[drinkwat]

I ride AM and my girlfriend is looking for a hardtail that can take some abuse via jumping and hucking, but can also rip it up on single track. Are there any DJ bikes that you all would recomend that could be found used for around 600, or are DJ bikes even good for single track?

 

[frisky_zissou]

I enjoy mine on the odd trail ride but I am in a serious dilemma over if I should suck up and build a trail bike or buy some bling wheels for my DJ bike.

The only area I find my bike lacking is on steep climbs (singlespeed, thus fixable) and on areas were traction is a problem. Dual suspension would fix my issues so I am at loss what to do.

Is your GF new to bikes? If so I would go for the most comfortable option available. If she can handle a bike and knows how to control a hardtail on difficult terrain then sure, go for a hardtail.

What it comes down to is what sort of bike is she going to have the most fun on? or do you just want to get her a DJ bike that you can ride haha.

 

[STPinCYQX]

A lot of beginners find something steeper scary to ride. The slacker the better, which is where DJ bikes come in. I have a Trek 820 that's seen a few upgrades and a Giant STP, and the 820's so steep it scared the crap out of me the first time I rode it. If I'm taking a beginner out I give them the STP, even though it's nicer and worth more, and I take the 820.

This is assuming she's a beginner of course, otherwise, well, I love my STP for trail riding, especially when it's wet or there's still snow. So easy to control, not twitchy at all, just stand up and power on and it goes through mud or snow. If you buy a complete bike, check out the tires, they may need to be replaced for slippery stuff since most DJ bikes seem to run slicks.

 

[hofferfish]

i ride everything on my p.3 and pike combo. while i would not suggest the p.3 frame the dj setup with an adjustable travel fork is a lot of fun because it is so versatile. have you considered the transition Vagrant? i have not ridden it but it seems to be just what your looking for

 

[snaky69]

A freeride hardtail or DJ bike is somewhat heavy to lug around on the trails, I can imagine it being worse for a woman, how much does she weigh? She probably doesn't need the strength of a DJ frame.

 

[calma]

I have a dmr sidekick, which is primarly set up for 4x and djing. I do ride it on trails, but it is by far a good climber. I typically ride it standing up also.

As other have mentioned, weigth is an issue, my dmr is approx 30lbs, which limits the time on the trails for me.

I guess you could pick trails that have some fr options or dh kind of riding.

Do what ever makes you happy at the end of the ride. If she is smiling then the ride was good regardless of the type of bike you are riding.

 

[JGill]

My girlriend rides "our" P1 on the trails with me from time to time. She is around 120-125ish and is 5ft.4 and she has no complaints. I went the same route, we were going to look for her a bike for $350 but she actually came up with the idea that we should get one that we could both ride since she wouldn't ride all the time. Now we are both happy. She even paid for new grips and the spokes for my pimplites.

 

[t1maglio]

I agree with the statements, DJ bikes are usually light, flickable, and easy to get off the back on steep stuff (or hopping off to walk up hills). I think its fun to rail around on mine. Maybe you won't do as many miles, but you can have fun.

 

[drinkwat]

She's about 135 pounds. I ride a 33 pound nomad that is set up for freeride. I dont really think that weight is too much of an issue. Most of the trails that she will be riding will be fast flowy single track with 2-4 foot drop offs and some small jumps. On rare occasion she might take it on more of downhill specific course. I guess im wondering if a DJ bike would be good for this, or would more of an XC set up be better? My main concern with an XC bike would be with durability of the frame. I have not heard of any XC bikes that could handle a 4 foot drop off.

 

[snaky69]

You may want to check out Kona's line of DJ bikes in that case, IMO, they are the most trail-friendly DJ bikes around with a rather slack geo and longer chainstays for high speed stability, they have a high BB too which gives them nice ground clearance. That along with a durable adjustable travel fork could make for a very very versatile ride.

 

[ducktape]

I brought an STP just for that purpose, I wanted a HT more versatile than just the usual XC offerings.
In reality my STP weighs no more than a Giant Alias - which is an entry level XC bike. I did eventually go the SS way so it's not as good on the hills any more (well the bike would be campable if the rider was!). But even riding it on the bitumen about 15k's into town is good enough not to make me want to grab the geared Alias instead! So far I've used my STP for a bit of everything except street & dj's!
I'd say it's an ideal bike for this sort of stuff, particularly as it is capable of taking a Pike up front for even more versatility. Coming off an XC ht, the slacker geo does take some getting used to, but once I was used to it I find it hard to want to ride a more responsive XC HT again.

Others to check out would be: Banshee Scirocco, Viento. Santactuz Chameleon, Cove Stiffee. I think you're on the right path, especially if she likes having a go at jumps and drops, the slacker geo will make it more confidence inspiring.