How to Set up a Mountain Bike for a Bike Park

A question we frequently get asked at TBS is "...but can I ride Bike Park on it?' Our answer is always yes! Definitely in fact! Typical mountain bikes are super capable and are right at home on anything from alpine singletrack to a full blown downhill bike park!
However, there are always changes that you can make to your set up to optimise your bike for the rough and unforgiving nature of a bike park! Without realising it, you'll ride more distance and rough terrain on your bike in a day than you would on a good 3 or 4 trail rides! So make sure your bike is ready to deal with that!

A couple of the main points we like to discuss with customers is the following...

  • Tire Choice
  • Handlebar Width
  • Brakes / Rotors
  • Suspension

 

Tires we suggest a harder compound for riding bike park to make the tire last longer and most mountain bikers are going with a little wider tread to get the most out of the diverse terrain. Here is a few of our top selling tires at the moment...

 

Handlebar width we suggest a wide handlebar, typically this is 800mm and then you can cut them down to your preferred width.

Brakes and rotors we suggest running 4 piston over 2 piston brakes as this will give you more power on the long descents and will keep the rotors from over heating. For rotors we suggest sizing up which means going for a 180mm or 200mm rotor, this helps dissipate the heat when riding a bike park all day. Adding some Shimano finned brake pads can top off the perfect brake setup.

Finally, good suspension is one of the keys to a happy day at a Bike Park. Of course a full downhill bike will be the easiest on the hands but we are starting to see a lot more people taking endure bikes into the Bike Park and loving it. TBS offers a wide variety of front suspension for Bike Park riding. Here is a couple great options for Enduro and downhill bikes...

  • Rock Shox Lyrik and Yari 27.5
  • Rock Shox Boxxer Team 27.5

 

Below is also a great video from Global Mountain Bike Network for anyone wanting a second opinion on how to set up an Enduro bike for a Bike Park.

 

If you have any further questions or want to discuss your set up with us please send us an email to service@tbsbikeparts.com.