18/08/2026
🫵🏻🫵🏻🫵🏻 Which one are you? 🫵🏻🫵🏻🫵🏻
DOWNHILL MOUNTAINBIKING
Downhill Racing and especially the bikes could almost be described as the ‘Monster Trucks’ of the mountain bike world. With a massive amount of suspension travel, their braking performance is just as impressive with the disc rotors pretty much equalling their suspension travel at 200mm or more. With the high speeds these riders get up to, it makes sense to be able to get to a stop as quick as possible.
-WHAT GOES UP 👆🏻MUST COME DOWN👇🏻
-Stopping is just as important as the amount of suspension downhill bikes have.
-Downhill MTBing describes itself in the name already…DOWNHILL.
-These riders tackle a singular closed course over a racing weekend.
-One course, one run, one chance to set your best time possible DOWN the mountain.
-Riders either make use of uplifts or shuttle vehicles and trailers to get to the top of the mountain. These bikes aren’t exactly pedal friendly, especially over long distances or to get to the top of the mountain.
Some would say Downhill Riders are the extreme and all risk riders of the mountain biking discipline…some would just say they are crazy or insane. Some would say ‘There’s no way a bicycle can ride there’…that’s EXACTLY what Downhill is about. No limits, all risk and one chance to get down the hill as fast as possible.
Downhill tracks are usually around 2-5km or more in length, one course for the weekend with massive jumps, huge drops, extremely technical and steep terrain consisting of rocks and roots. You start at the top of the mountain and charge for the bottom of the mountain, hence the name-DOWNHILL. Riders can easily reach speeds of over 80km/h on some tracks. This is pure adrenaline from start to finish.
Timing is usually held by the time keeper at the start of the track, or by means of a starting gate or chip that starts your time as you cross the start line and ends your time as you cross the finish line at the bottom.
-A race weekend is usually stretched over 3-4 days, depending what side of the world you are in.
-DAY 1️⃣ is usually a track walk, checking lines and memorising the track as much as possible by walking it through and taking notes as you go. Sometimes this can also be a practice day.
-DAY 2️⃣ is usually practice runs, getting your bike dialled in for the terrain, practicing lines over and over as well as getting as many runs in as possible before Qualifying the following day.
-DAY 3️⃣ is usually a Qualifying or seeding day. You get to do your fastest timed run down the mountain and this result gets used to place your start position for the following Finals day. This is not your finish or overall result of the weekend, simply a guage to see where you stack up against the field and where you will be starting the following day.
-NOTE: Downhill qualifying or seeding also works opposite to what people think. If you’re the fastest qualifier for the day does not mean you start first the following finals day, it’s quite the opposite. Slowest qualifiers will start first on finals day and the fastest rider in qualifying will be the last rider out the gate on finals day. That’s right! The last rider of the day gets the most chewed up track, without seeing the deterioration of the track throughout the day they start their race blind and only with what they learnt the previous days. No more practice, no more runs…just full send from start to finish on a track that’s changed from 100s of other riders doing their final runs.
-DAY 4️⃣ is where the dog gets let off its leash. This is your only chance to take it home or make a podium finish. ONE run, ONE chance and ONE mistake or crash to throw it all away. Without seeing the track deterioration from other competitors doing their runs, the final rider is faced with new challenges all the way down.
Downhill bikes are quite impressive and special equipment. The bike frames are built burly and strong to handle all the abuse that gets thrown at it, suspension up front usually consists of dual crown forks and 200mm or more of travel, rear suspension is usually coil shocks with equal amount of travel as the front, dual ply or DH casing tires, massive brakes and stopping power, strong rims, limited gearing like 1x7 drivetrains, bash guards and protection to keep chainrings protected from rock strikes and the likes.
Downhill bikes are designed for the sole purpose of going down the mountain instead of up, unlike an Enduro bike these bikes are not made for peddling huge hills or for covering distance as they are too heavy, limited drivetrain gears, huge suspension etc. is not made for doing your next Enduro event…
Downhill Riders are kitted with all the protection they can get, full face helmets, chest protectors, knee and elbow guards or even inflatable airbags that deploy the minute it detects an impact are all used to protect the rider as much as possible from inflicting damage to themselves.
Looking at a downhill rider and his bike is almost like looking at a Motorcross bike and rider attire, only difference is YOU are the engine on a Downhill bike, otherwise there are many similarities in the rider protective clothing when looking at Motorcross VS Downhill rider.
Downhill Bikes are the Monster Trucks of our sport!
Stay tuned as we will still be covering more disciplines in Mountainbiking soon!
