# First dirt jump bike and can I even do it?



## Givmedew (Sep 4, 2014)

Hey everyone, found out I live 20 minutes on bike from a Chicago dirt jump park.

I have a niner air 9 and rip 9 and know they won't be going to that place

I'm guessing 29er are not the choice for jumping (why would rolling resistance matter on smoothed out packed dirt)

Plus those bikes are aluminum

Anyways,

Is this something a 200LB (so basically 15-20LBs of pure fat lol) 6'1 32 yr old can get into?

What bike do I start with and do I do 26" or 24"




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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

26, 24, 22, 20...all viable choices, depending what feels best to you.
Coming from MTB and 29" wheels, I'd tend to think 26" might make you feel most at home. Get a dedicated DJ bike though if you can swing it; don't try to repurpose a trail bike. Something simple and tough, personally I'd lean towards SS, steel, rigid, one brake...just less stuff to wreck.


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## Givmedew (Sep 4, 2014)

Im going to see if I can find a bike on Craigslist that is specific to DJ


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## Lauren (May 4, 2015)

I obviously have some ulterior motives here but as a 42 year old "former" dirt jumper, I'd say go with something you are comfortable on. 29 is just a big wheel that you can't throw around as well, less maneuverable, and in the air you want to be able to move around and find your landing. Check out my Balfa Minuteman in the classifieds, its a sweet 26" dirt jumper and does everything else, including pedal uphill, very well. And have fun!


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## 53119 (Nov 7, 2008)

plenty of used djs on pb buy/sell. if you have a bmx track close by it's worth it to get your jumping, timing, setup on a track first. it's a little more forgiving than a jump line when transitioning to smaller wheels. plus you get your pump on!


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## AllMountin' (Nov 23, 2010)

I am a couple years older, a couple pounds heavier, and an inch taller than you, and I just started jumping semi seriously starting last fall. It can definitely be done, and done with minimal crashing and without injury. 

I also learned on my AM 29er and a fatbike primarily (yes, for real), as I usually mix DJ with urban and trail riding. I rarely just ride the jumps. 

At this point, I'm comfortable with small to moderate tables and gaps, and can add a little bit of steeze (whips/bars/working on tables). My comfort level is more determined by steepness of transitions than overall jump size. 

I've taken the fatty to jump at Mega Caverns, and it did just fine. 

I wouldn't recommend those choices, but only pointing out that it can be done. Hopefully you've got a pump track, some rollers, or small tables to learn on. Start small and with a lot of repetition. When you are comfortable enough, try stepping up in size, or adding a bit of style. Make sure you've mastered the prerequisites before you try. The key to progression without injury is to learn and practice skills in a logical order, so each builds upon the last. 

Good luck.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

AllMountin' said:


> I wouldn't recommend those choices, but only pointing out that it can be done. Hopefully you've got a pump track, some rollers, or small tables to learn on. Start small and with a lot of repetition. When you are comfortable enough, try stepping up in size, or adding a bit of style. Make sure you've mastered the prerequisites before you try. The key to progression without injury is to learn and practice skills in a logical order, so each builds upon the last.
> 
> Good luck.


Good advice. I started trying to learn how to get a little air well into my 40's. Now I ride park on a 20" with my kid regularly and have a pretty good time. Repetition and building comfort level steadily has let me learn a lot of new stuff without getting too dinged up.


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## Givmedew (Sep 4, 2014)

slapheadmofo said:


> Good advice. I started trying to learn how to get a little air well into my 40's. Now I ride park on a 20" with my kid regularly and have a pretty good time. Repetition and building comfort level steadily has let me learn a lot of new stuff without getting too dinged up.


So I started MTB late and I want to use Dirt Jump to add to my MTB ability. But I want to do it right... Not on an aluminum XC or trail bike with expensive parts and fragile parts never made for DJ.

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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Yeah, get the right tool for the job if you can. And spend enough time on it that it doesn't weird you out. Being really at home on the bike is huge; the more time you can spendon it, even just messing around the driveway working on bunny hops and manuals and stuff, as well as tooling around pumptracks or skateparks if you can, the better. Get used to riding standing at all times and really moving around your bike more so than you typically would trail riding.


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## Givmedew (Sep 4, 2014)

slapheadmofo said:


> Yeah, get the right tool for the job if you can. And spend enough time on it that it doesn't weird you out. Being really at home on the bike is huge; the more time you can spendon it, even just messing around the driveway working on bunny hops and manuals and stuff, as well as tooling around pumptracks or skateparks if you can, the better. Get used to riding standing at all times and really moving around your bike more so than you typically would trail riding.


Yeh...

Don't laugh but even with thousands upon thousands of hours riding BMX as a kid till I got hit by a 50mph car when I was 15 I never quite nailed the manual or bunny hop. I have no problem navigating single track and handling obstacles (that I don't have to bunny hop). But yeh just never could do it. My friend could bunny hop a trash can on its side and then a trash can standing up and then a trash can standing up going like almost no speed at all like maybe jogging speed.

I couldn't even do a curb.

Fast forward 15 years after being destroyed by a car and having my leg ripped off and put back together (cumulative of 1 year in hospitals including having my abdominal removed and placed on my leg) and then I picked up a bike for the first time again.

It was a road bike and I was bored. Then pat August I thought cyclecross and was at a shop to buy one and Niner showed up with a van full of bikes!!!! I knew there was no way I could possibly do that! You know what I had seen on TV as far as what I knew a mountain bike trail was! When some old beer bellied dentist showed up and signed up I was like hell no!

So anyways I love it and I keep up with all the people who have been riding for years except I leave them in the dust when descending.

Then I'm out with a friend and he is literally manualing his full suspension bike down a slight pavement path without pedaling bunny hops over a bush and jumps everything he can on the trail!

I know my 29er isn't the bike to learn these things on.

So I don't even know if I'll ever bunny hop. I was learning manuals on my 29er and one day fell off and hurt myself and said **** my bike! It was fine but you know just not the bike to learn these things on!

So yeh that's my primary reason for wanting a DJ is to learn what I consider important skills and add them into my riding. I can't even imagine myself on a cyclecross track now... It seems beyond boring.

The other thing is big air will def be awesome! I'm fairly well built and difficult to damage. I've fallen off everything had stitches everywhere and the only thing that actually hurt me bad was a car going 50. I should have been dead.

So yeh let's try dirt jump and skate parks and see if that can help my mountain biking out. I don't care about tail whips and stuff like that just I want to know how to control the bike in any situation. I'm sure if a build a strong ability on a BMX/DJ that I'll be able to use those skills on the trails.

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## clark4131 (May 30, 2004)

I'm 46 and just started dirt jumping about two months ago. I repurposed my old Santa Cruz Chameleon frame, and I love it. I've been trail riding for a good long while and just started downhilling last year, and it all translates well. You're never too old and I'm living proof...SC


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## Givmedew (Sep 4, 2014)

clark4131 said:


> I'm 46 and just started dirt jumping about two months ago. I repurposed my old Santa Cruz Chameleon frame, and I love it. I've been trail riding for a good long while and just started downhilling last year, and it all translates well. You're never too old and I'm living proof...SC


Thanks for the pep talk, I wish this stuff was so well supported when I was younger. There was a private dirt jump park hidden in the woods when I was younger but you had to be with the in crowd to ride it and the in crowd meant family and friends of a bunch of dirt bike riders so not me! I got to go back there with a friend who road once and I just thought man Id get killed back here. That was almost 20 years ago. Now Chicago has a public dirt jump park!

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## twarner21609 (Jul 17, 2014)

I'm 33, and just found a pump track and dj spot near my house. My daughter loves the pump track, so I looked around, took about an hour to find a used complete Specialized P3 w/pike for $150. I don't know much about DJ bikes, but I had someone who does check it out, and he said for the price it's a steal.

I've never really been much for being airborn, even when I was younger, so this should be interesting to get into.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Remember - if it's not a public spot, you want to try to hook up with whoever built/maintains it before you just show up and start riding and get the lay of the land. Some spots are BMX only, some are no dig/no ride, etc, etc. You don't want to just come out of nowhere and start beating up someone else's hard work.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

I'm getting too old for some things I used to do but still enjoy the pump track and table top jump line. I have a little park bike but also an AM type 29r that flies but not flicks. That's a Honzo. Beauty of the Honzo is I ride from home, it works on road, works on trails, works on TTFs, and can do low level flight. It also works on big long rides. There are other bikes like it.

Some associates have picked up very inexpensive jump type bikes just for fooling around.

No right or wrong here - just pointing out that a 29r can feel right flying and a short little bike is fun.

Enjoy it.


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## Givmedew (Sep 4, 2014)

bitflogger said:


> I'm getting too old for some things I used to do but still enjoy the pump track and table top jump line. I have a little park bike but also an AM type 29r that flies but not flicks. That's a Honzo. Beauty of the Honzo is I ride from home, it works on road, works on trails, works on TTFs, and can do low level flight. It also works on big long rides. There are other bikes like it.
> 
> Some associates have picked up very inexpensive jump type bikes just for fooling around.
> 
> ...


I can see thats its possible to do it on a 29er but you need to be experienced. I dont like the idea of dropping my expensive 29er from 1 story heights at speed!

So I have been watching the local pick-ups on ebay and found a few bikes I would have had a nice bike for $40 but some guy outbid me. I contacted the seller saying if there is an issue with the sale to contact me. He informed me that the winner lives on the other side of the country and wants the bike shipped. Come on! I got outbid buy someone who doesn't understand local pickup only

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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

I suggested an AM type 29r can jump. Any MTB should take much abuse unless it's a purpose built light racer. The suggestion was to let you know about the one bike to do it all category that has other wheel sizes too.

Some riders in my posse have Mongoose DJ bikes that were inexpensive and they work well.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

slapheadmofo said:


> Yeah, get the right tool for the job if you can. And spend enough time on it that it doesn't weird you out. Being really at home on the bike is huge; the more time you can spendon it, even just messing around the driveway working on bunny hops and manuals and stuff, as well as tooling around pumptracks or skateparks if you can, the better. Get used to riding standing at all times and really moving around your bike more so than you typically would trail riding.


Yeah, exactly. Get a DJ mtb 26". It's BMX-ish, yet also the most stable for jumping.

Stuff like this comes up on craigslist . . . .

Haro Steel Reserve 1.1 - $300
Haro Steel Reserve 1.1


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## rhynohead (Jun 4, 2009)

bringing this thread back to life. I'm also an "older" guy at 34yrs and looking to get my first dj bike. Have no idea where to start. My story: I've got a trail bike and a dh bike, both with 26" wheels. I'm planning on upgrading my trail bike this fall to to a plastic 27.5 bike and I don't think I'll be able to get anything in return by selling my trail bike cuz it's a 26, so i was thinking of moving parts over to a dj. 

I know nothing about dj bikes, but my main use for it will be dj'ing (like you guys, I need practice jumping), pumptrack, and cruising the streets. Don't really want to bmx with it, just wanna dirt jump and make it my play bike. Planning to build it with f/r brakes and gearing so others can use it to trail ride with me. Not sure if seattube length will be an issue, but right now I'm looking at the new Evil Faction. Any other options out there where I can port over my 73mm bb , mtb cranks 175mm, 135 x10 rear hub, and I'll try to use my lyric u-turn and just dial it down to 100-120mm until I get a proper dj fork. 

sorry for long post. I'm in no rush to build this, but wanna start planning a build. thanks


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## rhynohead (Jun 4, 2009)

Bump..


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## NWS (Jun 30, 2010)

Looks to me like the Faction is a good use for your existing parts. Seats on DJ bikes are basically just decorative so don't worry too much about the seat tube length. 

Your Lyric should be fine too. I run my bike with a 160/130 Talas, and I like the 160 mode better. I just run a lot of air pressure to keep it stiff like a short-travel fork. Maybe not for everybody, but I like the taller front end and it's nice to have the option of running it soft like a regular mountain bike.


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## rhynohead (Jun 4, 2009)

NWS said:


> Looks to me like the Faction is a good use for your existing parts. Seats on DJ bikes are basically just decorative so don't worry too much about the seat tube length.
> 
> Your Lyric should be fine too. I run my bike with a 160/130 Talas, and I like the 160 mode better. I just run a lot of air pressure to keep it stiff like a short-travel fork. Maybe not for everybody, but I like the taller front end and it's nice to have the option of running it soft like a regular mountain bike.


thanks for the response. I guess it'll end up being a 4x/dj bike that I'll also trail ride with to change things up. Now, just need to find a dj/pump track in San Diego. pm me if you guy's know of places. I only know of the crow's nest in valley center, haven't been there yet


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## onlybirdman (Feb 12, 2015)

Interesting read here. I just turned 32 and would like to get into DJ also. I've been debating if I should get a dedicated full suspension DJ bike or a size small trail bike like a Intense Spider 275, which can be sit up for 115mm travel, with fairly short seat tube at 375mm and short chain stay at 419mm. Seems like the recommendation still would be to go with a dedicated DJ rig? I'm still contemplating with this decision even after reading this thread because I can get a used Spider 275a cheaper then say a Ticket S, Enduro SX, or Pivot M4X. Do these DJ bikes really hold their value that well over time?


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

I would skip the full suspension for DJ unless your doing really big slopestyle type stuff; actually, for learning, I'd skip suspension altogether personally. 

For hitting some local jumps, just pick up a 20, 24 or 26" BMX/DJ style bike and swap out a few fit parts for short money. You're going to beat the **** out of whatever you learn on and it's going to lose tons of value if actually ridden, so there's no good reason to spring for then trash an expensive MTB when a simple dedicated bike will work better, break less often, and be way cheaper to fix when it does. Can also do double duty at the local skatepark. Bonus!


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