Downhill Mountain Biking is a style of MTB in which a mountain bike rider either for enjoyment, or in a time trialled event, ride down a trail of varying difficulty against other riders. The setup of a DH mountain bike event follows a similar format to that of skiing.
A History of Downhill MTB
The first ever DH race that took place was won by Alan Bonds on the now infamous Repack Road so called as hub bearings would overheat and brake the grease down during races. That was back in Oct ’76 and DH has come a long way since that date. DH Races now regularly take place across the world on a regular basis particularly in the mountain areas of nations like the U.K. or in the summer at unused ski resorts in countries similar to France and Italy. These are by no means the only places though, and the Downhill World Cup is one of the most popular MTB events each yearly.
DH Mountain Bikes
In addition to the obvious changes in this style of mountain bike riding, there are a number of big 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 have a much more rugged and durable full suspension mountain bike frame. The reasoning for this is the more extreme terrain that a downhill mountain bike will encounter. The trade off of having a full suspension bike, which is built to a much stronger standard than a normal MTB is the weight. Whilst a standard MTB would be lower than thirty pounds in weight, DH bikes have been known to go over 40 pounds. This high weight is now however being reduced~coming down~reducing~. Other major differences in downhill mountain bikes can include the use of full disc brakes, a high travel suspension fork (5-6 in.) and differing frame geometry.
Additional Equipment
Pads and protection is without question needed when competing in the world of downhill mountain biking…. just watch a couple of videos and you will soon realise that falls, crashes and injuries are a common occurrence and a certain danger this sport offers. Body protection, face mask helmets similar those worn in motocross are needed otherwise you will not be allowed on the course or to compete.
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