Can You Turn A Dirt Jumper Into A Street Trials Bike? 

Same here...we got a ton of snow and ice. Thankful to have the Shred Spot for filming and riding, but I am tired of being inside! haha

I can see that - I was originally going to run this bike with the 50mm stem and then thought it would be too short. I may mess with this setup a bit more to get it perfect, but it's close enough for now..

That's the perfect setup. 180 Magazine, that's a throwback - I remember that! I wonder where Joey is these days?

Near Blacks Beach in San Diego. Shh... The crew is plotting a reunion sometime this spring.@@SuperRiderTV

Thanks!! So stoked to hear it! 🙏

I thought I was the only one! 😂

Thanks! Let's ride it when this weather clears up!!

I’ve been wanting to do this build since I first saw this bike - I knew it was going to work! Feels even better than I expected it would, to be honest..

@@SuperRiderTV May be missing something, but Duncan Shaw's bike doesn't look all that different to me, less the paint job.

@@sapinva D.Shaws bike has a much higher BB and the geometry is less slack than a DJ bike.

That sounds perfect! I love having a bike that can do more than one thing - mixing it all up as we ride.

Thank you! Excited to give this bike a proper test!

Easy to swap it back and forth when you get the gear ratio right! :)

Huge fan of James Barton, he rules!

The majority of dj's use 10x135 rear hub widths and axles. Yes, some use bmx standard, which is 110 width or something like that, but in that case you wouldn't be able to add multiple gears, anyways. So, assuming you have the typical 10x135 hub, you can then get a 10mm threaded axle that is long enough to then add a derailleur hanger that bolts on to the end of the axle. Simply do a google search for "bolt on derailleur hanger" and you'll see there are options. Then, you're able to add a tensioner or derailleur. If a derailleur the older Shimano Dura Ace or 105 derailleurs are beautifully light at about 195 and 210 grams, respectively. Or thereabouts. A simple tensioner should be lighter.

Oh interesting! I'm about to swap out the Maguras on here for Hayes Dominions. I've never been a big fan of horizontal dropouts for trials, either, but this one has been holding up so far (I think because I have it slammed so far into the dropouts).

Makes it even better when you do get the street trials frame! 🙌

Good call out!

Thanks!! Glad you approve! 🙌

Can’t wait to take this monster outside!

Exact situation I’m in, my DJ has a spank spoon rear hub so I’d need to swap the hub to something with an HG freehub or freewheel or just find a different wheel for a trials setup I guess

Great call - I couldn't tell what my rear hub was (hence the freewheel purchase)...thankfully had that 14t cog sitting around from a previous bike!

I did get the 22T chainring as mentioned by Aaron, but they are tough to find. Sold out almost everywhere...but eventually found one @ tarty bikes. Unfortunately, I think they are also sold out @ tarty now. In addition, I ordered an Alaudark rear hub for $70. Company seems sketchy, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the hub (114p engagement). I'm running a 135x10 bolt-on for my frame. For that price, its kinda an experiment and don't expect long term durability, but I will likely eventually replace it with a hope or I9. @@mattd7814

I have changed my freewheel hub to a cassette hub (Hope Pro II) old school (love those hubs) and had to Lace build the wheel again. With a cassette hub you have more choice. You can fit as small as 12t sprocket to Hope casssette hub. Gussett sprockets do many sizes!

Perfect timing! Have fun!! There are a ton of trials-specific tutorials on this channel, you’re in the right spot!

Thanks! Glad you liked it! I prefer that 22:18 for 26" wheels, I don't mind a few extra pedals to get up to speed. I would maybe test up to 16t in the back, but beyond that might start getting a little too heavy for trials-specific movement. Deity Highside bars are my favorite, I prefer the 80mm rise version, they give me the most control on bunnyhops and overall handling of the bike.

@@SuperRiderTV Thanks, its great to get advice from a pro cheers Aaron 👍

@@SuperRiderTV Its about time for me to pluinge int that pricepoint and get a pair of Diety Bars

I'm considering going for a DJ for street/BMX-y riding and commuting but I'm unsure. How's your experience been commuting on yours??

I buy kids size for shins, fit under jeans really well!

Lucky charms for sure! It seems like whenever I wear shinpads, I never hit them - and whenever I forget them, it's open season! Haha

I do have one on here - I’m using a KMC chain, and it’s been fine so far!

Ah, good point! This one came with one, but you’re right…most don’t come with a front brake. Great thing to consider!

Hmm, could be interesting for sure!

I think it should be fine?

Absolutely - are you in our Discord group? We do a ton of technique stuff in there, I think you’ll get a lot of value out of being in the group. (It’s free - link is in the description of this video..)

@@SuperRiderTV I am not but I am joining now👍 thanks

Absolutely - back in the day the competition rules for trials would require us to have five working gears, so you can definitely have a derailleur and gears. I think as long as you can get close to that 22/18 ratio, you'll be fine, too. The reason I did it was so I could have a bashring to cover the front sprocket, but you could also get a One Up bashguard that attaches to your ISCG tabs - and that would do the same job.

That bar should be perfect for the bike - I was on the fence about leaving my 35mm stem on there, which I think will be totally fine. The one I put on is great for trials specific stuff, but might actually limit me on the "street" stuff. For the gear ratio, and listening to how you'll likely ride it, I think the bar and gear ratio you're suggestion would be just right for it. The gearing might be a little heavy for trials-specific, but it won't prevent you from doing trials skills on it by any means.

@@SuperRiderTV sweet! Thanks man!

760mm, it’s a Deity Highside bar (80mm rise)

Oh yeah, nearly locked out (unless I'm sending a bigger drop) - just enough to take the edge off.

Most trials techniques are happening with the front wheel in the air, so the offset shouldn't really make much difference. The suspension fork itself definitely gives a different feel to the bike in general, but it didn't take too much to adjust to it.

Definitely enough to get the job done - I'm curious to see how far I can push this bike!

Thanks! Hmm, it seems ok in my headphones when I watch it…I wonder what happened. Is anyone else having this issue?

Scrap yard bike trials could be super fun! My main reason for putting this particular video together was to show a relatively easy way to turn one of the cheapest styles of bikes (dirt jumper) into a trials bike with really just a modification to the gear ratio. Other than that, basically nothing else needed to change, which hopefully lowers the barriers for some people who want to get into the sport.

@@SuperRiderTV I understand... But what about the kid who can only afford a huffy. Also... I'm doing this to an Eastern cromo bike right now... And because I don't have a trials parts stash anymore... I honestly would have been better off buying a complete bike. The Spanish BB alone threw me a curve ball that already cost more than I paid for the bike. 🤷 Back in the day I could buy an entry level mountain bike with a half decent frame and replace affordable detailers etc as needed... The rule changes in the sport appear to have dried up the market a bit. Necessity used to be the mother of invention. All I'm saying. 😂 At least seats are making a comeback.

@@davidbryanttrucking Oh, those spanish BBs are a headache. Oof. I've been seeing a fair bit of complete trials bikes up on PinkBike lately - lots of old Echo bikes finding new homes. Happy to see seats coming back, too!

@@SuperRiderTV yes Pinkbike did have some good deals. I was ironically trying to avoid a thousand dollar purchase for a 26" trials bike, hence the cromo dirt jump bike for less than 200. I'm definitely not ready to buy a 24" just so I can find out I hate it and have to repost it on Pinkbike. 😂 I did really like your 27.5 build video by the way. At 40 I'm pretty sure I'm to portly for tiny wheels. Not to mention what my spine would have to say about being hunchy on the back wheel all day. 😬

@@SuperRiderTV long story short. After I got out of the military as an 80% disabled vet, it took a while for me to be able to even attempt a trials move or a drop, I sold my mod and got a stock comp bike which was great, but then fell on hard times and had to sell ALL of my bikes. I had to start over which has gotten prohibitively expensive in the bicycle industry if you don't work in a shop, in my opinion, which I once did. I had to get jobs that paid a lot more to survive. Which is why I set out to just do what I did my whole childhood which is get second hand bikes from scrap yards or thrift adds and not have to order special parts. Unfortunately it's looking more and more like I'm going to have to make parts like the old days as well if I want to avoid being homeless... Again. I guess that's not a short story, but it is one that changed the way I perceive innovations in bike manufacturing. The exclusivity of these heavy price tags in a recession economy feels like the wrong direction and bad for cycling in general. Which shouldn't surprise me because the bike shops I worked in were more interested in selling bikes to triathletes (because their doctor's who by a new one every year), than they did catering to the vast majority of riders who were riding because they love to. I also don't want to see trials fade into obscurity a generation from now. If that's not going to happen it needs to be approachable, financially, not just skills wise. I've been watching your channel for a while (this isn't my only RU-vid account) and I'm super stoked you're getting all the success you're getting now that you decided to send it and ride full time. It just also feels like us regular riders lost an ally in the process. I hope you at least end up on a demo team that introduces kids to the sport, but I'm wondering how they're going to get into it if they find out how much it costs. 😂 Street BMX is a cheap date, trials would also have to be if they want to continue pulling kids from that rider pool. Unfortunately BMX isn't a straight through transition to MTB anymore so the opportunity to influence them in that direction has dramatically decreased. They may know who Danny Mac is or Sam Pilgrim, but when they look up how much a base level inspired is their going to just keep buying tubes grips and chains until they have become disinterested in BMX and it's limitations. I stopped when I started breaking frame's, so thank God for Hans Rey, and seeing you in the GT catalog put a relatable face to trials for younger me, so I knew I could continue to grow into the spot of trials... All I needed was cheap MTB. The price tag of that mod you use to ride was something younger me and his family could never afford without falling behind on the bills. It sucks to realize their are kids in this world more worried about the water and gas bill than some adults, but that's the reality we live in. And those kids need an escape. That's what "street trials" and MTB became for me. A way to escape, then a way to get around once I was on my own. Now it feels like an ex wife. Expensive, unavailable, and a part of me is somehow still interested in it, because of the kids. 😂