[Miracleboi123]

A few of you may have seen my last post. Excuse me, but i do not intend to spam these post across the forum. I really like biking, and being born riding on trails with my older brother, i kinda want to get back into it. Instead of riding 20 inch wheels this time, i want to ride 26.

So i looked up on jensonusa. and theres a Yeti DJ frame for only 325.00 my bdays coming up soon. id be lucky to get up to 325 if i ask my family for money, but ive already saved up 50 ish dollars. (im 17 by the way, and i have to pay for my insurance/gas for my car, so the budget is tight.)

I want to order this frame.
BUT seeing that i do not have the money for the entire build. I was thinking of using my brothers old giant rainier 2002 hardtail bike for parts.
the only parts i intend to use are: the marzocchi 80mm travel fork(temporary), wheels, rear disk break, seat post, and thats about it.

But just before i order this frame, i became aware of a few problems i'd come by: i really need these questions answered.

1. The Giant rainiers wheels (upgraded rims but stock hubs i believe.), have skewers, but the yeti dj frame has verticle dropouts. can i still use my giants wheelset on this type of dropout?

2. I am thinking about running a 36t cog, and a truvativ crankset.
I am thinking also about using my giant's cassette, will i run into any problems? Can i still use the giant's rear dérailleur? or should i just go use a gusset ss converter.

If you could please help me out, the help would be greatly appreciated. Ive searched and researched everywhere, even looked at pictures, but nothings giving me the facts i need.

Please help! thank you!

 

[cmc]

this is a frequent question. the fact is . . . . it is much better to buy a complete DJ mtb than to try to build one using frame or parts from xc bikes.

EVERYTHING is different. frame design, fork, cranks, wheels, pedals, stem, bars etc etc.

check out the
Blackmarket 357
Eastern Thunderbird and Nighttrain
Giant STP
Specialized P1, P2
DK Asterik
Haro Thread and Steel Reserve
Mongoose Ritual
etc.

seriously. it is worth it to just sell the xc and buy a complete.

 

[sittingduck]

http://www.ridemonkey.com/classifieds/cat-3/ad-12121/

 

[quickneonrt]

You can do better for $700

 

[BMADED]

Your best bet is to go single speed, not only cheeper but less to break and a bit lighter. With the Yeti and it's drop outs you will need something like a Surly Singluator (something that did not work out great for me). As long as the Gaint's rear hub is 135mm spacing you will be able to use your 9mm QR (quick release) on the Yeti frame. Just check out the buy and sell, you will be able to get some quailty parts for good prices. I used the Gusset SS conversion kit for a while, it really is a good product.

 

[sanjuro]

Believe it or not, I looked at the specs for the 2002 Rainer and the Yeti DJ frame at Jenson, and except for the BB (68 vs 73) and probably the front derailleur (you'll need a top clamp, top swing to clear the fat downtube), every thing else works.

Horizontal dropouts is what you want to be careful about, but most QR bikes use vertical.

But the other guy are correct though: you should buy an used Dj bike.

The problem is that the Rainer is a so/so XC bike and you'll find out the hard way what parts are not designed for dirt jumping.

Even the cheap DJ bikes will hold up to a big beating. Mostly, they are heavier, which is not a bad thing...

 

[Miracleboi123]

thanks for the answers guys. oh the wheelset i was going to use has an upgraded sun single track rim in the rear. ill make sure to spec it out to dj.

i ran into another problem though, i saw an NS traffic 09 frame for only 245 shipped! it has horizontal dropouts though, it states that it uses a mtb 135 hub, but i was wondering if i could use my hub from my giant. its a quick release 9mm as stated above, i wonder if it will work if i convert it to SS and use a chain tensioner.

or is that a problem?

 

[TortugaTonta]

No need for a tensioner with horizontal drop outs. You can convert the hub to a solid bolt on axle, local shop should have them for 15 bucks or something like that.

 

[Miracleboi123]

No need for a tensioner with horizontal drop outs. You can convert the hub to a solid bolt on axle, local shop should have them for 15 bucks or something like that.

i have no local shops around here, do you know a specific product for it? is it just like a bolt on conversion or just a few nuts and bolts?

 

[Miracleboi123]

wait is my rear QR hub a 10mm or 9mm? the hub i believe is a shimano deore w/ 9 speed cassette. i believe ns bikes use a 10mm dropout for the traffic frame. if my REAR qr hub is a 10mm then i dont need to convert the QR to a solid axle right?

 

[sanjuro]

wait is my rear QR hub a 10mm or 9mm? the hub i believe is a shimano deore w/ 9 speed cassette. i believe ns bikes use a 10mm dropout for the traffic frame. if my REAR qr hub is a 10mm then i dont need to convert the QR to a solid axle right?

Front QR is 9mm, Rear QR is 10mm: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/axles.html

You don't need to convert to a solid axle, just advisable for DJ.

You are probably thinking about 12mm thru-axles, which are more on the custom side for DJ bikes.

 

[Miracleboi123]

that ill do thank you sanjuro your a big help =]
ill order the ns traffic bike for 240.00 now. save up for the rest. you guys are a lot of help!

 

[Miracleboi123]

whats a good gearing to ride on light trails/dirt jumps/ a little bit of free ride. i am going SS. I remember when i was riding bmx my gearing was around 2.7

what is the recommended gear ratio for dj bikes?

 

[BMADED]

For me I run 30:10/11 but I am using a BMX hub. Something to consider is that the QR is going to slip in horizontal dropouts (ALOT). Like said above you will want to get a bolt on axel.

That is what you are looking for (as far as the axel goes).

 

[Miracleboi123]

For me I run 30:10/11 but I am using a BMX hub. Something to consider is that the QR is going to slip in horizontal dropouts (ALOT). Like said above you will want to get a bolt on axel.

That is what you are looking for (as far as the axel goes).

jeez 30/10 is a big gear ratio for a dj right?
I thought a lot of dj riders would like a gearing around 2.1 ?

 

[BMADED]

Maybe, another thing to consider is I am using 24" wheels..forgot about that.

 

[TheTruth]

Normally these beginner threads anger me, but you have come to the right place grasshopper. :asian:

Everyone has made the same mistakes when building a dj bike their first time. When I built my first blackmarket frame, I thought it was sweet at first but then as time went on I realized some parts were too heavy and others were just crappy.

You need to get a complete from blackmarket or eastern because those companies build bikes for the riders. Those other companies will throw any piece of crap part that they don't make on their bike just so you can pedal it out of the store, and you will probably get no further than that.

All I am really going to tell you is that you need to get a good complete. You really need to find out on your own what makes the bike that much better. You will aqcuire the knowledge over time. So if you come on the forum asking what to do if you popped a tube, you will most likely get chewed up and spit out.