Thinking of building a DJ/XC crossover bike.... Good idea? Bad idea?

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Thinking of building a DJ/XC crossover bike.... Good idea? Bad idea?
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flag willems
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 8:26 Quote
So here's my thought. I'm not a big fan of cross country riding (not big enough to invest money into it), but i still do it a fair bit from time to time. I don't have a dirt jumper bike right now and I'm thinking of building one up over the winter. Now, would it be such a bad idea to buy a hard tail DJ frame, put something like a PIKE U-turn on it and then, to top it all off, put the new Truvativ Hammerschmidt cranks on it? I'd be running a 17t in the back (I DJ with a 17-36 ratio) and then the Hammerschmidt would do 24 and 36 i believe. Then of course I would throw something like Avid Elixirs on it and light bars, like Atlas.

So, i would have a fairly light single speed DJ bike with the ratio I like and then, if i jack the seat up, i would have a descent hard tail xc bike that can climb and descend fairly well.

Now, let me have it. How bad (or good) of an idea is this?
flag thrice
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 8:35 Quote
Actually it sounds pretty good to me. It seems as though it would be an awesome build.

Only thing I would be worried about is if it has a really low standover, you won´t be able to get the seatpost high enough. Unless you are fairly short and don´t require too long a seat post. What frames where you thinking about?
flag willems
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 8:41 Quote
So far i have been thinking about a giant STP and a Rocky Mountain Flow. But i think you are right. Being 6 foot, i would need a frame with a pretty long seat tube...

I also need a frame with iscg tabs to run the hammerschmidt and i'm not sure which ones have them... I think the hammerschmidt is just asking to be ran on a single speed set up but no one i have seen is doing it....
flag willems
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 8:54 Quote
I'm thinking something kinda like this.... (sexy build buy the way)
photo

3127350

p.s. its a Transition Bank
flag thrice
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 8:59 Quote
I´m six feet tall too, and I run a pretty high seat tube. But mainly because I do a lot of climbing I guess.

How about using a xc frame? Would that really screw things up for djs? Something like this.


As for the hamersh...(whatever), I would love to ride one of those, except my RM Slayer does not have the tabs. And I would´t know about running it single speed. You would still have a huge disadvantage over people with cassets. Of course the "two ring" set up feel would take the edge off climbs, but you would still have a really limited XC bike. Still, if you don´t race, and like you said, want a cross over bike. Then I guess the set up would pretty awesome and fun.
flag willems
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 9:08 Quote
I don't think it would change things up too much to have a higher cx type frame, its just that my first priority is to have a DJ bike... with the secondary option of using it as a xc bike when i go out with my buddies. And i don't do any races, so being extremely fast or efficient isn't too big of a deal. I just find that when i climb, i tend to just throw it in a really easy gear and cruise. then on flat to moderate uphill i use a pretty moderate gearing like 17-36 and then i can just coast on downhill... that how i ride xc... I just really like the challenge of only having 2 gearing options... i have done a few long rides (across cities and such) on my old DJ bike and that only had one speed....
flag thrice
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 9:18 Quote
Yeah, in that case I say go for it. If you already ride trails with your current DJ set up, a hamershmit will only make things better. Just do an awesome DJ build and then just get a seat tube big enough so it can help get some extention for the legs while still get full insertion.

And about the gearing, I wouldn´t know anything, so I guess going with what you know is fair enough. I would pretty much be lost without a rear casset, it sucks but you do get used to it when you ride one, and then become totally useless without it.
flag milanboez
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 9:19 Quote
my mate at uni rode everything on his bike. xc, park, street, dj'ing
he did it on a flow with argyles, disk brakes and 9 speed

back in the day people (me included) rode jumps on their xc bike. But as jump frames are light weight these days ide run one of those. Something like an atomlab trailpimp. Which is 5lb, has chaindevice tabs and can be run with gears or singlespeed. Then something like a pike, disks and its up to you bout gears/ singlespeed. Then just run a long seat post and have a change of tyres for whatever you're riding. I wouldnt buy an xc frame though, something for 4x or a light jump frame like the atomlab
flag sie7e
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 9:47 Quote
main problem I cant think of ie geomtry, XC and DJ are way too different geo. wise so having an hybrind wont let you perforn as well as you would with a specefici discipline bike/frame.

I'd suggest if you really want to have something XC able, get a dj/4x bike and keep gears as your main priority would be dj, gears wouldnt afect.
flag willems
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 9:59 Quote
sie7e wrote:
main problem I cant think of ie geomtry, XC and DJ are way too different geo. wise so having an hybrind wont let you perforn as well as you would with a specefici discipline bike/frame.

I'd suggest if you really want to have something XC able, get a dj/4x bike and keep gears as your main priority would be dj, gears wouldnt afect.

yeah, frame wise im thinking a bank or vagrant which is kind of a AM frame... and i just really like the feel of single speed. I know a cassette would work. I just like trying new things...
flag sie7e
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 10:02 Quote
willems wrote:
sie7e wrote:
main problem I cant think of ie geomtry, XC and DJ are way too different geo. wise so having an hybrind wont let you perforn as well as you would with a specefici discipline bike/frame.

I'd suggest if you really want to have something XC able, get a dj/4x bike and keep gears as your main priority would be dj, gears wouldnt afect.

yeah, frame wise im thinking a bank or vagrant which is kind of a AM frame... and i just really like the feel of single speed. I know a cassette would work. I just like trying new things...
just get a dj bike then and get used to long rides on SS, its not that bad ive done many miles on my dj bike, with or w/out high seat.
flag Rattsl
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 10:05 Quote
The best thing you can do is build a Transition Trans Am or NS Surge..your not gonna get a xc/dj bike. You'll get a AM bike.
flag willems
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 10:31 Quote
Rattsl wrote:
The best thing you can do is build a Transition Trans Am or NS Surge..your not gonna get a xc/dj bike. You'll get a AM bike.
but i want a devoted dj bike that can ride xc if it has too.... i want it to be better at dj... I'm just tired of riding xc on my fr bike with my friends... and i really dont want to invest any monay into a xc bike... at all...
flag t3aSeR
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 10:44 Quote
willems wrote:
Rattsl wrote:
The best thing you can do is build a Transition Trans Am or NS Surge..your not gonna get a xc/dj bike. You'll get a AM bike.
but i want a devoted dj bike that can ride xc if it has too.... i want it to be better at dj... I'm just tired of riding xc on my fr bike with my friends... and i really dont want to invest any monay into a xc bike... at all...
You don't get something like that.
flag willems
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 at 11:06 Quote
t3aSeR wrote:
willems wrote:
Rattsl wrote:
The best thing you can do is build a Transition Trans Am or NS Surge..your not gonna get a xc/dj bike. You'll get a AM bike.
but i want a devoted dj bike that can ride xc if it has too.... i want it to be better at dj... I'm just tired of riding xc on my fr bike with my friends... and i really dont want to invest any monay into a xc bike... at all...
You don't get something like that.
i thank i can with the right frame and the hammerschmidt....
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