All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Well the Arrival is sold, what a PITA PayPal is now with the government wanting their hands in everything.

Anyways, I made $25 on the ordeal. Give my finger time to heal and work on a few things around the house, while I wait for more exciting news! Arrival 2.0 maybe?!?

 

I used to live on Fort Ord a while back when I was in middle school (before I rode mountain bikes)…if only I knew the kind of riding I had in my back yard…instead I was golfing and playing soccer hahaha

 

https://www.unno.com/dash/

 

I love those bikes!

I don’t know when the last time they’ve been updated geometry wise looking at the Dash and Burn, but I’d still choose the Arrival over those bikes.

 

To put it another way, Ft Ord isn’t much fun by the end of the 6 month dry season. But the region is pretty good year-round, with Santa Cruz redwood duff to the north for summer, and Ft Ord sand for winter. When Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument opens up it should be a good mix of both. But don’t come here, the trails suck.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXf7A3-uRDI

Okay Danny. just show us all up again.

 

Trials riding is stupid because I cannot pull off any of those moves.

 

Hah. who needs trials moves for regular mountain biking anyways???? pftsh. useless skills. hahaha.

 

Latest and greatest addition to my fleet of bikes... 2021 Commencal Absolut RS Dirt Jumper... Not gonna lie, may be my favorite bike I have even over my Yeti SB115. I've been doing little kid tricks at local skateparks when no one is watching and having a blast on it.... Have 3 Rays trips 3 weekends in a row in January coming up and hoping to progress my riding to a new level... in my mid 30s...! After a 9 year hiatus from BMX I am right back in my element again and obsessed with this thing... Highly recommend a dirt jumper to anyone looking to act like a child again...

 

Nice dude! I've noticed riding a DJ is so helpful for riding trail, too

 

I need to ride mine more.

 

I really enjoy mine during those inclement winter days and just need to get my heartbeat up. Pump track cardio is next level. I wish pump tracks were common. Could really have used some morning sessions during the holidays in my hometown

 

Yeah I got mine when pump track talks were heating up at the local park - but they fizzled out a couple months later. They really should be more common.

 

The local club is trying to put one in next to my gfs place. I hope the town agrees to it. I’m trying to work with them to put stuff together for the proposals, hopefully I can help haha

 

It is possible to haul 2 fork-mounted bikes in a DCSB with a cab-height shell. However, it is quite a pain in the ass. One bike is easy and I do it all of the time for post-ride eating/shopping/leaving truck in a parking lot. Two bikes is reserved for long road trips when you want everything buttoned up for a while. For daily riding, I use a hitch-mount rack.

I came to the conclusion that it works best (for my setup) if you put one fork mount at the front of the bed and another at the rear by the tailgate. I originally had both fork mounts installed on boards. I realized that the rear fork mount is much more user-friendly when mounted directly to the bed...my Leer shell slopes down at the rear and headroom (actually, handlebar room) is limited. That extra space created by ditching the 2x4 was very helpful. I drilled 2 small holes through the bed and bolted the Rocky Mount directly to the bed. I still have the rear 2x4 I made. I'll try and remember to snap a photo when I get home.

Here is the overall view:



On the rear, if you want to use a 2x4: (1) cut it to length (2) remove d-rings on either side of bed floor (3) Dremel out space for the bed bolts (silver) so your 2x4 lays flat (4) put in the 2x4 and mark holes where d-rings were installed (5) drill holes in 2x4 (6) Get 2 carriage bolts and washers of the same thread pitch and size of the d-rings (I think it was 11/16, but not positive) and screw in the bolts to hold down your 2x4 (7) mount whatever you want on the 2x4

For the rear 2x4:



On the front, you don't have the luxury of the floor-mounted d-rings (and threaded holes). I opted for a 2x6 that is cut barely wide enough to fit between the wheel wells. It wedges in there nicely if you do a slightly angled cut on the 2x6 (narrower at the front). I used the existing drain hole in the center of the bed to bolt the 2x6 to the bed with a carriage bolt, washers, lock washers and locknut. You also have to dremel out spaces for the 2 bed bolts so the 2x6 will lay flat. Here is a photo that shows the dremeling pretty well:



I used the Rocky Mounts HotRod fork mounts. They are solid and I like that you can switch out the sleeve to fit different axle sizes...you can see on the first photo above that the rear mount has the fat bike sleeve installed right now.

The Loading:
Once you're all set up, it is a real process to get the bikes loaded. (1) I get in the bed (2) the wife hands me her bike facing forward (it really helps to have an extra person here) (3) mount her bike up front with the rear wheel hugging the passenger side of truck (4) get out of bed (5) finagle my bike's rear wheel to the driver side back corner (6) install my bike

I don't have a photo of the 2 bikes in the truck. I promise it works. I DO NOT recommend this for daily rides, though. You will hate yourself.

 

Hell yea, Nice bike! It's too much fun.

Like @honda50r said the skills really transfer over to MTB on the trails.

 

This Am's ride was a chilly one..


To quote Goggins: Mother Nature is a pissed off mother fucker...





pretty wild in person. Was thinking would be a pretty rad shoot to built a new line down haha.

 

So, I’m still very much a noob when it comes to riding, but what makes a dirt jump bike different than your typical MTB?

Thanks in advance!

 

oh man. that's cold. but also, if it's legal, get to digging on that chute!

DJ bikes are generally smaller. shorter. and not as slack. they tend to be hardtails (some exceptions). big thing is, that they're small. easy to whipa round and jump up and down with. a "typical" MTB depends on your definition of "typical". Most of us ride on full suspension systems with more than 100mm of travel. but these bikes are usually 27.5 or 29" wheels. whereas a DJ might be 24 or 26.

 

It's like a grown-up BMX bike or a baby hardtail