Downhill Season
Summer is downhill mountain biking season! Learn what it is, what to ride, and where to go for an epic adventure!
Downhill mountain biking (DH)
Downhill is a style of mountain biking practiced on steep, rough terrain that often features jumps, drops, rock gardens and other obstacles. Jumps can be up to and including 12 meters (39 feet), and drops can be greater than 3 meters (10 feet).
The rider commonly travels to the point of descent via a ski lift, since the weight of the downhill mountain bike often precludes any serious climbing. Riders must possess a unique combination of total body strength, aerobic and anaerobic fitness, and the acceptance of relatively high risk.
(source: Wikipedia)
Downhill Bikes
Downhill bikes are heavier and stronger than other mountain bikes and feature front and rear suspension with over 200 mm (8 inches) of travel, to glide quickly over rocks and tree roots. Check out reviews of popular DH MTBs and DH wheels on Singletracks.com.
The Line’s bike techs are wheel build / rebuild experts - so when the inevitable happens, bring us your wheels to fix. We also can special order wheels and rims.
Downhill Casing Tires
The Line carries Maxxis’ Downhill casing tires, which are designed for extreme use in all gravity applications from downhill racing to bike park riding to free riding to long travel e-bikes. A Maxxis downhill casing tire is made with two layers of our durable 60 TPI casing material along with a large butyl rubber insert that extends from each bead into the sidewall. The butyl insert helps prevent pinch flats, protects the rim from impacts, and provides additional sidewall stability.
Shredding downhill? Get a durable tire with downhill casing. Text us for sizes using our text chat button.
Downhill Racing
In competitive races, a continuous course is defined on each side by a strip of tape. Depending on the format, riders have a single or double attempt to reach the finish line as fast as possible, while remaining between the two tapes designating the course. Riders must choose their line by compromising between the shortest possible line and the line that can be traveled at the highest speed. (source: Wikipedia).
Local DH races: https://nwcup.com/races/2024-race-6 Aug 9-11
Check out Luke Strobel’s DH POV from the Snoqulamie Summit!
Downhill Park
The SnoValley’s nearest DH bike park is Snoqualmie Summit. The Summit Bike Park features lift-served access to a mix of technical downhill mountain biking trails and machine-built flow trails (freeride). Hitting the trails is fast and convenient at Silver Fir thanks to paved parking right up to the lift and lodge, plus the park is just an hour from Seattle via I-90.