You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I fancy a dirt jump/ pump track single speed to roll around on.
I have almost a full bikes worth of 26" bits and bobs doing nothing in the loft.
Will something like a small/ medium cove stiffee with a 70 degree head angle build into something ridable with some.massive riser bars?
I rode an XL cove stiffee for a decade but stopped when I got a geometron.
I'm tall, there don't seem to be many long or big dirt jump/ BMX bikes for sale near me.
Actual dirt jump skills- I can clear the odd 2 meter table top and mostly refuse gamp jumps. There will be no back flips for this mid forties scardy cat 😀
A good idea or would I just be better of sticking to my long wheelbase mountain bikes.and just riding them?
Mid 40s mild gap jumper here.
I have a DMR Sidekick from circa 2002. It's short, twitchy, harsh, and an absolute riot. Do it! Something like one of those, early Trailstar, Azonic DS1/2, Spec P1 would be great.
It's injured me a lot, but it's such a brilliant contrast to my other bikes, it's fab. A lot of fun in the skatepark as well.
Charge Blender
I'm also a terrible jumper but I've built a 26Cotic BFe for this purpose.
Not a 'proper' jump build, it's got Marzzochi 33s, two brakes, a780mm low rise bar and a dropper, although it is singlespeed, but that means that it rides fairly well to the top of stuff like those new sections at Glentress for example but is still decent on a pump track
Anyway, it's brilliant. A Stiffee would be great too I expect. I nearly did this build on an old Chameleon but then found a BFe going cheap
I have a Charge Blender that does DJ, pump-track and Dadcountry duties. set up single speed and built for about £100 including fresh powder coating and old parts laying around.
It’s alternated between a rock hard 100mm Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 1 and a 150mm Marzocchi Z1 that’s also set up rock hard with slightly too much oil to give it 100mm travel but a bit more comfortable and higher bar height. It’s great fun.
Something like a Blackspire Stinger is the tidiest way to singlespeed one, I tried a single speed tensioner on the rear but it was a pain to set up and looked ugly
it will probably go back to the DJ1 when I get a bigger rotor adapter as the Clark’s brakes are terrible.
The Stiffee should work fine as a fun DJ bike.
I did something very similar - it was a 26" BFe frame that I had just retired from MTB duties.
I ran it singlespeed with a 108 PoE freewheel on 26" wheels, a short rigid fork (to steepen the head angle) and some Magura MT5 brakes on 200mm discs. It was great fun to ride and helped me to become more comfortable with jumps, drops, track standing and riding over silly things like park benches and small walls etc...
A couple of years ago I replaced the frame with an Airdrop Fade and just moved the bits across from the BFe.
It gives me another way to get out of the house and ride a bike :o)
I had an old Dialled Prince Albert that I ripped the gears off & put some fast xc tyres on with a 140mm fox fork. It was great fun at the pump track & jump park.
As a late 40s new to jumping rider it gave me enough confidence to purchase a DMR Sect which feels much nicer to ride (besides the forks which are gash, but the bike was £700 new so I wasn't expecting much).
So my opinion would be, do it - nothing to lose, but it won't be as good as a modern jump specific bike.
I'm tall, there don't seem to be many long or big dirt jump/ BMX bikes for sale near me.
Think you're taller than me, but at 187cm (XL G1 etc) I bought a Planet X Jack Flash 26er frame a few years ago for similar purposes. Didn't fancy anything smaller/shorter given my preference for big bikes. Built up mostly from existing spares apart from tyres. Used the same SS kit including Blackspire Stinger.
Sold it now as I simply wasn't using it, despite best intentions.
Dialled Alpine with 100mm Marzocchi Dirt Jumper forks did the job for me.
I used the ISCG mount to fit a chain guide that acts as a tensioner so it can be run singlespeed.
Great suggestions!
Getting injured/ selling it because I don't use it puts a price cap on it.
Charge DJ- there's a ti one on eBay. Lovely, except for the price .
That planet x looks mint. At 193cm I think any bmx would feel too alien hence the quest for a jump bike/ hardtail.
How are modern dirt jumpers different from an old school 26" frame?
I'm 6'2 and my BMX looks like this...
22 inch wheels. It's a Fit Series 22. Also look out for Wethepeople Audio. They do come up for sale and they're not expensive.
I had a Transition PBJ and after running both for a while I sold the PBJ. The BMX is just so much faster and more fun to ride especially on twisty little pump tracks. I loved the PBJ but the Fit kind of ruined it for me. It felt like a barge in comparison.
If you must go 26" a DJ frame is far nicer than an old 26 trail or xc frame. The top tube won't be anywhere near your nuts for a start. It'll have horizontal dropouts so you don't have to mess with ugly tensioners. It'll hopefully be built for purpose and you won't rip the headtube off.
I've offered this before but anyone near Sheffield who's 22" curious can test ride mine at a pump track of their choice. Charnock is probably the best.
I had an old Dialled Prince Albert that I ripped the gears off & put some fast xc tyres on with a 140mm fox fork. It was great fun at the pump track & jump park.
As a late 40s new to jumping rider it gave me enough confidence to purchase a DMR Sect which feels much nicer to ride (besides the forks which are gash, but the bike was £700 new so I wasn't expecting much).
So my opinion would be, do it - nothing to lose, but it won't be as good as a modern jump specific bike.
Weird. All of this +1! except I kept the 1x9 gears on the PA.
Happily, one of my shorter friends wanted a "riding around the woods" bike at the same time that another friend wanted rid of his Sect. One in, one out, cost neutral. Lovely!
I've got a DMR tailstar, which apart from being very low slung (pedal strikes galore) is great for pooting to the pumptrack, putting a good lap in. It jumps nicely as well, not that I'm any good at that.
As a lanky (6'5") sod, I used to have a 4x bike that although great fun was just too small and as "normal" mtb's have started getting longer and longer, switching between a 500+mm reach bike and something with a reach of around 400mm was a bit much. I bought a medium Ragley Mmmbop, stuck a +2° angleset on and 140mm forks, it's perfect as a small (for me) dirt jumper/play bike without being the miniscule size of an off the shelf Dj bike
@DC1988 - that sounds very similar to the custom jump bike that Paul Aston made for himself.
Basically an oversized jump bike for lanky people.
I've toyed with a few different small bikes and get on quite well with a DMR Rhythm at the moment.
One of the frames I tried was the cheap as chips Planet X Jack Flash 26 when they released the anniversary edition a few years ago. Felt really solid but it also felt pretty long compared to my DMR.
Still got the jack flash frame hanging up in the garage and I doubt I'll ever use it again. Not sure where you are but should you be near Nottingham you are welcome to it.
Sharkattack and serious Rick I've dropped you a line 😀
I have Fond memories of my old 26" Trailstars which I ran both SS and Geared.
I occasionally skim ebay looking at old DMR Frames, but the potential drawbacks outweigh the asking price for me now, unless I want to run it rigid (which I don't think my ageing wrists will cope with) the available (used) 1-1/8" steerer fork options are all getting older and more abused. Finishing kit and most other parts aren't such a problem but Forks are the main concern now. Newer DJ forks are tapered of course and on a "vintage" frame that isn't going to work...
TBH if a frame's asking/bid price exceeds £50 I'm out, if a full build (used) is on for more than £150 I'm also going to pass, these are 20+ year old bikes that will have had a hard life (as intended) and need some TLC/parts. It's got to be a bargain to be worth it (IMO)...
Doesn’t the Manitou Circus Comp have a straight steerer option? I think Thea’s the only one left. I’ve still got some late 00s Z1s and a pair of 2011 DJ1 forks.