Downhill (DH) Mountain Biking is a style of mountain biking in which a rider either for enjoyment, or in a time trialled event, race down a course of varying difficulty against other bike riders. The format of a DH MTB race follows a similar setup to that of skiing.
History
The first ever downhill event that took place resulted in a win by Alan Bonds taking place on the now infamous Repack Road so called as hub bearings would overheat and degrade the grease during downhill races. This was back in Oct ’76 and downhill has changed a lot since that date. DH Events now regularly take place across the world on a weekly basis particularly in the mountainous areas of nations such as the UK or in the summer at disused ski resorts in countries such as France and Italy. These are by no means the only places though, and the DH World Cup is one of mountain bikes most popular events each yearly.
Downhill Bikes
As well as the obvious differences in this discipline of mountain bike riding, there are a number of big changes in the bikes and equipment utilised 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 DH mountain bike will be subjected to. The trade off of having a full suspension bike, which is made to a much stronger standard than a normal mountain bike is the weight. While a standard MTB would be lower than thirty pounds in weight, DH bikes can to go over 40 pounds. This weight is now however being reduced~coming down~reducing~. Other big differences in the bikes can include the use of disc brakes, a high travel suspension fork (five-fix inches) and differing frame shape.
Pads & Protection
Pads and protection is definitely required when competing in the world of DH…. just watch a few of videos and you will soon realise that falls, crashes and injuries are common place and a certain drawback this event offers. Full body protection, face mask helmets like the ones used in motocross are a must otherwise you will not be allowed on the course or to take part.