# Casual DJ w/ Rockshox Reba?



## drbroccoli (Feb 8, 2010)

Hey guys,
I recently bought a 2009 Rockshox Reba Team on ebay and it was quite an investment for me. I've also recently taken an interest in dirt jumping, and went at it for my first time today. I found that most of my landings were pretty smooth and and probably will never do anything that big, nevertheless, I'm concerned about the fork's well being. 
Trail riding seems a lot rougher than the dirt jumping. Will my fork be alright so long as I don't do anything that bottoms it out/sends a significant jolt through it? How does the strain a trail fork tolerates compare to the strain a DJ fork is designed for?

Just worried about my baby. I hope you'll understand.

Thanks.


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## Yuengling (Aug 1, 2006)

Its not designed for dirt jumping and will void the warranty.....that being said a few small jumps won't hurt it. However, if you're actually "dirt jumping" get a fork for dirt jumping or you'll be picking your teeth up out of the dirt.


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## drbroccoli (Feb 8, 2010)

Good warning.
Mostly I'm building my confidence with having my wheels off the ground. If I get into dirt jumping and decide to do bigger things, I'll probably get a used p1 or scrap or something. Just wondering if a few semi-hard knocks could be that bad.
But one more question: How is it that some people seem to dirt jump with rigid forks? Are they just super fit?


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

fitness doesnt have anything to do with riding a rigid dj fork. you really dont need any travel to dirt jump. 

no one goes out expecting to case a jump and bang their gear up.. but it does happen, a lot. thats when you're gonna break equipment!


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## drbroccoli (Feb 8, 2010)

So a DJ fork is one that's built to be abused while still making landings tolerable. So the reba will be fine until I botch a landing?


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## Crankenator (Mar 27, 2007)

Riding a rigid fork for jumping is so much nicer, but less forgiving of course. If you don't land smoothly it's hard on the wrists. Upper body fitness and strong forearms do help, but it's still rough on the bod. Suspension jump forks are usually very stiff, just taking the edge off of the landing (you can run them a little plush if you want but most don't, because there's a lot of advantage in the launch with a stiff/rigid fork). 

They're also built stronger overall. Steel uppers, stronger crowns, usually a steel steerer. None of that matters until you case or bail in the air and the bike comes down on its nose. Think about it....5-6 pound forks with 80-100mm travel compared to 3-4 pounds for a comparable xc fork. More material. Better insurance. This doesn't matter so much on mini jumps, but "real" jumps are going to launch you higher, maybe farther....more impact.

Your Reba is a nice fork, and you don't need to worry about bottom out so much. What you need to worry about is anything other than a smooth landing, or sideways landings. You're probably good to about 4' with a decent landing on a transition, but keep in mind that you're taking a risk. Also, consider your frame. If you don't have a frame made for jumping, there's every possibility that it could fold under you or shear off the head tube on a bad hit. Make sure your bars and stem are strong, too...and your pedals for that matter.

I"ve seen some cheapie xc forks take way more abuse than I would have ever thought (I put an old Manitou Black through a lot of 3'-5' drops to flat concrete for 2 years). It's a risk, though, and the penalties of having your front end break out from under you are really high. Not worth it to me...I bought the right tools for the job as soon as I could.


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## drbroccoli (Feb 8, 2010)

I appreciate your advice. I'll probably get comfortable with a few simple jumps and drops, and if I really get into it, I'll buy a used DJ bike on craigslist.


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