shiftngo

Hello all, I rode BMX for 7 years of my life but gave it up for some reason. Now after not having a hobby for the past 6 years I'm looking into getting into Mountain bikes. I rode alot of motocross for a while and when I rode BMX I rode mostly park. I'd like to get into some downhill and somestuff with good jumps. I'm definately new to the scene and don't have a clue what I need. Front suspension, full suspension, 29er, etc? Also I don't want to get an 'ol "Bobo" bike either but i don't know what's good. I rode Volume, Standard, and S&M when I rode BMX and I don't want a "cheap" bike but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg either. Can someone please give me some advice and point me in the right direction? I'd greatly appreciate it.

commo_soulja

Start here, https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...estion-MTB-FAQ.

Then come back with specific questions.

LesterOfPuppets

Generally the three segments with the most jumps are Downhill, Freeride and of course Dirt Jump.

If you live near a ski resort that does summer MTB sessions you could probably rent DH, FR or All Mountain bikes. A few with summer terrain parks probably even have DJ bikes.

shiftngo

So after looking at the link provided above I've come to the conclusion that I will be needing a Freeride rigid bike. That type of riding seems to mix in the BMX and motocross ascpects of the riding i've done. and sounds like they can still be trail riden if necessary. But what do I need for a good... not necessarily a starter because i'm an advance bike rider just not Mountain Bikes, but Something that won't hold me back from progression more or less.

Dannihilator

Sounds like you would be best off with a DJ/Street MTB.

Sounds like a specialized p1/p2 would be ideal for you or a Jamis Kromo.

shiftngo

The p1/p2 are too much like BMX bikes to me. I couldn't see it being capable to handle any kind of trail riding if the opporunity arose, and I couldn't find the Jamis Kromo. I did see the Komodo and kinda liked it but how does that style of bike ride?

3speed

I used to do some BMX dirt jumping for a few years in HS/right after. I have pretty much the same thing as you where I was out of it for ~5 years. I've found as a newbie with that background(just got into MTB last summer), I like the feel of a 26" with a lower travel, kinda stiffer fork. Granted I only test-rode a couple 29ers and didn't trail them, and I don't have a lot of experience with forks since I'm a newb, but that's what I like so far. I would suggest ripping some single-track and not just sticking to the fun drops and jumps. The single-track is pretty damn fun too. My ideal bike so far seems to be more aimed at a middle of the road "do a little of everything" more than any particular direction. Kinda like a DJ bike with a DJ style fork but a bit larger frame like a trail bike. If you want to do some huge drops and stuff you might want more travel, though. I have found that with the BMX dirt jump background, I tend to feel just fine hitting things on my POS with 80mm travel fork that the only other guys hitting are on FS or at least expensive hardtails with really nice/large travel forks, but I think that may be related to the riders in my area too. I'd say most important is to go test-ride some bikes if you can and see what feels good.

corvuscorvax

Most ex-BMX guys I know end up being aficionados of stunts and highly technical trail riding when they switch to MTB, as opposed to endurance-oriented cross-country riding. That means something with a decent amount of travel, sturdy construction, and perhaps slacker angles than a race-oriented XC bike. Look for bikes in the "all mountain" or "freeride" category. These tend to be full-suspension, and therefore more expensive. You might also think about a "dirt jumper" like the Specialized P3.

Andy_K 

I've just got to say, I don't think I've heard the word "bobo" in 25 years.

Now, in an effort to contribute something useful to the thread, maybe it's the disconnect between the little I know about various flavors of mountain biking and the almost nothing I know about BMX, but it really doesn't seem to me like "jumps" and "rigid" belong together.

Also, you should check out cyclocross racing. There's a guy around here who did our big CX race series on a BMX bike last year. He was definitely a crowd favorite.

3speed

That's where the BMX part of me doesn't get all of the full suspension guys. BMX dirt jump guys hit 20'+ gaps on "ridged" BMX bikes all day long. It's no big deal. I used to hit 10' gaps myself all day and never even thought about suspension. The tricky part involved in MTBing is just the rocky part in between the jumps. The jumps themselves are nothing to worry about. I actually find that it's a lot harder to hit jumps well with the fork because the stupid squish/spring part of it really f**ks up the natural flow of things. That's why it's weird to me to see all these guys on easy local trails on bikes with 150mm of travel. I tackled everything on them on my ridged 1994 Giant MTB when I first got started MTBing before I got a suspension fork. The fork hasn't really made a difference in the jumps. Just the fast choppy singletrack and the sections that are nothing but 2-5" rocks. Then the suspension fork smooths everything out so that your bike isn't bouncing around and you can just rip across it.

So to make a long story short, jumps and drops are a simple matter of decent technique. The only good a suspension will do there is if you're botching your landings anyway, and need something to smooth them out. I'd imagine a lot of MTBers don't even realize this since they've always ridden the suspension fork. The fork makes a difference at high speed when you're on choppy/rough terrain on flat ground.

LesterOfPuppets

Yeah, it took me forever to figure out how to launch with a suspension fork (crappy old one), I imagine learning to launch full suspension is another learning curve. I don't go for big airs, maybe 4' tops, but harsh landings on the hard tail when you don't launch right.

Andy_K 

Yeah, but what about the wheels? It's one thing to make a 24" wheel that can take the impact of a 150 pound rider landing on it from 20 feet. It's another thing to make a 29" wheel do the same thing with a 200 pound rider (generalizing based on the age of BMX and aging MTB riders). Obviously you can make a wheel arbitrarily strong, but I don't see many entry level wheels that can take a hit like that.

That said, I've never known how to land a jump like that, so maybe I'm just putting more force into the landing with my imagination than needs to be there.

Zephyr11

I have a Komodo and like it, but not as a dirt jumper. Too slack, too much travel up front, though to be fair, I have a pretty big fork on there, and it would be significantly steeper and stiffer with the Marzocchi DJ that comes with the Komodo II. I also have a single-speed rigid DJ, which is great as a dirt jumper, but crap as a trail bike. I'm thinking there are a couple possibilities here:
1) Komodo with a DJ, Argyle, or 831. That's a burly frame, and a short fork will make it a better jumper.
2) A geared 26" DJ. The geometry isn't ideal for trail riding, but it will make a great jumper, and is still passable as a trail bike.
3) Something like this: https://www.leelikesbikes.com/captain-america.html I haven't ridden a bike like this, and the frame won't be as burly as either of the above. That said, I've taken lessons from this guy, and he's a badass. He's abusing that bike, and he seems to like it. Lots of stuff on his website about it...search for "Captain America" and he has lots of info as to how it performs both on the trail, the pump track, and even on a BMX track. It looks to be a little of a jack of all trades, master of none kind of bike, but it's worth a look.
4) If your focus is downhill or freeride, you want a downhill or freeride bike. I've got nothing. Lots of guys on here who can help you with that though.