my crash...

ok, i'm riding some pretty bas ass down hills cuz i race mountain bikes and i'll be racing downhill next season (i hope) as well as some more cross country. as i'm flying down a hill i come to a drop off i hop off all the time, no big deal at all, not even 2 feet. i wipe out and go fucking flying, lucky enough not to have broken any bones. so i turn around to see why i crashed out so bad and this is why: www.philly2600.com/bike.jpg

Well, huh.

Yeah, that could probably do it...

Yyyyeaaahh, I see your problem right there.

Holy S dude. The best I've broken downhilling are shocks. Thats a clean cut. How the F did you do that?

Damn...I've broken some bikes in my time but nothing like that.

what kind of bike was it, man? there must be some sort of warranty on that since it could have been a defect from the factory or something.

did the weld snap or did it just snap in a random spot?

pretty much the weld broke. its a marin which aren't bad bikes. i got it from REI. the head tube on this bike wasn't gusseted or anything so it probably couldn't put up with the abuse that i can dish out on a bike. it was around a $650 bike. i brought those remains in and the gave me a straight up trade for another marin thats a much beefier frame, gusseted and all. i just raced it today and it was pretty nice. retail on the bike they handed to me was $1100, but it was on clearence since it was the last one and marked down to $600.

but as far as how i did that, i'm not really sure. the rep for marin seems to think i was a bad weld.

Yea, etither bad weld or a hitman wanted to see you dead. JK :)
That thing just snapped ...damn that would be scary.

Hmm, I wonder what the problem is...

Are your tyres properly inflated? :p


I wouldn't mind getting into some Downhill mountain biking, I have a $1150 Diamond back racing BSX sport. Nice bike but the crank has been making some weird noises lately, and the disk brakes are a pain in the ass to set so the disk wont rub too bad...

Hehe, I'm runnin an I-drive GT, which has to weigh close to 45 pounds, and will bounce over that once I get a Boxxer. Why are you running a hardtail downhill?

what kind of bike was it, man? there must be some sort of warranty on that since it could have been a defect from the factory or something.


You'd be amazed but unless the factory rep approves the replacement, it probably won't be covered by the warranty.
Most race level mountain bikes aren't warranteed for 'conditions exposed to while racing'. :screwy:

Wait til you start racing...thats only the start....just snapped the bank end on an Intense M1...Id post a pic but Ive got issues with the comp at the mo. Over here in the UK, Marins have a pretty bad reputation for being 'crack n fails' along with cannondale and a few others. Cannondale aint bad but from experience, marins aint good dh frames...or even hard xc.

Oh, and freakray...your point is pretty true unless its a top end race frame like an orange or an intense/foes etc. Intense shipped a new seatstay to me free of charge over the summer which was pretty cool of them...and that frame has been abused with racing and 15ft drops for the last 20 months..

P.s. Jonno, what discs are you using, I might have a few tips to help.

P.s. Jonno, what discs are you using, I might have a few tips to help.
Umm, its the system that came on the bike, some Tektro Mechanical job. Pretty sure its a 6 inch disk on the back, and a 7 or 8 inch disk on the front. I would be alright if I didn't keep bending the damn things... :p

Why are you running a hardtail downhill?
I can't speak for the other bloke, but I use one because of its strength, and IMO Hardtails take less effort to get going (since with rear shocks you would be loosing a fair bit of leg power in the suspension). Plus, I have had friends who advised me against a dual suspension, since their rear suspension kept screwing up.

110mm of front suspension travel (if I remeber correctly) is enough for me anyway. :uhoh:


Anyone know how to get the sealed bearings out of the crank to lubricate them? I think that should help with the creeking noises...

Oh, and freakray...your point is pretty true unless its a top end race frame like an orange or an intense/foes etc. Intense shipped a new seatstay to me free of charge over the summer which was pretty cool of them...and that frame has been abused with racing and 15ft drops for the last 20 months..


Yeah, some companies will do that as a service to the customer.
I've has parts shipped globally my Giant when the local agents couldn't get me parts. I contacted their corporate office and they sent me a replacement AND a spare!

Plus, the M1 is a pretty solid frame, so I expect they gave you the benefit of the doubt when it gave in.
Funnily, I've never set eyes on an Orange which is weird since a friend of mine rode one when he raced for Team Global.

Anyone know how to get the sealed bearings out of the crank to lubricate them? I think that should help with the creeking noises...


You need a bottom bracket tool for the specific BB your bike has.
It's probably not the bearings anyway, it's probably the contact surface between either the crank arms and the BB axle or the contact surface between the BB and the frame. Pull it all apart and put some grease on the contact surfaces.

Damn...I've broken some bikes in my time but nothing like that.
lol... :1:

Hehe, I'm runnin an I-drive GT, which has to weigh close to 45 pounds, and will bounce over that once I get a Boxxer. Why are you running a hardtail downhill?

i'm gonna be racing slolom more than down hill so i like the hardtail. i'm also still an avid bmxer and like to do city freeriding so the hardtail is great for that too.

"Over here in the UK, Marins have a pretty bad reputation for being 'crack n fails'"

the replacement bike is pretty nice, i'll get a pic up of it. hopefully it won't break, but i can't promise anything. i have this urge to ride off of anything taller than i am.

The Oranges are hugely popular over here...Cheapish and damn reliable. I had the first production one (I got it before they became popular with the global team)...and it lasted 2 1/2 years before I sold it...pretty damn good for a race frame. What are the tracks like in your area like Jonno? It depends on your budget etc but over here you wouldnt get me riding without full sus...a bit too much like hard work....and fort william kills you even if you have 8" front and back! (ooh, I sound like a porno!) The braking bumps at ft bill are 18" deep by the end of a wet race weekend...

With the discs, the best I can suggest is to centre them with 0.2mm shims and try not to knock the disc. Usually rubbing aint a problem if it s just a little scuff. If there seems to be a point where its really bad, try using an adjustable on it and gently tweak it back into line...ive had to do that a few times but the heat that the 8" rotors generate from 40mph is usually enough to straighten them themselves.

I dont know what the new marins are like but over here they developed such a bad reputation I havent seen one on a dh course for years! They all used to fail at the headtubes and on the swingarm 'torque tube' as they called it...Ile try and sort out a pic of the m1..it was rewelded and did 2 world cups before the new one arrived!

I could be wrong .. but it may have been a loose spoke that caused the accident .... :lol:

Jus kidin !!!! Glad your OK !!!

What are the tracks like in your area like Jonno? It depends on your budget etc but over here you wouldnt get me riding without full sus...a bit too much like hard work....and fort william kills you even if you have 8" front and back! (ooh, I sound like a porno!) The braking bumps at ft bill are 18" deep by the end of a wet race weekend...

Well, I haven't actually riden on a track around here (except for a few BMX tracks). The main reason I haven't gotten started yet is because I can't find a track. I know they are building one about a half an hour away which I think I will check out when they have finished.

I can't speak for the other bloke, but I use one because of its strength, and IMO Hardtails take less effort to get going (since with rear shocks you would be loosing a fair bit of leg power in the suspension). Plus, I have had friends who advised me against a dual suspension, since their rear suspension kept screwing up.


I dont know what kind of bike it is, but my aunt that lives in Des Moines, her boyfriend bought a bike that he said was $3500, but he paid $2700 for it, the rear shock stays stiff and doesn't flex until it feels you move over an object and then it absorbs. pretty nice bike, really light and the handelbars, it looks like all they have is the brakes, because to shift you move the brake lever deal up or down and that's how it works, pretty crazy and he said at the time that it was kind of an experimental thing. he does do some group races and stuff but i dont think it's anything as extreme as downhill racing, just some courses and stuff.

that's weird, i've heard good things about Marin's most of the time.

i've got a Trek right now that i'm going to start upgrading next year. up until now i was just a leisurely rider but i want to get more serious so i'm going to upgrade.

it's a Trek 6000 aluminum frame. has crappy Jett T2's right now and a mid-line Shimano drive-train (can't remember the name at the mo). was around $1000 Canadian new so it's a nice starting point.

When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.
Just toss away the front half of the bike, and use the rear section as your new ride: a unicycle. :iceslolan

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=30530

there ya go!

Well, there are hardtails that are capable of riding 5-10ft drops...just theyre not going to be 4lb xc frames...24bicycles porn king or the transition steel ht frame spring to mind. Even things like the intense tazer aint really designed for that stuff. Most dirt jump frames can handle a fair bit...but the slalom hardtails are usually pretty light...in the same way that a dh race frame is usually lighter than a full on canadian freeride bike. tbh, i was surprised that those m1 seatstays lasted that long...they always crack under that bit...usually the ones ridden hard. A riding mate has done 3 in the last 12 months!