Dj Bikes as daily riders?

[Speedy]

I've been shopping round for a Dj bike alot lately and my only concern is how do they go with the fairly short gearing on them as daily riders?

I ride 8km to skool and alot further back as i make constant detours all the time through my fav trails, anyways i have to ride everywhere now (DONT SPEED) i used to ride to school and back all the time so i dont really care that much. To the point though most of my riding atm is on long country roads with lots of flats where on my old thrashed Giant Rincon is just sitting on 35-40 my question is can you do this on a DJ bike comfortably?

[hasta muerta]

I've been shopping round for a Dj bike alot lately and my only concern is how do they go with the fairly short gearing on them as daily riders?

I ride 8km to skool and alot further back as i make constant detours all the time through my fav trails, anyways i have to ride everywhere now (DONT SPEED) i used to ride to school and back all the time so i dont really care that much. To the point though most of my riding atm is on long country roads with lots of flats where on my old thrashed Giant Rincon is just sitting on 35-40 my question is can you do this on a DJ bike comfortably?


that sucks eh?? i'm in the exact same boat. damn its lame...

there was a good article i think it was in 'dirt' about a DJ/ enduro bike... it was a yeti dirt jumper hardtail, pike team air forks, with a long seat post..

i ride about that distance to my jumps on my orange hitman, just regular 9 gears on the back... it goes alright for a fat chick mate...so IMO you'll be peachy

[Speedy]

Yeah it does suck i have 34 months left Lol so I wanna make a good choice :D

I was looking at da yeti already so thats made me feel better bout it, ill be in sydney next year so ill be riding in more of a sprint style rather than XC so it wont be as much of an issue anyone know what has happened to the Cove Bikes website?

[StormFire]

considering the number of guys on those forums that get around on singlespeed commuters, i don't think you'll have any issues getting around with 8 or 9 gears.

However a dirtjumper definately won't move along like a cross country bike, but it is bearable. I've ridden my dirtjumper 15 km from my place to the nearest train station a few times, with a few hills in between, and it's no real problem. The only problem i find with mine is that i can't get seat high enough to get the whole proper leg extension thing happening, so i find myself having to stand and power up any hills, instead of being able to stay seated as you would on a roadie or cross country bike...however a longer seat post would be an easy fix to that.

All up though, it depends on how comfortable you want to be. It won't be as easy to pedal...but you'll be able to have more fun on it when you get to where you're going. So you've just gotta weigh up what you want out of a bike and make your decision after that.

[Speedy]

I wouldnt mind powerng up the hills i do that anyway so hey it would also make getting there more fun :D what rims dont buckle under 6ft plus drops to flats ground, im supprised the Rincon has not broken yet the frame that is the rims need replacing for the 2nd time. Thanks for da advice people ive made my mind up its DJ all the way now, all thats left is to decide on a bike ;)

[johnny]

I ride 20kms a day (medium to long hills) on a Cannondale Chase SS. I love it. Crossing the Harbour Bridge requires the seat up (my knees can't take too much these days) but most of it you're hopping gutters and dropping stairs (I'm soo hardkor3) most of the way so the seat's down.

I hate getting up in the morning, but when I get on the bike, things really pick up :)

[hasta muerta]

dude 34 months?!!! how fucking quick were you going!? hahahaha
i'd suggest if you have the money get a yeti dj'er... unless steel is what u prefer. i find steel is nicer as adj/street bike, but u'd want the weight advantage that comes with aluminium for city sprinting... or something like that

[hardinge915]

dude 34 months?!!! how fucking quick were you going!? hahahaha
i'd suggest if you have the money get a yeti dj'er... unless steel is what u prefer. i find steel is nicer as adj/street bike, but u'd want the weight advantage that comes with aluminium for city sprinting... or something like that
i was just about to ask the same thing

[S_M_I_D_D_Y]

the yeti is a nice bike, but having ridden regans small frame, it is really short. i almost hit my front foot with the tire with the forks facing forwards. so mabey think about getting a medium (do they exist?) or large unless your a pretty small guy. it will be much more comfortable.

[isthisthepart]

just crank your seat up real high and you've got the equivalent to a xc bike :P

[johnny]

Not real good for some frames though.

[jasevr4]

I used to commute on my Craftworks Slalom Pro.

Only problem is that your tyres wear quicker.

[Speedy]

Um I was doing 160 in an 80 zone, but it was a rural road at midnight i cant really justify it at all its was pretty farkin stupid I copped a 2K fine as well so dont speed! Ive also been pulled over on my push bike for speeding in a 40 zone despite the fact that cars were still passing me :mad:

I had the Speedy name before i started to drive BTW...

yeah a higher seat would pus extra stress on the frame, i rode round last night for 3 hours with the seat down to see whats its like and I reckon i can live with it, thanks for the advice again peoples.

[maca192]

[QUOTE=hasta muerta]that sucks eh?? i'm in the exact same boat. damn its lame...

there was a good article i think it was in 'dirt' about a DJ/ enduro bike... it was a yeti dirt jumper hardtail, pike team air forks, with a long seat post..

i ride about that distance to my jumps on my orange hitman, just regular 9 gears on the back... it goes alright for a fat chick mate...so IMO you'll be peachy[/QUOTE
yeah i think i saw that it was mad

[LTR]

Um I was doing 160 in an 80 zone, but it was a rural road at midnight i cant really justify it at all its was pretty farkin stupid I copped a 2K fine as well so dont speed! Ive also been pulled over on my push bike for speeding in a 40 zone despite the fact that cars were still passing me :mad:
Stay away from my children. :D

Seriously, a long seatpost and some skinnier tyres for riding your trails would do the trick, just find a frame of about 16inches in seat-tube and you'll be good, no worries.

[tanlicouz]

I don't think that even without the seat fully extended it is that bad. Sure it is hard to keep it at 30 to 40 kms but if you try and train yourself you can do it. I ride bout 8 kms to to uni and back most days and its not too bad, i don't gun it but i just go at a pace where it is comfortable enough to maintain a conversation with my imaginary friend.

But think about it, you will strengthen your knees and the thighs by riding in that lower position.

[Speedy]

In the mornings its cruisy cuz my real friend, used to be imaginary, and i just chat but in the arvo it used to be an all out race just me on my own but now that he rides its cruisy too cuz the bastard stopped riding for a while so hes unfit, to be honest thats my only real concern, that i can keep wooping his ass once he gets faster again ;) im such a wanker.

ive gotta make the trip to syd to get a bike though or atleast wgong, my local shop didnt even know what a DJ bike was...

[P3_DJer]

Hey speedy

i ride on my P3 all over the place to place like majura, skate park, bmx track and so on at first i had trouble with my downhill tyres but when i upgraded to maxxis holyrollers the riding on the road and uphills was so much easier because of there low rolling resistance i also find that having my seat up high like a cross country bike helps.

hope this has helped u out

[AirForceOnes]

how about you go try it on a dually... :P itll make you fit... when i ride my dj bike around its piss easy!

[Rik]

Keep close attention to your joints if you ride alot with the seat down. IMO it's stupidly inefficient to do any sort of commuting on a small bike, it's doable of course, but so is walking backwards for that distance.

[Endo]

Personally, I find riding any long distance on my DJ bike is a pain in the.... knees and, yeh, the arser too (hard seat) I've got a old Schwinn as my commuter and it's heaps more comfy than my DJ bike worth much more than that. run slicks - it's amazing the difference it makes to the rolling resistance...

..my 2c...

[konasaurus]

When i need to i commute on my single speed on one gimp it has a rather heavy build 321's .. smack daddy cranks etc .. and yeah it still manages to be a nice easy comfortable ride

[SDA]

I used to commute on my Planet X when I was back home!

I set it up with a Sherman Flick fork with 90/130mm travel adjustment, Larsen TT's, Chainguide with 38t chainring on the front, 9sp rear, 350mm seatpost & a comfty WTB Laser V seat. Check my signature... its for sale!

I would just put the seat up & it would pedal great! I wouldn't get full leg extension, but I am over 6 feet tall! It was great for all the singletrack around the yarra... then you could put the seat down, change the travel & hit up all the dirt jumps!

Cheers

[Speedy]

Thanks for the advice everyon the yays and nays.
Bit of a revival of an old thread.

I've been cruisin on my rincon with the seat down and i dont mind it but yeah the knees after a long ride feel a bit funny but live fast and die young:D

SDA i ordered a bike the other day so sorr mate i cant buy it. What i got should be fine for daily riding i'm over 6ft too so hopefully the seat post go go XC style, i got a X-7 rear mech, shimano deore front and X-9 shifters, theres a pair of Fox Vanillas up front ad RaceFace riser bars so the front end should be high enough for me but it is a 13.5 inch frame:rolleyes:

[Superman]

What bike did you end up getting?

I reckon if you just got something thats a nice size for you, whack some holy rollers or if ya want maybe even ritchey moby bites (2.1" slicks). Holy Rollers only come in 2.4 for 26" i think though, but johnny appears to ride 20km a day to work with them and he isnt complaining so they cant be bad huh.

Sam

Oh and just run standard tubes for that kind of thing too. You might want a seat you like too. As long as your a pretty smooth jumper you'll be able to build up something quite light i reckon.

[floody]

Keep close attention to your joints if you ride alot with the seat down. IMO it's stupidly inefficient to do any sort of commuting on a small bike, it's doable of course, but so is walking backwards for that distance.

I tried to ride cross town to the bikepark on my P-bike, and even with 8-10" of seat pole projection it was ridiculously inefficient. Best I could average was ~17kmh with standing bursts to 25kmh or so....
Just get some old snotter to commute on. I use an old retro XC bike I've had for 10 years or so (actually, not a shitter, its all top shelf 1995 stuff, lol), but not everyone has that opportunity.

[Rik]

I tried to ride cross town to the bikepark on my P-bike, and even with 8-10" of seat pole projection it was ridiculously inefficient. Best I could average was ~17kmh with standing bursts to 25kmh or so....Yeh, it gets a bit silly, doesn't it? With my seatpost at max extension, the seat is barely the same level as the bars. When you're used to cruising around at 30km/h without too much effort, struggling to do 20km/h seems incredibly futile.
Sure, if you like having your knees explode on you and enjoy taking the time to watch the scenery crawl by, it's fine to get about on a DJ bike... but if you want to commute "properly" (ie, efficiently), an old XC bike is the way to go.

On the note of tyres, Holy Rollers buzz a fair shitload, even at high pressure. the DMR Moto has a bit tighter spaced knobs, and has a few different size options, so makes for a more versatile choice in tyre if you're combining street and dirt work and don't want too much rolling resistance.

[johnny]

Is there much diferrence between the DMR moto and Kenda K-rads? I like the Holly Rollers, but am looking for a cheaper alternative. Yet the K-rads are smaller than the HR's. What are the Motos like in comparrison?

[Binaural]

I used to commute to work on Kent st in Sydney from Annandale on a big ol' Raceline DH bike with a cut-down seat post. Never again - hurt my knees, was deadly slow, and the big tires sounded like civilisation collapsing (and felt like I was pulling a trailer).

DJ and DH bikes are only good for regular commutes under about 10km - otherwise time just drags unless you are riding trails or tricks on the way home.

[johnny]

I used to commute to work on Kent st in Sydney from Annandale on a big ol' Raceline DH bike with a cut-down seat post. Never again - hurt my knees, was deadly slow, and the big tires sounded like civilisation collapsing (and felt like I was pulling a trailer).

DJ and DH bikes are only good for regular commutes under about 10km - otherwise time just drags unless you are riding trails or tricks on the way home.
Just did 22 kms on the Stinky (over 20kgs) as a commute. I usually do it on the SS Chase.:cool:

[Binaural]

See you in the nursing home, showoff :)

[johnny]

Remember that thread I made about having overly sore legs? Well now you know why........:o

[Speedy]

DJ and DH bikes are only good for regular commutes under about 10km - otherwise time just drags unless you are riding trails or tricks on the way home.

At the moment I do get to ride along 5km of great single track to get home but i have to skip the jumps and take the chicken lines on the bike i ride atm.

What bike did you end up getting?

Cove Foreplay MX:D

Yeah slicks sound like a sweet idea.

You big showoff Johnny 20km hey good effort:p

[Endo]

Just did 22 kms on the Stinky (over 20kgs) as a commute. I usually do it on the SS Chase.:cool:

Your thighs must rub a fair bit when you walk mate!

[Grip]

Arghhhhh.... ya bunch of teat-fed, silk-blouse-wearing bad boys!!!!!! This bloke is riding a single speed, fully rigid, CrMo jump bike (On-one Gimp) and he jumped it....

http://forums.farkin.net/photo/data/507/TalGimpDemo1.jpg

.... raced it....

http://forums.farkin.net/photo/data/507/talon_-_bacchus_marsh_2.jpg

... and used it as his courier bike for over a year all at the same time!

Now muscle up, girls!:D

[Speedy]

Haha shit...

Nice jump there, do his wrists still function silk blouse wearing poeple like us need sussy;)

The kid in the black ecko shirt looks like hes trying to look up the jumping single speed guys pants.

[nou0002]

wow, thats rad

[floody]

meh whoopee Grip... :D Is that Talon?
I raced DH on a fully rigid bike for at least 3 years-and every time my forks shit themselves after that...And jumped, rode trials, rode to school 6kms and back every day, raced XC...

[Grip]

:D Is that Talon?

Yeah. I was going to post up pics of me doing the exact same stuff, but strangely I couldn't find them. ;)

[bumjube]

Just did 22 kms on the Stinky (over 20kgs) as a commute. I usually do it on the SS Chase.:cool:

My stab primo was my daily street ride and commute bike to and fro work.Although i added a a STP zero for a commute bike and i can tell you after using the stab with 2.7 super tacky's the Zero peddles great except i cant keep up to the cars down city road