I'm Looking For A $5000 - $6000 Downhill Mountain Bike

[AnthonyMC]

Hi guys,

I've recently discovered the sport of downhill mountain biking and really enjoy it! I have been saving for a better bike and finally achieved the price range i would be looking in. Does anyone have any suggestions on a bike for between $5000 and $6000. Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,

Anthony

 

[BobCochran]

Why not talk to any cyclist in the same sport who has a higher-end bike and see what they recommend. You can also ask the editors of various magazines devoted to the sport, but I suspect they will suggest models they are well paid to recommend.

Bob

 

[alfeng]

I've recently discovered the sport of downhill mountain biking and really enjoy it! I have been saving for a better bike and finally achieved the price range i would be looking in. Does anyone have any suggestions on a bike for between $5000 and $6000. Any help is appreciated!

FWIW. I would use the ELLSWORTH line of frames as the benchmark against which I would assess the other DH frames which are available ...

AFAIK, only Shimano has realistically/(reasonably) priced DH components (HONE & SAINT) ...

You shouldn't have too much trouble cobbling together a pretty nice bike for the budget you have ...

If you have the time, you could go to Angel Fire (New Mexico) to see what the top competitors are riding at the next "national" competition.

 

[oldbobcat]

It looks like $6K can get you a good mid-level bike, so the options are pretty wide. I'm looking at a Trek Session 88 ($4999 MSRP) at trekbikes.com, because Trek is what my shop sells. I'm sure you could find at least a half-dozen comparable bikes. I'm sure your local DH crew has plenty of opinions, too.

Unless you can buy components wholesale or your have very specific and idiosyncratic needs, Shimano and SRAM are both doing a pretty aggressive job of cutting off non-authorized resellers. it's nearly always cheaper to buy a complete bike. Then upgrade and swap as you wear stuff out.