John032

I am trying to get into Downhill riding and i am looking for a bike around 1000 dollars i allready found a KHS DH-50 Fetish but i am up for ideas i dont wont to spend to much. All i need is an entry to intermediate level DH bike.

BlackDiamond

I think the fetish will work nicely for you. Got a couple of friends that ride/race them. Just make sure it does not have the DMX fork.

John032

ok what fork should i get instead i can get marzocchi jr. t with bombshell wheel set for 500 along with the bike. I dont want to spend to much but i should be able to come up with enough my birthday is next month

BlackDiamond

The Jr. T is a good option. The wheelset you can leave wait till you wear them out. Does not make sence for you to buy a new wheelset while you are learning. But you'll want a better fork than the DMX.

Maelstrom 

JrT is ok for dh racing. However I would upgrade later (you can change the internals) to a superT. Signifigantly smoother ride and much much better damping for the high speed bumps you will be running into during a dh race. JrT's are freeride forks - one hit wonders - not rapid bumps

BlackDiamond

Maelstrom,

I agree with you. I think that a Jr.T will work fine for starting out. His point being getting into the sport on a budget. He will be better served taking the saved $$ and buying a good helmet and pads.

MikeOK

Get the lastest issue of MTB Action, it has the 2004 buyer's guide in it and several good articles on bike buying, one article in particular I think you will be interested in.

I had a Super T on a bike I was riding last year, that's the beefiest fork I ever rode. I even rode that bike at a local BMX park a couple times and jumped the big dumb heavy thing into the foam pit they had there. It was a real hoot. There's nothing like getting 15' of air on a 42 lb bike with 7" of suspension and landing in foam...

Pharcyde

Supergo has the 03 super t for 550 which is a great deal. The super t would be a much better bet for downhill than the jr and for that price you cant beat it.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=FK707A43

As for a downhill rig, I would suggest that you look for a deal on a 2003 model. I say this because for 1000 your not going to get much of a downhill bike and, trust me on this, your going to regret not saving up more when a little while down the line your looking for a better bike. Once you start to progress in skills you will want a different bike, so all im suggesting is to look at where you will be skill wise a year or two down the road and try to forsee the bike you will want to be riding. Check out specialized bighit comp, the 04's are a little more expensive than the 03's, but you may be able to find an 03 sitting aroudn somehere. I know one of my local shops that has one and you can get a pretty good deal on it. Also with the bighits, or at least the comp, you can always buy the linkage upgrade that will allow you to get 8 inches of travel when you end up needing more. So its a very versatile bike that will work good in the long run.

MikeOK

Man, $550 is cheap for a Super T, maybe they are starting to closeout the '03's. I wasn't gonna say it first but I agree, a $1000 DH bike is probably not a good idea. Get the MTB Action mag and read it, if I remember right they said something similar...

KleinMp99

If you can find a specialized dealer look for closeout bighit comp bikes, I know our shop sold one for around $1000. You can also buy a used one for around that, there are alot of used bighits if you look in the right places.