I use my Giant Revel 1 as my college commuter bike and I often go for bike rides through the city, where I encounter small sets of stairs that are more convenient to hop down than to go around. None of them are any more than 3 stairs. I discovered that I really want a steel framed beater bike with at least a front suspension, because "urban" riding is fun.
How high a drop is it smart to take the average hardtail down?
SpAgetttt
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I use my Giant Revel 1 as my college commuter bike and I often go for bike rides through the city, where I encounter small sets of stairs that are more convenient to hop down than to go around. None of them are any more than 3 stairs. I discovered that I really want a steel framed beater bike with at least a front suspension, because "urban" riding is fun.
As long as you don't land like a sack of bricks you can land sets of 3 stairs every day for years without killing your bike. When I was in high school I used to land a 5-set of stairs (it was probably closer to a 4-set since it was fairly shallow) to flat on my way to school every day. That was on a rigid bike in the days before suspension, well, it wasn't quite that far back but I sure as heck couldn't afford a suspension fork back then.
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I wish I posessed skills like that.:eekster:
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I love that video.
Back in college I used a Walmart Huffy for "commuting" around campus. High vandalism rate-it was the only thing people would leave alone. Anyway, I hopped it off a retaining wall that was about that same height onto a concrete sidewalk multiple times a day without any ill effects. Just watch that landing. Remember, legs and arms are nature's shock absorbers.
Edit: I also only weighed about 130 pounds soaking wet in college. If you're farther to the other end of the spectrum even a 3-4 stair height could be a no-no or at least require much more care.
Back in college I used a Walmart Huffy for "commuting" around campus. High vandalism rate-it was the only thing people would leave alone. Anyway, I hopped it off a retaining wall that was about that same height onto a concrete sidewalk multiple times a day without any ill effects. Just watch that landing. Remember, legs and arms are nature's shock absorbers.
Edit: I also only weighed about 130 pounds soaking wet in college. If you're farther to the other end of the spectrum even a 3-4 stair height could be a no-no or at least require much more care.
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Land straight and your bike will be fine. A 3 stair is nothing.
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Wow, that bike would decintigrage under me if I tried (key word try) any of that. I just broke a crank on a 5 foot jump on Saturday. My weight of 225 might also have something to do with it.
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Anything more then a foot on anything othern a Jump Bike or Trial Bike is to high as the bike was not made the handle those types of stresses.
Here is a good example of what happens when you do stupid things on a bike.
![Image]()
Here is a good example of what happens when you do stupid things on a bike.
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Hahaha a foot? I jump larger jumps and drops on a cyclocross bike.Anything more then a foot on anything othern a Jump Bike or Trial Bike is to high as the bike was not made the handle those types of stresses.
Here is a good example of what happens when you do stupid things on a bike.
![Image]()
Yeah, I'm sure that guy only did a 2 ft drop.Anything more then a foot on anything othern a Jump Bike or Trial Bike is to high as the bike was not made the handle those types of stresses.
Here is a good example of what happens when you do stupid things on a bike.
![Image]()
I routinely do small drops and jumps on my entry level Trek - 4 stairs to concrete, 3 and 4 footers on the trail etc. I weigh 215 pounds without gear. Thousands of miles later and I'm still riding the same bike and nothing has broken (at least not from doing drops). YMMV
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Dual crown fork on a hardtail, not the brightest idea.
edit: Bah, that was meant to quote the picture
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