Downhill racing remains a highlight of our sport. Watched by hundreds of thousands of fans across the globe, the UCI DH World Cup series highlights what bike designers and some of the most talented riders in the world are capable of when tasked with simply getting a bike down a hill, over varying terrain, as fast as possible. No other discipline pushes the boundaries of MTB technology quite as hard, with the variation in tracks, the high speeds achieved and the pressure to win driving development of frame, suspension and component technology, which filters down to the trail bikes most of us ride.
While downhill bikes are a niche market, there's a dedicated following who race weekend in, weekend out, and hit up the bike parks, looking to push themselves on the roughest tracks, biggest gaps and steepest trails. If you want all-out speed on the gnarliest terrain nothing comes close to a DH bike.
The three bikes on test here are all being used in the DH World Cup series, so are clearly capable of crazy speeds and have otherworldly potential under the right rider. But how well do they work for everyday folk, who aren't racing World Cups? Are they too specialised, needing to be ridden ungodly-fast to get the best from them? Or can anyone jump on and have fun?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2023-Ausgabe von Mountain Biking UK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2023-Ausgabe von Mountain Biking UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
BIKETEST BACKCOUNTRY HARDTAILS
We see whether carbon fibre or steel, big-name value or boutique attention to detail comes out on top on the trails
NUKEPROOF MEGAWATT CARBON 297 RS
The original Megawatt proved itself almost instantly, winning our inaugural E-Bike of the Year award in 2022.
CALIBRE LINE T3 29
£1,100 (with £5 GO Outdoors card) Cost-effective proper' mountain bike
FIRST RIDES
STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX & ONTO THE TRAILS
ROUTES QUICK BLASTS
Facing shorter days and inclement weather, Max finds three satisfying routes that show it doesn't have to be an all-day ride or nothing
GRIME TIME
EXPERT WORKSHOP ADVICE
TRAILCREW HAVOK BIKEPARK
A hand-cut, rider-built bike park, Havok reopened earlier this year at a new site in West Yorkshire and is still expanding
From dust it did rise
Steve Thomas traces the birth of British mountain biking, from 'tracker bikes' to Muddy Fox
THROW DOWN THE CAUNTLET
In our final challenge of the series, we see if e-bikes really are as good at climbing as they're cracked up to be, as we tackle Antur Stiniog back to front
THE RIDER OFF YEAR' 23
THE BIG REVEAL! You voted in your thousands - now meet our winners...