[Closed] What jump/4x/small frame?

Currently riding a Charge Blender which is one of the funnest bikes I've ridden 🙂 It has loads of standover compared to other 16" hardtails I've used and it's awesome. Nice lowish front end, low BB and a good head angle!

I used to have a blender. Great frame for 4x and jumping and razzing, not quite so good for xc as well, so I swapped for a PA.

I've also had an Identiti Dr Jekyll , a Tomac Omen and a DMR Sidekick, all great jump/4x frames with lowish stand over.

You could go 24" ?

Another Charge Blender fan here. Currently rebuilding this one so I can relive the radness

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I seem to remember it was a pig to pedal though and doesn't like going uphill but neither do I so it evens out. Great for just razzing trails and hitting jumps, drops, berms and whatnot.

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Blenders are heavy and have awful geometry for an all rounder. (What were they thinking when they spec'd that silly slack seat tube angle?) Do Charge still even sell the Blender?

Anyway, that out of the way..

Pros:
If you look around you'll find most Ali 4X frames are nowhere near as heavy (weighing around the 4-5lb mark) and have pretty decent geometry for all round (saddle slammed and fully raised) riding..
They're usually pretty stiff, stong and have just the right mix of agility and stability for a decent rider.. just pay attention not to go for anything too long but also don't go ruining anything short with a silly long stem or be tempted to stick on a long fork as it will only ruin all the pros.

Cons: very few to using a light 4X frame as your MTB if you're small enough and can pump and jump fairly well. some don't have massive tyre clearance but if you are running a big rear tyre you've probably missed the point anyway.

I'm in the process of building a Cotic BFe in XS as a jumpy / muck around bike. I bought a lassie, seconds frame as it was cheap. It's replaced my old school Tazer which has cracked.

I think it looks pretty good so far. Looking forward to getting out on it this weekend.

My Tazer was incredibly stiff, so not much fun on really rough stuff...I also couldn't have ridden it all day because of the size. As above, you need to be careful what forks and tyres you run.

I'll second the BFe, lots of pop, great for hammering over rough stuff and can retire as an all dayer without blinking. Quality bike.

(What were they thinking when they spec'd that silly slack seat tube angle?)

Dunno but it's still fine to climb on, it actually feels better than my old Trailstar for climbing despite having a much slacker seat angle. I think it's one of those cases where it looks weird on the spec sheet but it seems to work when you actually ride it..

As for the BFe, they're nice frames but the Blender is so much better imo. The BFe is just dull to ride in comparison.

Hi
I've got a mint 2012 charge blender for sale
Save you having to build one
£400
Based in wolverhampton /london

I did this for my daughter cos she's a shorty too. At the time merlin cycles were doing their own brand jump ht for about £75 in an 11" frame. Because the geometry on dj bikes is based around a short travel fork, Low bb and 69 deg ish head angle it was perfect for keeping the bar height low enough for her to weight the front end, something she had struggled with on other frames.

So yeah, go for it. A really small Bfe might be a nice option too

Mamadirt off here would be a good person to speak to, she made an art form of building little bikes that made everyone want a go!

Blenders are heavy and have awful geometry for an all rounder. (What were they thinking when they spec'd that silly slack seat tube angle?) Do Charge still even sell the Blender?

Harsh words about one of the most popular and enjoyable bikes of recent years. I think they hit the nail on the head and it was my do-it-all bike for over 2 years.
It's not our fault if you don't have the skills to exploit it 😉

[url= http://dirt.mpora.com/news/dirt-100-2011-charge-blender.html ]Link[/url]

Clueless!

In this game, popularity often has **** all to do with how well a bike rides.. Charge are good at marketting fairly shite bikes to the right crowd, I'll give them that.

I'm not even reading what Dirt has to say about it.

comparing it to a Trailstar for climbing? nice comparisson Tom, made me laugh anyway.. 😆

One thing to remember is gears, most decent jump and 4x frames don't have front mech cable guides so you're limited to single ring up front.

I take exception to being called clueless when it comes to the art of arsing around on bikes.

Dialled Hole shot?
http://www.dialledbikes.com/products/mtb/holeshot.php
I use mine with u-turn 100-140mm forks for, Pumptrack, 4x, Mini DH and genral dicking about.

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Haha just used the trailstar as an example because it has a longer tt and "normal" seat angle and I've actually ridden one for a while so know what its like (they dont even climb too bad with a longer stem and short forks). Fwiw the Blender isnt noticeably worse at climbing than the BFe either. Perhaps ride one for a while instead of basing your opinion on a specs sheet 🙂

I guess it comes down to what sort(s) of riding you plan to do OP...

If you think you're riding will involved plenty of pump tract and dirt jumps then why not go with something built for that, Miles can be covered on a Jump bike if needed, but they're not always the ideal tool, angles designed for responsive nippy handling and a bit more material to deal with rougher use might hold you back if you plan to munch the miles...

A lot of the "all-rounder" HT frames that people will mention (456/Holeshot/BFE/etc) do come in smaller sizes and generally it is more than just the seat tube that is varied between the sizes, most have an appropriately scaled front end and even shorter stays to suit different riders build...

(456/Holeshot/BFE/etc) do come in smaller sizes

As far as i can tell the OP never motioned an all-rounder just jump/4x/small frame/Pumptrack

Check you out with the action shots scotty 😛 Still need to have a go on the dialled, looks fun.

@ OP I have a kona cowan, that I have built up into a play bike that I can (just about) ride xc on.

It's a 15" so with me being 6'3 I usually end up pedalling it about with the seat down. Even with a 450mm post it is too short!

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...wondered about pro's and con's of using one of these types of frames over a 14" MTB frame.

I have ridden all the bikes you mention Tom.

Check you out with the action shots scotty Still need to have a go on the dialled, looks fun.

Awesome, I'll keep an eye out for you at GP, as I'm local 🙂

And when did you get a kona cowan, just googled it, looks like sophie's Kona scrap 😆

You change you frames some much 😕 , not found one you like yet?

5 10, average arms/legs/torso

rode mabie on this 1x10. coped better than i imagined.

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this turned up the day after i left for mabie. fun bike that i can ride all day.

sharing bits from the brooklyn but can't decide what fork to get...

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I haven't ridden the BFe yet as I'm still waiting for a few parts, but it felt ok rolling down the road with no chain.

Here's a crappy phone pic

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Best BFe review ever ^