Downhill MTB, a Brief Introduction
A History of MTB Downhill
The first ever DH event that was held resulted in a win by Alan Bonds having taken place on the now infamous Repack Road named as hub bearings would heat up and brake the grease down during races. That was back in 76 and downhill has changed a lot since that date. DH Events now commonly take place across the globe on a weekly basis particularly in the mountain regions of countries such as the United Kingdom or in the summertime at disused ski slopes in countries like France and Italy. These are by no means the only countries though, and the Downhill World Cup is one of mountain bikes most popular events each yearly.
The Bikes
In addition to the obvious differences in this style of mountain bike riding, there are a number of major differences 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 give a much more rugged and durable full suspension mountain bike frame. The reasoning for this is the more extreme trails that a DH MTB will encounter. The choice of having a full suspension bike, which is made to a much better standard than a normal mountain bike is its weight. Whilst a normal mountain bike would be lower than thirty pounds in weight, DH bikes can to go over forty pounds. This high weight is now however being reduced~coming down~reducing~. Other major differences in the bikes can include the use of full disc brakes, a high travel suspension fork (five-fix in.) and different frame shape.
Safety Equipment
Protection is a must when racing in the world of downhill mountain biking…. just watch a couple of events and you will soon realise that falls, crashes and injuries are common place and a certain drawback this sport had. Full body protection, face mask helmets similar the ones worn in motocross are needed otherwise you won’t be allowed on the trails or to compete.