that first bike...maintanence and abuse (not intentional) issues come up until you get develop your technique and your ability grows, and you learn how to take care of the bike. Fit is important too.

Usually a good HT, like a Trek 3700 or Marin Bobcat Trail will last a few years of hard riding, then you'll know the kind of riding that your prefer and get that 2'nd bike to suit.

If its strictly for downhill...don't go cheap. You'll need a full suspension, heavy build, I like a 38T chain ring with a 9 spd cog set, disc's (mechanical are OK), and a good frame. If you're serious about DH, stay away from the dept. store bikes. Probably a good used DH rig is the way to go...just pay your lbs to do a complete inspection before you commit.

Happy trails

If you are wanting to race DH you should look for a shorter travel lighter bike that you can handle right now. Yu'll have a harder time pedaling and working a heavy rig. If its for freeride hucking and just pinning it now and then go with someting that will take a beating,like a Stinky or the SGS ids a good choice.

I am not a big guy either. (15 years old, and about 5"7) Pick something that has a good high front, and a low back end. It is hard to downhill with my 100mm fork. If you give us a budget I would be more than glad to help in your bike search. Like mtnbiker66 above me suggested, a Kona Stinky is a great bike. If you want to do some downhill, you might want the Howler however.

i live in australia so my budget in australian dollars is around $1400 our dollar bus 70 US cents, I only way 45 kilograms.

I was looking at a specialized BigHit FSR I

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=12896

I was looking at a specialized BigHit FSR I

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=12896
Excellent bike except here it's 1550 euros so for your budget... If you can find one which is in your budget then by all means go for it.

LISTEN UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! alright now that i have your attention, you should really look into a used bighit sport they are 6 inch travel front and rear

That's probably not enough for a decent downhill bike. This is the closest I could find:
http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=309&parentid=253

Or you could get a hardtail with a lot of front suspension like my bike.

I may be able to get a 2004 or 5 bighit fsr1 from my local bike shop, these models only have cable brakes but are still good.

Would it be cheaper to upgrade my giant Alias bit by bit?

It would be cheaper to upgrade, but i wouldn't downhill with a Giant Alias. The Kona Howler would be good for you.

Would it be cheaper to upgrade my giant Alias bit by bit?


NO.

Alias is not a Downhill bike, it is on the level of top recreational XC bike. Your best choice would be to find a USED bike then replace dodgey parts down the track or look especially at a Kona / Specialized bike, as they seem to make some bikes for your needs at your price.

Why don't get a downhill/freeride hardtail and polish up those skills?

I've seen some downhill hardtails... just look at something with beefy tires, a beefy slack frame and lots of front travel (130mm and more).

Why don't get a downhill/freeride hardtail and polish up those skills?

I've seen some downhill hardtails... just look at something with beefy tires, a beefy slack frame and lots of front travel (130mm and more).

heh, kinda like mine was.

would a
giant stp 1or 2 be good 4 downhiling or should i go 4 a dualy, like the specialized or kona

I say an 06 norco sasquatch, good hardtail so if you want to get bigger later then you can upgrade the frame and such, which is what I'm currently doing with my norco bigfoot.

I may be able to increase my budget to AUD $2500 would that get me any further in terms of duallies, I deffinetly want to get a dually.

With $2500AUD, you can get:

06 Specialized BigHit I
06 Norco Fluid 2 (If you can bring down $2625 to $2500)
06 Kona Howler
06 Norco Six 2

get the six 2 :D

The Six Two is nice and that's the bike i probably would head towards if i was in situation. Though, ride them all and see which fits best. You can also have a look at the 2006 Diamondback XTS which is at$2505AUD.

Norco Six Two:

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/8796/norcosixtwo20069pb.jpg

Diamondback XTS:

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/4137/diamondbackxts064bx.jpg

I'd go for the Six Two, looks like an excellent choice for you as it seems easy enough to throw around compared to bigger bikes with dual crown forks.

Everyone, he's 13!

At 13 and probably light as a feather, a decent XC full suspension bike will work.

I remember back in the day when there weren't DH bikes or FR bikes or AM bikes. There were Mountain bikes or Road bikes.

Pros were riding the same bikes for either discipline.

I wouldn't go spending gobs of money on a DH specific frame until after puberty. Then when you're done growing, you can get a nice DH bike.

Everyone, he's 13!

At 13 and probably light as a feather, a decent XC full suspension bike will work.

I remember back in the day when there weren't DH bikes or FR bikes or AM bikes. There were Mountain bikes or Road bikes.

Pros were riding the same bikes for either discipline.

I wouldn't go spending gobs of money on a DH specific frame until after puberty. Then when you're done growing, you can get a nice DH bike.

True... I can't see what the problem with riding a hardtail for downhill is, especially if you are a beginner and you are 13! Besides, hardtails teach you shock absorption skills (with your body) the hard way and a hardtail is more versatile and easier to throw around.

And yeah no problem with getting a dually but something light and cheap will work just fine, no point in getting a 2000$ bike if you are going to outgrow it and will not use to its full potential anyway.

I'm 13 and I race DH on an Enduro/Vanilla setup. Bighitboy,will you be racing?

NEVER BUY A BIKE FROM A DEPARTMENT STORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

alright. now that i got that down, i haven't read through all of them yet, but i would reccommend a Trek 820. Good mostly inexpensive entry level bike, front suspension, all that jazz. good luck!

Everyone, he's 13!

At 13 and probably light as a feather, a decent XC full suspension bike will work.

I remember back in the day when there weren't DH bikes or FR bikes or AM bikes. There were Mountain bikes or Road bikes.

Pros were riding the same bikes for either discipline.

I wouldn't go spending gobs of money on a DH specific frame until after puberty. Then when you're done growing, you can get a nice DH bike.

Agreed a decently build trail bike with semi tough parts will work. Unless you were my size at 13 you won't have much to worry about. :D

Kona, specifically speaking, does make smaller child sized competetive bikes. Unlike a lot of companies which make the smaller bikes with lower end parts, kona put the money into that aspect of riding :)

so i just got a specialized big hit and it rocks. being the age you are, it may not be the ride for you, my first ride on it was a little rough cuz its about 15 pounds heavier than my old bike. BUT, i have been riding it alot lately and i have also noticed my strength increasing. so what i recommend is getting a bike bigger and heavier than what you are used to and you will grow into it and it will help you to hone your skills and increase your stength. and like others have said before you can always upgrade the frame if it doesnt work for you.

would a
giant stp 1or 2 be good 4 downhiling or should i go 4 a dualy, like the specialized or kona

I can tell you this. At a recent race, a guy was racing a Big Hit in DH and he flatted every run. His friends told me that he had never ridden a hard tail on trails and had no Idea how to pick lines. He just ran over what was in his way. It would be a good skill builder to ride a bike like the STP or P. series for a while.

thanks for your help