Downhill MTB is a event of MTB in which a mountain bike rider either for fun, or timed, race down a trail of varying difficulty against other riders. The setup of a DH MTB event follows a similar format to that of skiing.
A History of DH MTB
The 1st ever downhill race held resulted in a win by Alan Bonds having taken place on the now well known Repack Road named as hub bearings would heat up and brake the grease down during a race. That was back in Oct ‘76 and DH has come a long way since then. Downhill Events now commonly take place across the globe on a weekly basis particularly in the mountainous areas of nations like the U.K. or in the summertime on disused ski resorts in places similar to France and Italy. These are certainly not the only places though, and the DH World Cup is one of the most popular MTB events each yearly.
DH Bikes
In addition to the obvious changes in this format of mountain bike riding, there are a number of big changes in the bikes and equipment used by the riders. A downhill MTB Frame will be far more specialised that the normal hardtail mountain bike frame you or I used, and will usually offer a much stronger and durable full suspension mountain bike frame. The reason for this is the more extreme trails that a DH MTB will be ridden down. The trade off of having a full suspension bike, which is built to a much better standard than a normal mountain bike is the weight. While a normal MTB would be under thirty pounds in weight, DH bikes can to go over forty pounds. The weight is now however being reduced~coming down~reducing~. Other big changes in the bikes can include the use of full disc brakes, a high travel suspension fork (five to six in.) and different frame geometry.
Additional Kit
Protection is always required when competing in the DH events…. just view a few of videos and you will soon realise that falls, crashes and injuries are a common occurrence and a certain drawback this event offers. Body protection, full face mask helmets similar the ones worn in motocross are required otherwise you won’t be allowed on the course or to take part.
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