I'm not a frame builder...so an idea for those of you who are...

With full suspension DJ rigs growing in popularity, and the growing trend of generic "slopestyle" frames...I've got something I'd like to see built.
I HATE the look of the current fully DJ bikes like the Double, the Kona Bass, Cowan, Dobermann, etc... I don't like seeing the shock. It's ugly. So here's a suggestion:
Essentially, it's a hidden shock. Build a framest with a TT inside Dia slightly larger than an airshock, insert the shock into the TT, bolt it through the TT. Weld the seatpost right to the seat tube like the new custom Voltages, run a small swing link off the seat tube to take the sideloading off the shock, use a concentric BB pivot. Clean and simple. Hell, Atomlab is close to my idea with their forks, elastomers and springs would be even easier to work with and DRASTICALLY reduce the price. Just something to take the shock load out of the equation. 2"-3" of travel?

NOOOOOO....! That thing was hideous! That didn't have a swingarm, that had a swing...frame? Shock was in the middle of the toptube. I don't see why they did it that way, but they missed the bus IMO.
This would have a swingarm, but rather than meet the shock UNDER the TT it would slide INTO the TT.

Been around for awhile, hasn't it?

EDIT: OK, now look at that frame. Now imagine it with the shock shoved into the tt through the seattube. That's what I be talkin 'bout.

EDIT #2: Please...pardon my scribbling, but I really have to pee and wanted to stick this on here really quick!

freeridekid said:

how about instead of going to all this effort so you can ride slightly more rugged terrain but still look bmx, you just ride bmx? why go all the way to a mountain to ride a slopestyle course when you could just ride way more flowy djs and a skatepark in your hometown?

(sorry i keep derailing these threads, but this is the bmx and dj forum)

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So....how do you think I should ride MY bike. Can you send me a list of what you think is proper and not quite within your standards and rules? That would be a lot easier than doing something really, really fun, then finding out it's just not OK by you.

Just incase you didn't pick up on my sarcasm about every bike on the planet with 4" of travel suddenly being rebranded as a SS machine and the price gets doubled...I hate slopestyle. This has nothing to do with slopestyle. This DOES have everything to do with riding my local trails! We have buffed, polished trails. I find them lacking a little fun. I like jumps you don't have to babysit after every rain. I like being able to just friggin turn it loose and not have to worry too much about casing a jump and having 30 guys ripping your limbs off. I like jumps I can hit in the rain(and OFTEN do!) with real mountain bike tires! Like Chuffer said: Variety. If you don't like it, walk on! No one's asking you to stay! One of the reasons I don't like slopestyle is that it's suddenly become the only thing you're supposed to be doing on a "mountain" bike. F*ck that. I got into mtn biking to break away from people like you dude. I wear helmets and kneepads and I jump wierd things with tires that have lugs. I LOVE it. It keeps me riding.
Here's what i like to do. Since people like yourself seem to need a category for everything, let's call this a 50/50 of Freeride, DJs, and 4X. It's fast, it's tight, and it FLOWS. But on those days it doesn't flow so well(like the first run of every visit!) a few inches of forgiveness is a great thing.

aeffertz said:

to fit a decent shock in the TT tough, the TT would have to be huge (in diameter), no?

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No, not really...some of the more burly forks on the market are 35mm stanchions...as long as the swing link is correct, the ONLY stress on the rear damping would be from riding, no sideloads, etc. A fork would see a lot more abuse/strength issues. That's why I brought up Atomlab's fork...they're using a super stiff coil and an elastomer in a fork. In the rear of a bike it would be even less noticeable...in theory...and weigh nothing. Basically thinking swingarm>swinglink>plunger>elastomers>toptube. Slide it all together and you're golden. I'd even find a way to bring the swinglink out of the middle of the seat tube so there's only one link, in the middle of the frame, nothing to catch knees on. You'd never know it's a fully...

Geezus, dude...could you have found an UGLIER pic to rape the idea straight out of my brain??? I think I need a shower now...but yeah...that's the idea. I see one or two things I would...um...change...

newrider3 said:

I can't see **** captain.

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That's what it is, too...SHIIT! Consider yourself lucky. It's like walking in on your granny blowin Grammpa...never meant to be witnessed by other living organisms...yet never forgotten once it's happened...

Yeah, I guess! Calling all builders with an open mind! Personally, I'm seeing this as something for SuperCo, maybe Atomlab since they're already doing the elastomer fork thing, but honestly I guess it could be anyones game! Just don't call it a fugging "slopestyle" frame. Or the "SS." Or anything like that! It's just a bike!

AtTheGates said:

I just googled "boulder starship" and that was the first pic that came up. I'm sure there are nicer pics of cleaner builds out there, but you'd have to sift through pages vintage geek nonsense to find them.

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Haha! That had to have been an awesome and scary trip through time!

Savage_Animal said:

Ok I did some revisions:

-Gusset on the rear triangle, sort of like whats on Doberman Frames.
-Wider TT where the rear shock goes
-Custom shock With removable Rebound and adjustment knob that are on the outside of the frame for easy adjusting but can be un-screwed to easily slide the shock out.
-Support for TT


Whacha guys think?

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Well...the whole point of the design is to make it NOT look like a full suspension. Plus, with your pivot where it is it wouldn't be easily made single speed, meaning you'd need a rear derailleur or a tensioner. Again, defeating the purpose.

Actually I'll never be accused of being any sort of "DJer" whatsoever! This white man can't jump. I can bang out gaps all day long on a fully, but after 2-3 years of randomly trying true DJs, I'm barely learning anything. Partially because I'm scared of hacking up the lips on the NICE jumps(which makes me panic and hack up the lips) and also because I'm an old bastard and have to talk 13 year olds into letting me take my "mountain bike" on their crappy little dirt bumps around here. My bud bought a house with 3 acres that we JUST got like 9 dumptruck loads of dirt delivered to and building started 3-4 days ago. I KNOW how to build, and I build purty, I just haven't had a place I can keep jumps up at, we don't have open woods around here, all private farmland...
Wow...that was a lot of words to say "I don't DJ, I just had a cool idea."

Just kind of a rude notice that ANYTHING someone can think up has likely already been done, or is in the paintbooth as we speak...
Even as horendous as that is, it's still cleaner than most short travel frame on the market today. Modernize that a bit, make the shock less visible/vulnerable, and add in a modern tube set, and it would be golden...And gotta move the pivot to the BB shell so it's SS'able.
You know what I want it for...for those 3am rides home from the bar when those curbs without sidewalk approaches look 4' tall. I can just bang up them like the drunken slob I am at the time and not have to fear hitting the pavement quite so much...

Nah man, no offense whatsoever! Not sure where you got that from...?
And I'm cool on my bikes, I'd just like to see something like this done!