Is DH only for the younguns?

CresoDH

Likes Dirt
Haha.... Just bought my first Down Hiller and heading down thredbo and i'm 37. In saying that, i guess i'm probably going to put myself in the volvo with the bowlers hat on the parcel tray as far as speed.... we'll see. I jumped on You tube the other day and was watching all the Head Cams.... got me Psyked
head cams dont show the true steepness to a track like thredbo
 

skinnyboy73

Likes Bikes
Alreet fellas, recent addition to this site and I'm an old fart officially now at 38!! Been riding XC since i was 16 though. Its great that us old schoolers can still mix it up! After a long few years without a bike to my name (working all over the world kind of puts a damper on riding) I recently in the last few years got back into it and now I feel like I'm 16 again. My passion is building bikes then riding the nuts off em! My new project is a DH bike, a Mountain Cycles Shockwave from, shock horror, 12 years ago!!! It will be 2011 standard bits though. So hope to meet you lads out there soon and enjoy some decent saddle time, this weather is doing my head in at the moment!
 

wantanorco

Cannon Fodder
getting my 1st dh bike

Hi all
just about to turn 41 and am looking at my first dh bike ,an 07 team dh norco (good first dh bike methinks) i currently ride a 09 norco manik hardtail. any good tips on first rides/equipment?
thanks
 

indica

Serial flasher
Hi all
any good tips on first rides/equipment?
Where are you?

Ride very slowly or walk the track first.
Session sections - ride short bits, walk back up ride again.
Ride with young crew - they will show you how and where to ride.

Full face, helmet, gloves, knee / shin pads + spare tubes.
 

wantanorco

Cannon Fodder
thanks for the tips thats good advice,am on the northside of brisbane,have a couple of mates to go out with,one has a bit of dh experience. i like to ask as many questions as possible!
 

SmokedHam

Likes Dirt
I'm not normally one to usually comment on such threads as you can see with my join date. However to find a thread devoted to Vets intrigued me to take a look. DH is obviously alive and well out there in the not so young community, an its great to see. I'm one of the lucky ones who has achieved quite highly in the sport mainly due to the time I have put in. So to all of you struggling with injury or ability, trust me it gets easier. The more you ride, the more you think about riding, the faster you get with less injuries and hence the more enjoyment you will receive. My philosophy for riding is "the cream eventually rises to the top", another words "if you hang around long enough you eventually become good enough to stand on the podium because everyone else has retired".
And for those of you whom don't know Dean, he was or still is? the "World Masters DH Champ!!" Congrats mate I don't know you but have heard about you, what you have achieved I can only dream about, huge respect :clap2:

So for 2012 do I get to race you Dean? never seen you racing Masters in the Qld local events, some fast old boys still putting in Elite times, I am one of them and having more fun than ever.

Cheers
 

No Skid Marks

Blue Mountain Bikes Brooklyn/Lahar/Kowa/PO1NT Raci
I'm 40 this year, and just did 23 runs at Thredbo in one day. I think it's the record. Can't stand up or sit down now, just ended up running down the stairs out the front cause I couldn't stop. Can't lift myself with my arms either. But will probably try for 25 next year or later this one.
That's just over 70kms, and a fall of just over 16kms roughly I think.
 
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No Skid Marks

Blue Mountain Bikes Brooklyn/Lahar/Kowa/PO1NT Raci
8 normally sees me done too. Young local I'd discussed doing it with did 21 without inviting me, so had to better him the next day. Going for 25 next time. If I'd not had two flats I think I'd have done that. Last run was filled with such incredible pain in my forearms, but I think the two runs with flats took the most toll on my arms. I'm sure a young pinner could get 27 maybe more. I was averaging maybe 9-10 minute runs, without the flats I was averaging about 8.5min runs, No breaks, first chair about 20 to 9, last chair 1/4 to 5. No doubt someone else will step up to the plate now. Doesn't bother me, still a good personal achievement. Can hardly walk today, LOL.
Will do better bike prep next time, double ply tyres, I stupidly had Maxxis EXO on front, that popped after I dropped the pressure to give my aching arms some softer blows, repeatedly heard the rim bottoming out on the ground but stupidly didn't back off. Roofing screw saw the demise of the rear tyre, spotted it on the chairlift, was hoping it'd stay in(running ghetto tubeless)but alas, heard a ting at the end of fireroad straight, followed bye wssh wssh wssh as all the sealant and air was released. I'll also run softer than normal springs if I take it on again, as your not going as hard, and need the plushness.
 
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Pebble

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I tried DH for the first time at age 30 / 31 I think. That didn't work out, too chicken and other personal reasons that would restrict much chance of improvement.
But I consider 30 to be pretty young. It seems that the older you get you actually probably find you have more time and money to pursue the things you couldn't when you were younger for either of those reasons.
Otherwise in the 40s / 50s it's a good direction to follow for a mid life crisis...I think I had an early one when I brought mysef a bmx :D

But really just look at all the older people that start running marathons and the like!!!

At 32 I think I'm going towards the age where you start thinking about doing this sort of strange stuff. Now I've tried hurbling down the hill already, I've brought myself a bmx too, I wonder what's next?
 

mxracer92

Likes Dirt
ha pebble ^, its called mid life crisis !

im 32 as well , been racing mx most my life , always had a pedal bike but lucky to use it once a year .
i had my mx race bike stolen and rest of my house ransacked inc a old kona mtb
i ended up with a heap of credit to buy a mtb , dunno why but i chose a norco a-line pk ed full DH tank.
used it once or twice but kinda looking more towards AM after all that.( maybe just showing my age !! , and the fact i went on the 20km kal loop on it and it killed me !!! )

agreed that i think DH is more for the crazy's and xc/am is more laid back

i do enjoy both and keen to get fit for it .. now all we need in perth is a chair lift to the top of the hill , and get rid of this 30 + deg heat .. n some rain be nice !!

hit me up if ya eve want an extra pedal'er
 

Yippee_Ki_YayMF

Likes Dirt
I'm 31 and bought my first DH bike 3 months ago. Decided to give racing a shot and had my first race yesterday at Narbethong. The Vets are super competitive, but man it was fun.

[video=youtube;cx3nbntz6MA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx3nbntz6MA[/video]
 
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mxracer92

Likes Dirt
looks like an awesome track , u seem to have some speed !
how did u place .. ?
that track is long !
good work .. be good to be in vet class 30+ .. motox isnt vet till 35.
 

Yippee_Ki_YayMF

Likes Dirt
looks like an awesome track , u seem to have some speed !
how did u place .. ?
that track is long !
good work .. be good to be in vet class 30+ .. motox isnt vet till 35.
Yeah the track is great. The guys put A LOT of work into it. It is 5km long I think.

I have no idea where I placed. I know it wasn't first or last. Not coming last was one of my goals. :tickled_pink:

For some reason the results haven't been posted online yet. I had to leave early on the day, so I didn't see the results there either.

Doesn't matter though, I had fun.
 

dominator

Likes Dirt
I'm 40 this year, and just did 23 runs at Thredbo in one day. I think it's the record. Can't stand up or sit down now, just ended up running down the stairs out the front cause I couldn't stop. Can't lift myself with my arms either. But will probably try for 25 next year or later this one.
That's just over 70kms, and a fall of just over 16kms roughly I think.
This deserves to be revisited.. Sick effort No Skid Marks!!

I'll put it out there too.. Turned 32 this year and still LOVE shredding on the V10!!
 

wookie38

Cannon Fodder
im 38 and raced dh some years ago in the vets and have decided to give it another crack after spending the last few years just messing about on my bike... funny reading early in this thread about the 'tattooed and pierced' crowd as that is still me and at my age and standing 6'2 at 115kgs would probably look more at home on a harley the a mtb, but have so much fun on the dh bike and am still hittin gaps bigger than some dudes half my age......
 
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