# XC vs. DJ bike fit



## tootall (May 23, 2005)

Does anyone else here ride both XC and DJ bikes? I am new to jumping and still trying to dial in my bike fit, but have been riding XC for several years and feel like I've gotten that down. I noticed today that my jump bike has a lower bar height and higher BB than my XC bike. The jump bike is a Rocky Mountain Flow DJ and the XC bike is a 29er hardtail. The jump bike bar is probably 1.5" below the XC bar, and the jump bike BB is about 0.5" higher than the XC BB. This of course makes the cockpit height about 2" shorter.

I would have thought the XC bike cockpit should be lower and longer compared to the DJ bike's. It is probably longer, but definitely not lower. Anybody else ever done this comparison, and care to give some hints?


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

Andrew-FSR said:


> Does anyone else here ride both XC and DJ bikes? I am new to jumping and still trying to dial in my bike fit, but have been riding XC for several years and feel like I've gotten that down. I noticed today that my jump bike has a lower bar height and higher BB than my XC bike. The jump bike is a Rocky Mountain Flow DJ and the XC bike is a 29er hardtail. The jump bike bar is probably 1.5" below the XC bar, and the jump bike BB is about 0.5" higher than the XC BB. This of course makes the cockpit height about 2" shorter.
> 
> I would have thought the XC bike cockpit should be lower and longer compared to the DJ bike's. It is probably longer, but definitely not lower. Anybody else ever done this comparison, and care to give some hints?


I can't comment on the XC comparison . . . . but with you being 6'7" i can almost guarantee you're going to like taller bars on your Rocky Mountain DJ Flow. Have you tried your bmx cruiser bars&stem on there yet? Let's see a pic.

You can also get a longer-reach stem. In bmx, it's rare to see one longer than 55mm reach, but they're out there. Profile has a 60mm reach stem. https://www.danscomp.com/370101.php, and I think I saw a Supercross bmx stem that was 63mm.

If you keep your mtb bars, you could put a 70mm stem on there. I did that on my Xenia for a while--a Race Face 70mm stem with upward-angle rise. 25.4 clamp area.

Immortis 4" Bucket bars:


















https://www.empirebmx.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9337

_S&M Cruiser Slam bar

$54.95

5.75" rise, 27" width, 10 degree backsweep, 2.5 degree upsweep; 1.9 lbs; cruisers are hot right now, S&M brings fuel to the fire_

*DJ for a Clyde*
https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=704526


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## alexrex20 (Dec 20, 2005)

how did you know he was 6-7?


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

alexrex20 said:


> how did you know he was 6-7?


http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=7917705&page=3


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## alexrex20 (Dec 20, 2005)

how tall am i?


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## Jason B (Aug 15, 2008)

For comparison, all three of my bikes are made from the same company (Transition). All are the same size as in they are all intended for the same size rider.

My TOP (DJ'er) has a lower bottom bracket, shorter wheelbase and is all around smaller than my Covert (AM full sus) and Vagrant (FR hardtail). The Vagrant looks huge sitting beside my TOP.
TT length is the same on all three (22.5").


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## JohnByrd (Jan 25, 2004)

s&m makes GREAT products.


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## tootall (May 23, 2005)

I'm actually not 6'7", I'm just under 6'6". But I'm mostly all legs. I had been jumping doubles but nose tapping the landing a lot, and a guy told me it looked like I was too far over the front, possibly because he also thought my bars were rolled too far forward. I had them rolled straight up for maximum height, so I rolled them back some. It seemed to help keep my front end up a little bit. That makes me think I wouldn't want a longer stem. It was just today that I parked the DJ bike next to the XC bike and noticed how the cockpit was lower and thought it was really weird. I wondered if anybody else might ride both and how they have theirs setup.

I have tried the 5" cruiser bars on it, but they felt really really funny. I don't know if it was their bend, the way I had them rolled, or if they were too narrow or too high. I think I may try a pair of 5" bars that are wide with a bend similar to the bars I have now. I have .75" spacers under my top load stem so if the full 5" is too high I could lower them down to get as little as 1.25" net height gain over the 3" bars on it now. I think 5.75" might be too much. I'm actually getting used to the 3" bars though, I've been jumping 4 days in a row now to try to really saturate myself in it and I've made a lot of progress as far as consistency, smoothness and control. I've had my eye on these bars to try something higher, but I'm pretty cheap so it's a pricy experiment. 

http://store.supercrossbmx.com/index.php/supercross-lo-cruiser-bar.html

28" x 5", 11deg back, 3deg up


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## oh-really (Apr 20, 2009)

alexrex20 said:


> how tall am i?


Tall enough to fit in a kids meal bag.


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## Mojo Troll (Jun 3, 2004)

alexrex20 said:


> how tall am i?


Not tall enough to ride this ride. Now run along kiddo, to Pinkbike.


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## oh-really (Apr 20, 2009)

Mojo Troll said:


> Not tall enough to ride this ride. Now run along kiddo, to Pinkbike.


 i think everyone in this there is over 6 feet tall, but me. :sadbanana:


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## DSweinhagen (Jun 30, 2010)

I ride XC. My XC bike is a 29er hardtail also(Niner EMD large) and my DJ bike is the RM Flow DJ long. I'm 6'1". I never thought about comparing them as they are such different bikes, but just checked it out... The bottom brackets are about the same height at 12", though my DJ may be a little different as I'm running a rigid fork. The bars on the XC bike are about 3" higher and an 1 1/2"+ further forward. This would make sense to me as you want a more streached out position for sitting and efficient peddling and a more compact fit on the DJ. 

I have thought about some talller bars on the DJ though and this has me really thinking. Sometimes I feel too hunched over... Especially going fast pumping through a rhythm section I feel like I bottom out, like I need to get my upper body a little more upright, but can't. I like cmc's tip on the Immortis bars and have been thinking about those. I know RM calls the bars 35mm rise which trnslates to about 1 1/2", but I get about 2 1/2"+ measuring them and I see you're calling them 3" Andrew. I have all the spacers under my stem also which is 7/8", so a 4" bar wouldn't be that drastic. I'll keep you posted if I do anything and interested to see what you do.
-David


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## tootall (May 23, 2005)

David,
Great reply, thanks. I too wasn't surprised to find the XC bars further forward, it was the fact that the DJ bars were lower which surprised me. If you do try some taller bars, let me know. The way I measured 3" was from center of the tube at the clamp to the center at the ends. We probably measure them slightly different, but I'm not sure what they meant by 35mm. I like the feel of the stock bars that came on it so I emailed MacNeil to inquire about the bend since the low bars aren't on their website. This was the reply I got.



> Hey Andrew,
> 
> They are a full heat treated multi butted bar made in the same fashion as our BMX bars. The up sweep (4 degrees) and back sweep (8 degrees)
> 
> Hope that helps you out. Enjoy.


So if I try a higher bar I'll try to find something similar to those numbers, if you like the bend you could do the same. Was impressed by their quick and concise answer to my question, and their components seem great so far, too.


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## tootall (May 23, 2005)

Speaking of bars, there is the 5" supercross bar I posted above. I also found Fly Racing Mike Day bars that are 5.5" x 28", 3deg up, 12deg back which is almost the same as the stock bars on the Flow DJ. S&M makes a 5" bar 27" wide with 2deg up and 10 deg back. The Immortis Bucket Bars are 4" x 32", 2.5 deg up, 10 deg back which are also very similar to the Flow. I thought I'd rather look into 5" bars, that way I could get 2" riser over what I got now or I could slam my stem if they were too high rather than just get a 4" bar and leave it up.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

There are definitely some inconsistencies out there in measuring handlebars. Some companies apparently measure to bottom to top. Others measure center to center. Some measure at the ends, others at the bends.

I have had Gusset Open Prison 3", Atomlab GI 3", Nemesis Project Weezy 3.25", and NS Proof 3". At one point I traced them all on cardboard and they all had different heights--no matter which way you measured them. The Atomlab's were taller than the Weezy's despite the spec. The Gusset's were significantly lower than the Atomlabs even though they're both supposedly 3" rise bars--I don't recall exactly how much.....

*highest riser for dj bars*
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=579271


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## DSweinhagen (Jun 30, 2010)

Andrew- Thanks for the info on the bars. I like the feel of the MacNeil bars also, so good info there. I was trying to measure center to center also, but kind of tough to eyeball the ends and not sure whether to measure towards the insides of the grip area or out at the end? Anyway, I'm leaning towards a 4" bar as I think that would be pleanty for me and like the look of those Immortis bars.

cmc- I've seen that link before which was what got me thinking about bars lately. Good info as usual. I always appreciate your time and knowledge on here.


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