KHS DH200 First Impression

After seeing RL, Joe and Tony racing DH at the 17th Annual Southridge Challenge in Fontana, I figured why not give Downhill a try. Since I don’t own a Downhill bike, I contacted our good friends from KHS about doing a review of their DH200 bicycle

KHS spec’d this bike with a very good suspension combo:

In the front: A super plush FOX 40RC2 fork.

In the rear: A FOX DHX 5.0 coiled rear shock.

So what is a beginner like me doing with such a sweet bike? Well, I figured that if I’m able to race downhill with the DH200, imagine what someone with better DH skills can do with this bike!

For my first ride on the DH200, RL and I headed to Fontana. We rode the same course that they raced and another section of the trail that can be used for the course as well.

My first run was more of a recognizance ride, I was ‘feeling’ the bike and the terrain as well. I was expecting for the DH200 to feel sluggish and heavy, au contraire, the bike felt light and the steering was rather snappy.

As my confidence grew, RL had me ride some stuff that I wouldn’t have tried in any of my bikes, man, those 8 plus inches of travel made a huge difference!

I will be racing with this bike on January 11th at the first race of the Shimano Winter Series in Fontana. Stay tuned for my race report!