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@PrinceJohn - enjoy - pump track bikes (or DJ if you have the bottle) are great fun. Would be nice if the weather would improve though
That Chaos machine looks ace, if I didn't have a sorted 24" bike I'd be on that in a flash. Problem is it really needs a decent set of trails and all my local ones have gone, the ones I used to dig at have been turned into an Aldi and I don't have the time to start a set from scratch. Nearest ones to me are in Otterspool but it's at least an hours drive.
The main problem with the Chaos Machine is that's it's taking forever to come out! Kunstform in Germany had a full WTP/Éclat build which looks like it's potentially a 'complete', (BMX language for a full bike). It sold out on the first day.
There's also a 22" S&M Mad Dog with disc brake coming but who knows when.
If Wethepeople do release a complete I might just grab one and worry about it later. It would certainly be cheaper than building an S&M and much easier than tracking down 22" tyres and rims etc.
As for local trails, I've got lots of options which are way beyond my current ability. I fancy a trip to Cleethorpes which looks like a perfect place to level up a bit.
@joebristol - managed to take it out on Sunday evening - it's sooooo much fun, getting used to it & need to tweak a few things (decent saddle & brake levers) but it's just insanely responsive.
I might be 47 - but this bike makes me feel like a kid again (although the muscle pains I've had since suggest I need to build up strength)
muscle pains I’ve had since suggest I need to build up strength
I had exactly the same when I bought a DJ/Trials bike. Forearms and shoulders ached and I got Tennis/Golfers elbow in both arms. All resolved themselves after a bit more riding.
Keep riding and the muscles will get stronger - it's all good for your body and mind!
PS: I'm 57
https://www.youtube.com/live/Z5ZPSg_83K8?si=WEcLmbix3ULli5E_
YouTube link for the BMX world champs going on over in rock hill.
Age groups now, elites at weekend
Looks fun for sure, Ruben and Garrett started developing these about 5 years ago or maybe more. WTP bringing them to the masses...
Realistically though - who are they aimed at? BMX riders who want to ride the DH parks but don't want to go over to full MTB mode?
Coincidentally I watched that Swamp Master video just yesterday. Yeah it looks fun but it's £1600 and I've never seen one in real life.
When I've got the time and money to ride a bike park I kind of just want my mountain bike which is perfect for the job.
When I'm riding pump track and trails I don't want suspension.
So I'm not sure who they're for either.
The video does make an absolute mockery of some of the questions that get asked on this forum though. People stressing endlessly over tyres and geometry and the minutae of every setup possibility. Blake has the wrong bike for everything and he's still shredding.
Yeah I'm not really sure who they're for, looks a lot of fun though 🙂 I guess aging bmxers with joint pain or those who want more stability on big jumps.
Fantastic vid- maybe my old 26er Trance would work on a jump line. Not with my skills- overbiked is always where I want to be.
Overbiked makes jumps harder and less fun though! Get where you're coming from with a confidence boost viewpoint though!
The funny thing about BMX's is although the wheelbase on them is obviously super short, and the head angle rediculously steep in comparison to a modern MTB, the reach on them is actually pretty long giving you more room to move around than you typically get on an older DJ or MTB. It's just the front wheel being so tucked in with the head angle that makes them feel so unstable if you're not used to it.
My 22" BMX took some getting used to but it makes my 26" PBJ feel like a barge.
I'm a bit gutted because my PBJ was my favourite bike and now I've kind of ruined it! Not sure what I'll use it for now.
https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3876979/
Someone buy this before I change my mind.
£999 to STW members!
I went on my dirt jump bike yesterday for the first time in ages. Felt mega twitchy and I was all over the place at the local pump track. Definitely need more time on it before I’d feel even remotely comfortable taking it somewhere like Bolehills. That’s a lovely looking bike too by the way @sharkattack
That’s a lovely looking bike too by the way @sharkattack
Thanks, I know! I'm trying to free up some space in a cluttered garage and I want the cash for something else. Hopefully my motorbike sells first and I can hang onto it for a bit longer.
Having said that, I'm loving the BMX at the minute and switching between bikes is hard.
Good grief stop posting photos of places like that!!!
BMX Looks great but those jumps are just reminding me what I'm missing out on.
Bumping this rather than creating a new thread - have any of you tried your DJ type bikes on groomed hardpack "bike park" style MTB trails? How does it ride, too steep/twitchy still or loads of fun?
Realised I don't really like covering miles on a MTB that much, would rather get a road or gravel bike for doing pedally rides. Pretty much all I ride is flowy bike park stuff (Northampton/Leamington/Chicksands/Woburn etc). Finding my 29" hardtail a bit boring and not poppy, a 27.5" park bike would be too much, so feels like a slightly longer/slacker 26" DJ style bike might be ideal and more like the bikes I used to have the most fun on. Something with a tapered headtube to be able to slacken it a bit with a Works headset if needed. I probably shouldn't have sold my old Dartmoor Hornet, likely would have been ideal with a shorter fork 😅
I rode my singlespeed 26" Sidekick up at Leamington a few weeks ago. It was terrifying and knackering, but I didn't die. Less than 60psi in the tyres would probably have helped a fair bit though, and I need to get the front end at a more reasonable height, it's waaaay too low at the moment. Got to say though, my Izzo is a riot up there (and Northampton). So much so that I keep trashing wheels by going a bit too hard for my limited skill set.
A DJ bike is vastly superior to the MTB's I learned to ride on in the 90's in probably every area except gearing. And I was much more daring and reckless in those days.
It makes me wince thinking about the stuff we used to do on bikes in those days given how regularly we were snapping frames, forks and axles. Everything used to break all the time and nobody wore helmets.
I have a DMR Rhythm which is absolutely super for pump track.
The issue I have is down to the speed that some of the groomed mtb trails are intended to be ridden. The are built to work at a certain speed and certainly for me that speed feels really twitchy on a dirt jump bike - even a longer one.
I've actually been looking at what I can do with my Ragley Marley to make it suited for this sort of thing. It's got sensible reach so feels OK at speed, but is still a short and playful bike. 130mm up front and 27.5 wheels makes it (on paper) a great candidate for the groomed trails but carrying more speed.
Yeah, wondering if a small 27.5 hardtail might be better, though I used to ride everything on a Trailstar and Blender and didn't die. They don't look as cool as DJ bikes though 🙂 love the looks of the Dirtlove/PBJ rather than the ones with a super low standover and seat, though the Propain Trickshot does look very nice too. I see the Specialized P4 comes in 27.5" now and has a long reach in comparison to many, which could be an interesting middle ground.
My DJ bike was bought for pumptrack use and I used it once on super smooth trails and it was silly fun. Better than an mtb at doing swoopy jumpy stuff rubbish on anything else. Mind you I was running the tyres very hard as that's what you need at a pumptrack.
I ride my Charge Blender on trails when out with the kids. It’s single speed and has rock hard DJ forks and tyres. Great fun.
The more I look at it the more I think I want to try the P4 🙂 26" DJ purists have been hating on it in the comments for being 27.5", boost spacing etc, but to me they're kind of advantages in terms of parts availability, the Z1 fork would be way more adjustable for my uses than a Bomber DJ too. Geometry isn't too different from the bikes I used to ride, and the trails haven't really changed that much.