# DJ that can be ridden for travel/commuting?



## Techz (Jul 10, 2007)

I want a bike for some mellow street and DJs.
It will also be used for commuting and running errands.

Is there a bike that can satisfy both? As in full leg extension for pedaling/traveling?
The seat tube needs to be about 15" or bigger. Most DJ bikes have a 14" seat rube or smaller.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

Techz said:


> I want a bike for some mellow street and DJs.
> It will also be used for commuting and running errands.
> 
> Is there a bike that can satisfy both? As in full leg extension for pedaling/traveling?
> The seat tube needs to be about 15" or bigger. Most DJ bikes have a 14" seat rube or smaller.


Yes. But, it kind of depends how tall you are and/or how much seatpost-raising you are comfortable with.

Check out this thread:

http://forums.mtbr.com/urban-dj-park/26-dj-bike-all-around-riding-792668.html


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## echo24 (Apr 27, 2012)

my ns ***** does not do good for commuting. but then again i have a 26/24 set up. i used my rm7 for commuting.


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## RobsterCraw (Oct 19, 2004)

I'm on the market for a commuter bike as well, and I was oh so close to finally giving up and getting a drop bar style rigid road bike, but I'm just not ready to do that yet.

When I was in college I had 2 bikes, I had my DH bike and my DJ/Urban bike. The latter was an all white Sinister DNA with a Marz DJ1 and SS gearing. I rode that bike everywhere. Shopping, school, trails, skatepark, you name it. I LOVED it. When I lived in London I would commute 10 miles round trip on it most days. That was tough, and roadies would pass me like I was standing still since I ran out of torque pretty quick but it was such a fun bike. When I moved back to California I decided to swap out the Maxxis Holy Rollers that had been on the bike since I built it with some skinnier tires. I also planned to swap out my single cog on the rear hub with a 9 speed cassette and derailleur so I could make better time on the distance. Before I could do that, my precious was stolen while I was in class.

This was my bike while I live in Switzerland:









Soon after that picture, I also put on some white deity cranks, bars, and stem.

I want to get to work nice and quick, but I also want something that can do what that bike did. If your commute is short, then you can just get a straight DJ bike with a long-enough seatpost tube that you can put it up when you have to just crank it up on boring parts. However, if you have a long commute like mine (11.5mi one way) then you'll probably need to make some sacrifices in terms of tire size and wheel strength. Geometry matters too, It isn't such a big deal when you are standing up pedaling, but if you are in the saddle pedaling, you'll notice a big difference if the seat position (not just the height) isn't right. With DJ bikes, most aren't designed with consideration of pedaling efficiency in the saddle in mind, so you'll have to do your own homework on whether you can get a good triangle between the handlebars, saddle, and bottom bracket with the right length of seat post.

It also may or may not help to consider one of those fancy drop seatposts.

Also, I just want to mention that I still think the Sinister DNA was the best designed DJ frame of all time. ( well maybe the angus was an improvement but I've never seen one)


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## scmalex (Apr 24, 2010)

My NS Surge (L) is what I commute to work on. Its about 5 miles with plenty of climbing, and its a joy to ride. I am about 6'4" and a 400mm seatpost is more than enough for full leg extension, but fully dropped it still has plenty of room. It has sliding dropouts so you can run SS or change your chainstay length and it is designed to run 120-160mm forks. Its by no means a proper DJ, but it seems like a good option for you.
Surge - NS Bikes 2012 - Stay True


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## Techz (Jul 10, 2007)

scmalex said:


> My NS Surge (L) is what I commute to work on. Its about 5 miles with plenty of climbing, and its a joy to ride. I am about 6'4" and a 400mm seatpost is more than enough for full leg extension, but fully dropped it still has plenty of room. It has sliding dropouts so you can run SS or change your chainstay length and it is designed to run 120-160mm forks. Its by no means a proper DJ, but it seems like a good option for you.
> Surge - NS Bikes 2012 - Stay True


Thanks man. I was also looking at the DK Astrix, SC Jackal and some of the On One stuff. Seems like that NS fits the bill and is streetable.


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## eurotrash666 (Jan 19, 2012)

I commute on my Sov pretty regularly. I have a hammerschmidt to deal with the 150 m of climb in my last kilometer. 5" dropper post is the key. 24/18 on a 26" feels like a bmx bike, crank-coast-crank-coast. It is not bad at all, and only really adds about 5 minutes to my total ride compared to riding cadence. The best part is being able to play and pop off the street features on the way to work. Can't do that on the skinny-tire bike!


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## jfactor1 (Sep 22, 2010)

I rode my KHS DJ-300 on a 50 mile group ride last year. I was running 9 speed in the back and it worked fine. I would've liked about 1" more seatpost though.


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## jason_recliner (Dec 4, 2012)

I used to have a 2005 Craftworks Rail which was my commuter, DH, XC, and DJ bike. It wasn't the quickest bike around, but all you do is allow an extra 5-10 minutes travel time. Easy.


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## bardragger (Feb 13, 2013)

I have always though of putting a dropper post on my Pbike. Would that be lame?


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