Dirt jump bikes are often way more high tech than people think. They see a weirdly small mountain bike with smooth tires. But dirt jumpers have to withstand a ton of abuse.

Long days in the park, jumping massive lines.

Casing that massive double.

Bouncing on the landing after the rider bailed in the air.

A good DJ bike can take all that, and still run fast and true for years to come. After years of riding jumps, and fixing our friends’ bikes, we now understand what makes a good bike.

Let’s start with the basics:

Bike Frame

The frame needs to be light and strong. But as much as carbon can do that, it has one fatal flaw; it doesn’t take sharp object impacts well. So, unless you are a factory rider who gets a new frame every month, don’t go for carbon. The best DJ bike frames are made of aluminum. Why not steel you might ask. Well, steel is a great material but in order to make a light frame, you need to use very thin walled tubes. And those tubes dent easily.

Wheels

Strong and light wheels are just as important as the frame. Making strong and resilient wheels is easy;

Use as many spokes as you can without making the wheel too heavy.

Get nice hubs with wide flanges.

Lace the spokes in a 3 to 1 ratio for the rear, and radial for the front.

That’s it for now. Next week we’ll continue with more tips on building the best DJ Bikes