We are currently pulling down the Marin for a rebuild, for non shuttle races and training. His first big race was nationals this year and came 11th. He also did Greenvalleys NSW race a few weeks ago and came in 7th on the Marin. All the bikes above him were DH bikes.
Downhill Bikes for under 13s
- Thread starter Gees
- Start date
jrewing
Eats Squid
How tall and whats he weigh? A nomad 6 or bike as such will perform 90% of a Dh bike at Awaba, and maybe even better at Greenvalleys or Ourimbah.
Dont sweat the results in the u13’s. U15’s on are when they start getting noticed. Your problem then is bikes and clothes being out grown what seems monthly.
And if i recommend a fast DH bike, the new GT fury in mullet config is a great value super fast bike.
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
That is going to take a while.
jrewing
Eats Squid
Stoked. Good bike.
fox 40 grip1 fork mod.. they run too much preload on the compression piston and are very harsh. Can be valved but the aftermarket available grip2 damper is valved way softer stock and will no doubt make him quicker everywhere. Also check the bushings are sized correct, and airspring piston isnt overloaded with grease.
Hey J,
I understand most of that, but could you give me a bit more explanation on the bushings?
Should I take the forks apart to check the air spring?
I think it’s been looked after pretty well and I think it was Ellie Smiths bike back in the day.
jrewing
Eats Squid
Ok air spring would be fine most likely fine then. The lowers and airspring do need routine servicing. Damper not so much. Factory put too much grease on the air piston when building these forks and it clogs the dimple in the wall for negative air transfer, snd makes the negative side of the air spring less in volume.
Fox fork bushings in the lowers run really tight often and it affects small bump compliance, making them harsh. 40’s are a stiff fork anyway because of their physical stanchion size already. A few suspension people around have tools to open the bushings diameter to get the adequate clearance to work best. Tools are pricey so not every shop does it. Being a lightweight rider, this stuff makes a huge difference.
Regan Arthur at Tuned bikes up that way does this.
Forgot to add that the grip1 comp adjuster on top is a preload adjust for the High speed comp. Basically runs all on or nothing in 1-2 clicks…rest do nothing. They dont have a Low speed adjustment or even a bleed built into the comp piston so really lack grip until thats added by modification. Really would recommend the grip2 vvc damper for him being light.
If he starts going fast he will be held back by that otherwise