Hi, this is my first post to the forum. i currently ride a kona one20 delux from 2008, i bought this bike from a friend who owned a shop. i know nothing about bikes and he said that this one would be able to handle light downhill. im getting pretty alright at biking now and i feel like my bike is holding me back from doing certain terrain here. i mainly ride at park city mountain resort in utah as i work here and get a free pass, occasionally i go to moab to ride. again i know nothing about bikes but when i hop on some of my friends bikes that cost 3-4k i do so much better, so this season im going to be in the market for a nice bike. what are the things i need to look out for? or what is a good stock bike to look for, it doesnt need to be new. if im buying a used bike what sort of things do i need to look at to make sure the bike is in good condition? i do have about 4k i could drop on a bike but would prefer to stay as cheap as i can.

thanks for all the info in advanced

Holy crap! I just watched this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilt-fBWCsDY You guys have kicked out the jambs down there! Last time I was in PC, there was nothing but the dirt jumps by the new fire station and, of course, more traditional singletrack like the Mid-Mountain trail. I read about Trailside being built but had no idea PCMR had opened up Whistler-like trails.

Boy, there is so much to choose from in the price range you're willing to go. Every major brand has a solid choice: Giant Glory, Specialized Demo, Trek Session, etc. Then there are the others: Kona Stab, Transition TR250 or 450 . . . the list goes on and on and on. I know there's a Yeti shop down at the junction, so if there are any used 303Rs in town, the make a worthy park bike for sure. Best bet is to hang out with as many DHers as you can and see if you can try out a few and see what you like the feel of. If you want to do other trail riding though, you might look to something like a burly all-mountain rig instead - - something longer travel that'll take some hits but still let you ride places like Moab.

If you find something interesting on CL, post it back here and let's take a look at it.

Dang, I know where I'm coming back for a vaction.

so you mentioned the kona stab.

what about this one? https://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=231...ults=12&sort=1

he has 3 different listings so in the other 2 he lists the components. "It is a kona stab. The colors are blue and white. It has marzocchi 888 front shock and a fox dhx 4.0 rear shock. It has halo wheels and sram X-9 de railer. It has Hayes brakes that work way good. It has blue MSHBKS pedals."


also the frame im on now may or may not be big for me. i believe its about 21" im 5'11" and around 150lbs about what size frame should i be on?

That appears to be an '05 Stab (https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/B...Stab&Type=bike) with some upgrades and a lot stock. So (in downhilling terms) it's old. I would hope to see you on the newer Stab frame (2008 and above). The 888 is not an issue (at least shouldn't be); geometry is going to be slightly dated but that's forgivable too.

Shock is DHX 4.0. Don't know much about the 4.0 other than it's not as adjustable as the 5.0; but the 5.0 vintage had a lot of issues - - to the point where everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Fox released the DHX RC4. The Halo wheels are a burly-but-heavy upgrade. The "Hayes brakes" are most likely the stock HFX 9s - - once again a suspect component (with apologies to a sponsor ). Nines were notorious - - a 'price-point' hydro with less-than-stellar performance and several weaknesses. All of the rest of the compnents are fine and the frame is, as said before, likely solid, just a tad dated. If you wanted to keep it budget first time out, I'd rather see you spend twice that and get something better.

As far as sizing: firgure on the next size down from a XC rig unless you're at the upper end of a frame's sizing allowance. I'm 6'-1" and have usually owned mediums. This is because you're riding a DH bike differently - - you're standing more and you are riding more centered in the cockpit. A bit more compact frame helps you achieve this optimal positioning. Especially at your weight I'd be looking at mediums or possibly a smallish large. A medium is also more likely to be fitted with a lighter shock spring suited for your weight.

Something like this Demo 8 would be a better-suited, depending on the size:

https://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/bik/3585110299.html

Or this Glory 01:

https://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/bik/3667832430.html