Can you climb on a downhill bike?

Its harder to get as high compared to a hardtail but since you have full suspension there's no fear of falling. I really enjoy djing on my downhill bike.
 
Well, for his type of riding by the sounds of it, that bike is a little weak. He asked about DH bikes, and the rockhopper would fall apart within a month in my eyes. Bikes like Specialized SX trail and Norco six, sound more up his alley. Overall, its a good ride when put in aplication, but not for DH or FR.
 
haha this is an OLD thread, but ill still try and help you.

yes, there is definatly a difference with DH and hardtail. you can ride exactly the same stuff on both, but with a FS, theres alot more room for error, and a hardtail, your more likely to get bucked if you screw up lol. but it does force you to learn to ride much smoother.

as for a bike for the shore, hardtails are definatly fine. in fact, i find them better, cause you can do more jib type shit. hardtails get squierrly on real fast rocky DH. for slow NS style stuff, id say you get more control.

as for frames, ive been incredibly stoked on mountain cycle. the old 04 rumbles (what i have) are great bikes. the new ones have a much improved drop out system that allows you to run all sorts of axle configs, and its a much burlier derailleur mounts, plus thru-axles. Evil Imperials are rediculously sick, but pretty damn expensive. Specialized P2s are great bikes for these applications, as are banshee morphines, etc. there are plenty more. if your on the cheap, i know you can get rumbles for absolutely nothing (like 250 bucks off greenfish), and they are super nice bikes, great geometry, awesome welds, and nice lines. id have no problem recommending them.
 
yeah i just meant like in general cause I'm thinkin about getting a new bike and I want a solid hardtail..
 
Hardtails will make you a better rider... but its not a comfy ride if you want to haul or take drops. Any rocky terrain is going to rattle your fillings out. Get an all mtn like an spec sx trail, great for everything. From the vids I've seen Diablo has a bunch of nice drops.
 
what the hell, like all of you prolly dont have a dh bike. NEVER GET A DH BIKE. unless you race or are 50 years old or mega rich. get a hardcore freeride bike. same amount of suspention, but more solid, often heavier because of more solid/heavy/less expensive parts. if you get a hardtail....better be super good and get a banshee because big drops and technical/fast stuff is pretty sketchy. I have a devinci 8-flat-8 like its name says: 8 inches up front and back. when I hike, it is worth every extra effort. sure my friends with ht`all-mountain are like: hahahha your sweating like a bitch. but I do cliffs`gaps`lines that they are too effraid to try/die trying. and vp-free is reknowed for its pretty good climbing abilities cuz I think I read that is what you want to buy. but dh bike= expensive, light, not solid and a bitch to maintain. get burly wheels, a 888, a non air`manitou rear shock a burly frame and stop thinking about repairs. I paid a total of 9.00$ last year for new grips+bar ends.
 
just push your bike up the hill. and i have a friend that has a bansee scream with a shiver on it, and he has climbed the whole local riding spot before. plus i ride a giant faith and COULD ride up, but prefer walking. the new giant glory (fr) is really good for pedal efficiency, so ive heard, and my faith is relly good too.
 
if youre concerned about climbing on a dh bike, i suggest you not get one. its really hard to go up hills because dh bikes are not designed for climbing... so unless you have access to a lift or are willing to push your bike up, get a freeride or something
 
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