# New Bike for trials and DJ



## LightMiner (Aug 6, 2008)

First off, I usually spend my time in the Endurance Racing area. I have no clue when it comes to this stuff. 

Okay, so I want to improve my trials and pumping skills. I'm 6'. Looking to get a bike for this purpose, as my 5.5" mtn bike isn't doing so well. I pump and all the energy goes into the shocks. 

I found liquid bikes, which seem like BMX for adults, and GT has a Power Series 24. The 24 inch wheel size seems like it might help me as a 6' guy, and the skills will more easily transfer to my 26" bike, no? 

I always roll my eyes a bit when people say 'what bike should I get' over at the endurance forum , and here I am. I know there are a million options. 

There seems to be a bit of tension between DJ and trials in terms of bike design. Can someone explain exactly what that is? I saw the Yeti DJ, and it has a variable chainlength, and I think at its shortest section it would be good for trials? But the cost is high - with mtn bike parts vs bmx parts its about 6X as expensive, so maybe not the right way to go. I just know from the kind of biking I do that Yeti is amazing.

Any drawbacks for the Liquid or GT PS24? Will I crunch the rims on that PS24 first day out? (I'm around 200.)

Any other simple suggestions? Not looking to spend a ton, already have the dreambike for mtn biking...

Will probably head towards the Liquid if nothing else exciting or enlightening takes place.


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## DHmonkey123 (Feb 24, 2010)

you should get an 80mm travel DJ bike such as the Mongoose Dirt/street Ritual(check website) great for DJ and Pumping as well as XC training...not racing.


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## LightMiner (Aug 6, 2008)

The high-end version of that comes with parts I recognize, so that is fun. SRAM, Avid, etc.

Any thoughts on Giant STP and its abilities as both a DJ/pump and trials bike?


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## jakesdog1 (Apr 9, 2006)

I have the stp 0. I ride skate park to xc trails with it. I am coming from a turner rfx. My skills improved and it is plenty big enough for the 6' crowd. I am now looking into a transition double or a sx(not sx trail) , jamis parker to give my 35 year old joints some love. The stp is a great play bike. Takes a beating too.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

LightMiner said:


> First off, I usually spend my time in the Endurance Racing area. I have no clue when it comes to this stuff.
> 
> Okay, so I want to improve my trials and pumping skills. I'm 6'. Looking to get a bike for this purpose, as my 5.5" mtn bike isn't doing so well. I pump and all the energy goes into the shocks.
> 
> ...


Okay, Trials skills and pumping skills are two pretty different activities. At the extremes, neither would use the same bike for the other, but there is a middle ground where you could have the same bike.

Trials is a very specialized subset of mountain biking. It focuses on stationary hops, balance beam type navigating of obstacles etc. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_bike_trials

A GT Pro Series 24" or Liquid Feedback 24" are definitely BMX bikes and not Trials bikes. BMX cruisers rarely come stock with front brakes and don't even have brake mounts on the fork--you'd have to use a brake plate mod to get u-brakes (or maybe v-brakes) on the front. Caliper brakes are not strong enough for "Trials" riding.

My recommendation for you would be a 26" Dirt Jumper rigid mtb with front and rear disc brakes. You will want the rigid fork and disc brakes for trials. Yet, you don't want an actual Trials bike for riding a pump track. When you talked about suspension soaking up pump, it is mostly the rear suspension that does that. Most of your pump comes from your feet and the rear triangle of the bike--that is why a lot of people ride dirt jumper hard tails (with stiff suspension fork) on pump tracks and even bmx tracks).

Check out this Haro Steel Reserve. It has a disc brake mount, so you could add one.


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## J. Random Psycho (Apr 20, 2008)

Uh-oh, you're getting on a slippery path. )

You may find your dream FS bike collecting dust, as you grab your hardtail or rigid play bike day after day and take it to the streets.

cmc4130 is right, there is a middle ground, and it's rather large. And there are reasons to stay with 26" (although I would like to go to 24", if there were more tires to choose from). Here is what critically differs the do-all play bikes from dedicated trials ones:

1. BB height. Play bikes tend to have low BB. Trials bikes usually have BB very high.
2. Suspension fork vs. rigid fork. Play bike suspension forks are heavier than XC trail forks. Whereas rigid trials forks are light pieces of aluminum.
3. Gear ratios. This is a tough call. On a trials bike you want low gears, on a do-all bike you want a wide range, from trials gears through the typical 2:1 ratio up to some higher ones.
4. Head tube angle. Trials HTAs are steep, think old school XC (71-72 degrees). Play bikes need slacker angles, like around 69 degrees.
5. Stems. Trials stems are typically long, easily 90 mm or more. Play bike stems are best kept short, around 50 mm.

Trials bikes tend to have even longer front triangles, even lower standover heights and even shorter chainstays than DJ bikes.

Also, a word of warning against rear disk brake for trials. Unless you've got some kind of rotor protection elements on your frame, you may want to stay with good vees or the Magura HS-33 (do use a brake booster in any case).


Definitely take a hard look at the STP.
Also, there are Specialized P bikes (aluminum ones), Transition Bank and some other nice do-all frames (guys, feel free to expand on this list - Corsair Ducat, whatever).

I'm not so sure about steel frames - they tend to be too heavy for these kinds of riding. There are some pleasant (and expensive) exceptions, but still they are a bit heavier than aluminum frames.

Me, I went the custom Ti route, as I had the opportunity to have a frame built for cheap (as far as Ti frames go).


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## shenny88 (Sep 24, 2009)

+1 for the Steel Reserve 1.1. Its an excellent deal with things like a full chromo frame, disc compatible, playful and yet ride-able geometry, and inexpensive relatively speaking. I plan on getting one through work in a month or so. Not many options like it. The Eastern Traildigger 26 has a super low seat tube as well as a seat not fit for utilizing, also not a full chromo frame and costs about the same. Other than these and maybe a couple others, its a lot of suspension (HT or FS) DJs.


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