New guy

[kt3486]

I am new to this forum, and to DJing. Right now I don't even have a DJ bike, I have an AM FS bike. Anyways, I am wanting to get a DJ bike sometime in the near future, and was wondering what you guys look for in a bike?

stuff like, what frame sizes generally fit you. etc..

thanks in advance.

[allsk8sno]

short steep low and light kinda sums it up, eastern has a nice build on jenson actually...too bad i don't have any money to blow...have to keep rockin the STP

[kt3486]

short steep low and light kinda sums it up, eastern has a nice build on jenson actually...too bad i don't have any money to blow...have to keep rockin the STP

you mind elaborating a bit? I am 5' 8", what size frame would you suggest I try out? On an AM MTB I would ride a 16"-17" frame, I don't think this is the same with a DJ MTB though.

What needs to be short, steep, and low?

what is considered "super light" when it comes to DJing, and what about reasonably "light" and still under 1k$

thanks.

[allsk8sno]

short CS, steep HA, Low Standover/seattube. something like a 21.5" top tube max

ok light is under 30 for the most part, good is 25 or less

go check out stuff at shops, look at the major players DJ bikes, compare and contrast and ride afew if possible try out someones around the same height as you.
Eastern Night Train (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BI297R00-Eastern+Nighttrain+26+Bike+08.aspx)
the 07 is on sale Here (http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BI309R00-Eastern+Night+Train+26+Complete+Bike+07.aspx)

gears are optional but you really don't need them Dj'ing

[sittingduck]

Single Speed.
Chainstays: 16" or less.
Top tube: 22" give or take a bit.
Seat tube: short.
BMX crankset 2.2:1 gear ratio. Small chainring and cog is nice. (27/12 is nice)
Horizontal dropouts are nice, Rennen tensioner if Vertical.
I would love to see more frames with BMX style BB, MID or Spanish. Also, integrated headsets are nice.

[Cru Jones]

Yeah, what sittingduck said. The typical mtb sizing that you're referring too isn't really used for most DJ bikes. The number 1 indicator of size on these bikes is top tube length. 21.5 to 22 should be good for your height.

[dexter]

70 degree or more head angle

[kt3486]

is singlespeed good for urban freeriding? I plan on manualing alot and hitting drops. What does HA stand for? I figured CS means chainstay.

I am pretty interested in the eastern thunderbird 08. Anyone have any experience with this bike?

[brycexlighthall]

I am pretty interested in the eastern thunderbird 08. Anyone have any experience with this bike?

I am running the thunderbird frame, I don't have too many of the stock parts from the build as I pretty much just wanted the frame. The frame ride awesome, just replace the parts as you can afford to.

Everything on that bike is solid, except for the fork, change that immediately.

Check this thread to see why: http://ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186245&highlight=rst+space&page=2

[freeridekid]

you could get a ballin' bmx for under $1000. just puttin it out there.

[kt3486]

you could get a ballin' bmx for under $1000. just puttin it out there.

that's a good point, I am open to the idea of getting a BMX bike.

Is it easier to learn how to ride street/park on a BMX bike with 20'' tires, or on a MTB with 24'' or 26'' tires?

I plan on going to a shop sometime this week and riding both types of bikes to see which I like better. But if you guys could give me some general information on why I would choose a 20'' BMX or a 24/26 inch MTB that would be great. I just want to know which bike is easier for learning to ride street/park.

[cmc]

lemme break it down this way:


20" :
1. Versatility. Street, Trails (meaning jumps), Skatepark, Flatland.
2. Extremely maneuverable, durable, and light, for tech riding, whether grinds, barspins, tailwhips, 360's, or flatland riding, etc.
3. Cheaper. More for your $$. Complete mid-level bike only $400. Pro bikes $800 - $1200.
4. Established 'scene' with more magazines, videos, contests etc.


26" :
1. New terrain possibilities and ability to "go big" due to large wheel and shock fork.
2. Main use is dirt jumps, 4x track (think rugged downhill bmx track), etc. Large wheels and wheelbase provide stability for big air on dirt jumps.
Skatepark can be done, but expect to concentrate more on jumping, big carving airs and big lines and less on tech tricks and tight transitions.
3. Shock fork has several benefits: smoothing out the ride on rough terrain, absorbing impacts from big drops on street, preventing wrist injury if you've already got a bad wrist like me.
4. Scene is new and less established, but that also means more opportunities to blaze new ground.



24" :
1. Kind of a blend of the above 2, although closer to 26". Better for technical skatepark riding than 26" because of shorter wheelbase. Shorter bmx-like chainstays means easier bunnyhops, easier 360's 540's etc.
2. Ideal for shorter rider who finds a 26" a little too big, but wants to do 26" style riding.
3. On the other hand, may feel too small to a tall rider, who is used to a 26". May need to make modifications like 3+" rise bars. Purely personal preference on this one.
4. Scene is very small, but who cares, do your own thing!! Fewer entry-level complete bike options at affordable price.

[freeridekid]

I went from bmx to 26 back to bmx, so I'm a little biased, but here are some points:

mountain bikes will give you a lot more confidence doing bigger dirt jumps, but are much harder to work with in a skatepark (plus they just look awkward and you'll have to put up w/ bs from both skaters and bikers).

once I had confidence on dirtjumps on the 26, I had no problem transferring it over to bmx. now i do bigger jumps on bmx than I ever did on mountain bikes (mostly due to my progression as a rider in general)

suspension does make things softer, but I have to say I've seen bmxers go way bigger on street than any mountain bikers (check out sean burns, jimmy levan, colt fake, etc...). the thing is that once you learn the correct way to land big drops you can do them just fine on a bmx. In fact I would much rather land really hard on a bmx than a mountainbike because bottoming out hurts worse than just landing hard on a rigid fork.

to be completely honest: unless you have some injury or you're really tall, riding mountain bikes for bmx stuff is like paying for a handicap. 26 will always be playing catch up to bmx.

[DirtBag]

^^ Last 2 posts have some good info.

To add to that if you come from the MTB end of riding, going with a 26" will feel more natural. I raced 20" BMX back in the 80's and swapped to 24" cruiser. Then I got into MTB XC racing and then DH/FR. As of the last couple years I got back into park and DJ. I just could not ride a BMX after riding XC/DH/FR for so long. I personally like a 26" better in the park and DJ because it just feels more natural.

So in short a lot of what you will want will come from where you have been.

[whale]

i'd say do what you can to test out as many bikes as possible. i've swapped bikes with many people at our local jumps to check them out...

i started on a 26". i bought a used 20" to try it out and found it too small for me and too hard on my body although it was easy to "flick". i got a 24" and found that it was the best fit for me. sold the 20" and the 26". depending on the way you look at it, i say a 24" can be the best of both worlds or the worst of both worlds combined or really just a give/take of each... but it fit me best personally.

test out some bikes if you can and find something that is comfortable and in your price range and don't worry about if you are a bmxer, mountain biker, or a switch hitter :brows:

the stp is a great starter DJ bike that won't break the bank. there are tons of "low budget" bmx bikes that can be found. 24" is a bit harder to come by.

[cmc]

I went from bmx to 26 back to bmx, so I'm a little biased, but here are some points:

mountain bikes will give you a lot more confidence doing bigger dirt jumps, but are much harder to work with in a skatepark (plus they just look awkward and you'll have to put up w/ bs from both skaters and bikers).

once I had confidence on dirtjumps on the 26, I had no problem transferring it over to bmx. now i do bigger jumps on bmx than I ever did on mountain bikes (mostly due to my progression as a rider in general)

suspension does make things softer, but I have to say I've seen bmxers go way bigger on street than any mountain bikers (check out sean burns, jimmy levan, colt fake, etc...). the thing is that once you learn the correct way to land big drops you can do them just fine on a bmx. In fact I would much rather land really hard on a bmx than a mountainbike because bottoming out hurts worse than just landing hard on a rigid fork.

to be completely honest: unless you have some injury or you're really tall, riding mountain bikes for bmx stuff is like paying for a handicap. 26 will always be playing catch up to bmx.

you're basically right on all of that.

the only thing i would say about "catch up" though it that it has more to do with the history of riding 20" vs. 26" and less to do with the bike itself.

as aaron ross and taj demonstrated at the Ray's contest, the skills of 20" riding are easily transferable. that doesn't mean that every trick will be just as easy, but it does mean that the level of riding could be easily on par. in other words it's not the bike, it's the skill set that riders have developed. i would wager that if you saw the top guys in bmx pick up 26"s as an extra bike, they could bust all the same craziness.

i think we have yet to see the full potential of 26".

[kt3486]

wow, lots of great posts. thanks guys.

After going to a bike shop today and trying out some bikes I have decided that I want to start out riding street/park on a 20'' bmx. It felt comfortable for me to try technical stuff on, due to the size and weight of the bike. I am only 5' 8" 135 lbs, and getting really technical on a bigger frame with 26'' tires is just less comfortable for me.

So now the question is what bike to get? At this point I am super interested in the WTP Addict 08. Danscomp has it for 419 plus i found a 10% discount code which deducts another $42. What do you guys think? Any suggestions for bikes in this price range? if so why? Also, will I be able to do barspins and tail whips with this bike, is the brake cable long enough?

thanks in advance.

[freeridekid]

wow, lots of great posts. thanks guys.

After going to a bike shop today and trying out some bikes I have decided that I want to start out riding street/park on a 20'' bmx. It felt comfortable for me to try technical stuff on, due to the size and weight of the bike. I am only 5' 8" 135 lbs, and getting really technical on a bigger frame with 26'' tires is just less comfortable for me.

So now the question is what bike to get? At this point I am super interested in the WTP Addict 08. Danscomp has it for 419 plus i found a 10% discount code which deducts another $42. What do you guys think? Any suggestions for bikes in this price range? if so why? Also, will I be able to do barspins and tail whips with this bike, is the brake cable long enough?

thanks in advance.

good choice on the bmx. I would also check out the subrosa malum dirt and eastern element. they're around that price range, have decent parts, and in my opinion are a little more aesthetically pleasing than the wethepeople.

oh and you will probably have to get a linear brake cable for barspins anyway, so cable length is kind of irrelevant.

[sittingduck]

BMX bikes are generally cheaper, easier to find used, and way more durable. (Wheels mostly)

[cmc]

wow, lots of great posts. thanks guys.

After going to a bike shop today and trying out some bikes I have decided that I want to start out riding street/park on a 20'' bmx. It felt comfortable for me to try technical stuff on, due to the size and weight of the bike. I am only 5' 8" 135 lbs, and getting really technical on a bigger frame with 26'' tires is just less comfortable for me.

So now the question is what bike to get? At this point I am super interested in the WTP Addict 08. Danscomp has it for 419 plus i found a 10% discount code which deducts another $42. What do you guys think? Any suggestions for bikes in this price range? if so why? Also, will I be able to do barspins and tail whips with this bike, is the brake cable long enough?

thanks in advance.

since you live in austin (or even if you didn't), you should be going to EMPIRE, not ordering from Dan's !!

[kt3486]

I read that the WTP is "trimoly" which means the frame is not %100 chromoly, so I have ruled this bike out.

I really like the sabrosa malum dirt, I'm assuming that this bike is made for street and park riding regardless of the name 'dirt'? noob question..

The eastern element appeals to me because it is slightly lighter than the sabrosa malum dirt, but the tt on the eastern element is 20.75'' and I think that might be too large.

So I am trying to decide on the sabrosa, slightly heavier (1.3 lbs) but a 1/4 inch shorter tt. or the eastern element, lighter, but longer.

thanks again guys

[freeridekid]

I read that the WTP is "trimoly" which means the frame is not %100 chromoly, so I have ruled this bike out.

I really like the sabrosa malum dirt, I'm assuming that this bike is made for street and park riding regardless of the name 'dirt'? noob question..

The eastern element appeals to me because it is slightly lighter than the sabrosa malum dirt, but the tt on the eastern element is 20.75'' and I think that might be too large.

So I am trying to decide on the sabrosa, slightly heavier (1.3 lbs) but a 1/4 inch shorter tt. or the eastern element, lighter, but longer.

thanks again guys

you should always double check the weights when looking at dans, because they mess them up pretty often (not saying these ones are off necessarily, just warning you).

malum "dirt" pretty much means its lighter and doesn't have a gyro, which is good.

I'm about 5'9/5'10 and ride a 20.75 frame and it feels pretty good. that's all personal preference though.

[kt3486]

since you live in austin (or even if you didn't), you should be going to EMPIRE, not ordering from Dan's !!

I called empire and they don't deal subrosa, and I want the subrosa malum dirt. They also said that all they had in stock were hoffmans. :(