Advice for this aging MTB/BMX dad to get into a Dirt Jumper

Author	Message

dannysimon

Posted: Feb 17, 2021 at 15:56

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Hi,

Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere - I did find some similar threads (old and new) and am trying to distill those down and take them into account as well. I'm torn on what direction to go in here, and thought I might gain some additional perspective and advice for my specific scenario.

I'm 37, grew up dirt jumping BMX as a teenager in the foothills of Santa Clarita Valley in Southern California. Man, we had some sick jumps - brings back some memories! I also raced some BMX, moto, etc. Anyway, I've been heavy into all-mountain MTB since about 2014. I now live out in Murrieta, CA - we have some killer local trails with a great combination of climb, technical stuff, and flowy, well-built/timed jump sections (dirt jumper won't be for that, just giving some background).

My son (turns 4 years old in May) is getting pretty legit on his pedal bike. We recently started to check out the pump tracks, which he's doing well on. For now, I just hop in there with my Intense Carbine 29er and putt around, but of course it's not really the right fit. Also, I MTB clipless, so I'm riding with regular shoes on a postage-stamp sized clipless pedal, which is pretty sketchy.

So, I need a bike for the pump track. And for any future dirt jumping. And for screwing around in the neighborhoods in general. Part of me is like "Dude, get the cheapest POS you can get," but on the other hand, I really appreciate a nice build, modern geometry (whatever that might be), and decent components. I'm not the type to swap into and out of bikes all the time, so typically an investment in something on the nicer end up front makes sense for me (for example, I'm still on my 2016 Carbine that I have ridden 2x per week every week for the last 5 years).

From perusing the BuySell ads, I'm finding out that the resale market is expensive due to COVID, and also new bikes are hard to come by. I was planning to run my PinkBike searches every week and see what comes along (ideally something local I could go physically check out), but I'm wondering if that will ever happen and if I'm really gonna save anything from a cost perspective anyway.

From a new perspective, a Transition PBJ won't be available until who-knows-when. I found Canyon has their Stitched 360 available now (the non-pro version - I read in another PinkBike thread that the pro version won't be available until Spring 2021, and who knows really...)

I had the Stitched 360 in my cart and almost bought it, but just can't make up my mind.

Should I hold out and look for something used (I guess to get a "better" bike used for the same price, or a similar bike for less price?) Or should I just buy the new Canyon Stitched 360 and be done with it? Or, other options?

I'm 6ft tall, 195lbs, with a long torso. I'm planning on getting a Large/Long based on my height and usage will be more pump track than street, and being "used to" a longer feeling MTB, etc.

I appreciate any advice you can give!

Jph98

Posted: Feb 17, 2021 at 23:29

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Hey,

I'm sure others will be along shortly with far more useful advice as i'm new to the DJ scene but first of all respect to you for supporting your son with getting into cycling, My daughter (3) is building confidence on her Orange Peeler balance bike and i'm hopeful she will be able to enjoy the local pump track this summer.

I'm in the early stages of building up a Transition PBJ. I got lucky finding a shop in the UK that had 1 in stock but I spent a long time debating the whole frame-up custom build versus full bike option and for me I just couldn't find a factory build that I would have been happy with so a custom build from a frame was the obvious choice.

Also I've decided that my bike will be more 4x than DJ so will be running a front brake and possibly even a 7speed DH cassette just to make the bike more usable in a range of environments - again this steered me towards a custom build.

You mention that you keep your bikes for a long time, and i'm guessing that you're possibly someone that might upgrade and replace parts over the years? If that's the case I would advise buying the best quality frame you can right from the start, otherwise you'll just be thinking 'what-if' after a few months/years.

The Commencal Absolut frame looks nice, and is (fairly) readily available in the UK right now so that might be an option for you in the US.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

pnwshreddin

Posted: Feb 18, 2021 at 8:03

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Hey, my dad who is 50 recently wanted to do some dirt jumping with me and his rig ended up being a longer frame, 7spd and a front and rear brakes. Considering your going to be riding pumptracks, a front brake should definitely be in the cards, and 7spd is a popular choice among pump track riders as well. These options also wouldn’t get in the way for dirt jumping anyway so I think should should definitely consider that.

I think you can still save a lot of money on the buysell, and that is a great place to look, a lot of people will be selling a similar setup as to what I just described.

However, pumptracks and dirt jumps are also perfectly doable with single speed and a rear brake. You could buy the canyon stitched and then slowly upgrade it, or your best bet for a custom build would probably be the commencal absolut, as mentioned above.

Hope this helps

dannysimon

Posted: Feb 18, 2021 at 11:58

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Thanks for the replies and info guys!

Ok so I just randomly called around semi-local dealers of Transition bikes (I hadn't done that before because I assumed absolutely nobody would have any stock), but turns out one place has both a L and an XL in the Black/Copper (the color I would choose). Crap, I might just do that to be done with it.

Thoughts?

If I pull the trigger on the PBJ, would you advise the L or XL? I had previously determined L. It sounded like Transition's bikes are on the longer end of things anyway, so a L is pretty long, and an XL probably way overkill. I'm not 6ft 5in (I was reading specifically around page 6 of this thread: https://www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=54251&pagenum=6) There was a guy 6ft 5in who was being advised to go L over XL.

Jph98, yes I do keep my bikes a long time, but generally try to not get something that will need to be upgraded soon after. I have too many other competing projects right now (and I'm sure that's not going to change anytime soon), and the use of the Dirt Jumper will be much more "casual" than my primary MTB activities. My 2016 Intense Carbine came with Shimano XT groupset, and the bike shop worked in an pre-purchase upgrade on fork and shock, and I took my nice wheelset over from my prior bike. So other than maintenance and repairs, I have not made any real changes. I just ride the piss out of it and fix things as they come. I just overhauled the fork and shock and plan to keep it at least a couple more years before upgrading to "new standards" (Boost, etc.)

I hadn't really considered the front brake thing and gears...hmm... I have seen a little bit of this, but not much. I wonder if I'll really be clicking off gears in the pump track.? Kinda wanted to keep it as simple as possible.

forty0

Posted: Feb 18, 2021 at 14:02

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the circus sport on the 360 is... less than desirable... and really holds back some of the lower end dj builds from other brands as well, kind of a bummer for otherwise capable bikes
the circus expert is a fantastic fork but the sport is not comparable

if you have the budget grab the large pbj and be done with it
its a great bike with solid build, maybe throw some riser bars on to adjust fit if needed, on dj bikes stack influences fit more than reach so bar height will be something you will have to feel out your sweet spot

front brake and gears can be thought of later, i dont miss either and have had them on/off for different builds

a good dj bike will last a decade easy, buy quality and buy once, enjoy the new whip if you grab it, hope it works out well

Jph98

Posted: Feb 18, 2021 at 14:44

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dannysimon wrote:

Great news that you've found a couple of PBJ's available, are they just frames or complete bikes? If they're complete bikes can you go and check out the L and XL to see what suits you better? From everything I've read i think a large would be fine for you. I'm 6-4 and specifically wanted a long reach to give me more of am mtb feel rather than a dj feel so the xl was a no brainer.

If you buy a full bike rather than build your own make sure you check that the front hub can take a brake disc. IMO adding a front brake is a great idea for street riding but if the hun can't take a disc it will mean a new wheel. My desire to run 7 speed is probably 10% necessity and 90% nostalgia from the cool 4x bikes is used to lust after 10 years ago. Single speed is definitely the more simple option and it sounds like it would work for you.

If you do a custom build what forks will you run? I want some marzocchi dj's but will have to order from a USA shop as there aren't any left in the UK.

oathead

O+ FL

Posted: Feb 18, 2021 at 18:23

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We're similar in a lot of ways. I'm 40, have two young girls, and also rode a fair amount of bmx when I was younger. I just got a Commencal Absolut and it's the best ~$1200 I've spent in a long time. Great for riding around the neighborhood with my girls, and also a blast at the pump track. I'm also 6ft and got the large. I definitely notice the extra length compared to friends smaller dj bikes, and I really appreciate it. I think at 6ft you'll like the extra 20-30mm of reach on the pbj or absolute, vs the canyon. Either way, I'm sure you'll have fun with whatever you get.

dannysimon

Posted: Feb 19, 2021 at 17:06

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I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Long PBJ. Chris at Alpine Ride Shop (east of San Diego, CA) was great. Turned out, they had a couple stashed away from late 2020 and they had just recently pulled them out for display. Got lucky with the timing!

I sorta tried both the L and XL out, but short of actually riding them around, I didn't think that was gonna be real meaningful, and the XL did seem very long, so I went with the L.

Really does seem like a great build with quality components. Definitely spendy... I didn't think I was gonna spend this much when I went "Oh I should get a cheapy BMX to fart around with Nathan in the pump track," but I'm not good at buying kinda sub-par. Figure do it once and be done with it. And building up over time definitely does not interest me at this point in my life either.

Front hub has provision for a brake, if I ever did want to add that, so that's cool.

The bars on these are SUPER wide - not in a bad way necessarily, but yeah. I think my Carbine has 760mm bars, and these are 785mm per their specs, you really notice that extra 25mm. I have pretty broad shoulders though, so I tend to like wider bars anyway. I need to tilt the bar back a bit maybe...kinda feels like it's twitchy like when you have the bars rolled too far forward. Going to play around with it a bit this weekend.

Re: fork, yeah I had read that the Manitou Circus Sport isn't great, so that kinda turned me off, although I did run across something that said for like $40 you can swap in the damper from the Expert and turn it into an Expert. In any case, I imagine the RockShox DJ Pike is superior anyway.

I have only cruised around the street with my boy so far, but it is so much better (sounds ridiculous considering obviously this type of riding is in no way what this bike is capable of, but yeah). Being able to easily stop and stand, having full platforms vs. clipless pedals, etc. The balance point is totally different of course. I suck at manualling, but can tell it can do that much more readily than a MTB. I'll have to work on that. We'll see if I can avoid road-rashing my 37 year old body haha.

Thanks again everyone!

bikebike69

Posted: Feb 20, 2021 at 1:42	Quote
Hey bro. A little off subject but....have you been up to Thousand Oaks to Sapwi Bikepark yet? GREAT DJ spot and has a Pumptrack for the kids. A lot of us “older guys” are out there in the am hours.

dannysimon

Posted: Feb 22, 2021 at 17:45

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bikebike69 wrote:

Hey bro. A little off subject but....have you been up to Thousand Oaks to Sapwi Bikepark yet? GREAT DJ spot and has a Pumptrack for the kids. A lot of us “older guys” are out there in the am hours.

Hey, no I have not, but I wrote it down for future reference. Looks nice for sure! Thanks for the tip! It's rad that there is a pretty sizable older-dude crowd who grew up doing this and are still at it! Sick picture too man.

gnfam

Posted: Mar 23, 2021 at 9:03

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I know I'm late to the party, but found this thread as I'm looking for similar info. Also in the 40+ club but relatively new to this. Went to a bike park with my 10yr old son the last two weekends in a row, and I think I had more fun than he did. We usually just do long family bike rides on paved trails, so I knew my hybrid (Diamondback Trace Comp) wasn't built for much more than gravel, but it survived going around the pump track.

So, looking to get an actual dirt jumper so I don't destroy my bike or my body. Because bikes are so hard to find these days, I was considering trying to find a used hardtail and convert it to be more pump track/jump worthy. I consider myself to be very mechanically inclined, and I love projects, but after some research, this sounds like a bad idea. Am I wrong?

Now I'm back to looking for a new or used DJ. Was hoping not to spend too much $$$ (under $1000) since I'm new, and if my kid loses interest, I'll still go to the bike park, but likely not as often. I'm checking the buy/sell regularly, but any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. And I'm 6'2" w/ a slightly long torso. Thx in advance.

Chilly4life

Posted: Apr 1, 2021 at 12:24	Quote
PBJ’s are nice. Budget friendly Haro dirt jumpers can be found on Dan’s Comp website.

gnfam

Posted: Apr 25, 2021 at 8:15

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Chilly4life wrote:

PBJ’s are nice. Budget friendly Haro dirt jumpers can be found on Dan’s Comp website.

I was able to snag a used Haro Steel Reserve 1.2 a few weeks ago. Slowly getting used to it, but it still feels really small coming from a big hybrid bike. Holding on to it for now, but thinking about getting something bigger whenever manufacturers have more bikes in stock.

bikebike69

Posted: Apr 25, 2021 at 11:37	Quote
Steel Reserve is a solid, well done. You’ll get use to it.

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