Dirt jumping Totally Explained

Everything about Dirt Jumping totally explained

Dirt jumping is one of the names given to the practice of riding bikes over shaped mounds of dirt or soil and getting airborne. The idea is that after riding over the 'take off' the rider will become momentarily airborne, and aim to land on the 'landing'. Dirt jumping can be done on almost anything with wheels, but it's usually executed on a bicycle.

Mountain bikes - 24 or 26 inch wheels and either rigid forks or forks with short front end suspension (usually 80-100 mm travel, but can be up to 203mm depending on the type of the bicycle)
Freestyle Motocross (FMX, Moto-X) of various sizes & engine sizes.
BMX bike built for dirt jumping tends to have a longer top tube than a street BMX bike, and may well be more reinforced. They will rarely have pegs fitted (unless they're also used for street riding), and will generally run only a rear u-brake. Also, the tires will be treaded, as opposed to the slicks and semi-slicks used for park riding. Large, padded seats are also popular as something to land on when a trick fails, and are also easier to hold for in-flight tricks; but very small seats are also a style for the more "hardcore" riders. The gear ratio is generally around 44:16, though using small gearings like 22:8, known as 'micro gearing', has become popular in the present day.A photo of some BMX trails courtesy of barendbmx.co.uk A mountain bike built for dirt jumping tends to has a smaller frame than what is used for other disciplines. Running singlespeed is very common, as is using only a rear brake. In modern times, using single or dual disc brakes has replaced the use of only one rear V-brake. In general, a mountain bike dedicated to dirt jumping will have 24" or 26" wheels, a gear ratio of 1:2 (32:16, 36:18 and 24:12 being its most popular incarnations) and rigid or 80-100mm travel forks. An 'all-round' bike used for dirt jumping will more likely have 26" wheels, a 30-36 teeth chainring with a wide-ratio cassette and a short- to mid-travel fork. Mountain bike dirt jumpers are usually split on the basis of wheel size because the wheel size dictates the shape of the takeoff to an extent. Dirt Jump bikes are made by a variety of companies. A couple of the most commonly purchased bikes for the general purpose of dirt jumping include the Kona DirtJump series (Kona Shred, Scrap, Stuff, Cowan) or the P. series by Specialized (P.1, P.2, P.3, etc). Giant also has a StreetTrailPark line that's suitable for jumping, the STP 1-3 series.

History

Dirt Jumping evolved alongside bmx racing from its birth. Dirt Jumping is similar to BMX or Mountain bike racing in that the rider jumps off of mounds of dirt. It differs in that the jumps are usually much larger and designed to lift the rider higher into the air. Additionally, the goal isn't to complete the course with the fastest time, but rather to perform the best tricks with the best style. Trails are most often hand built, with attention to detail.

Types of jumps

Double the most common form of Dirt jumps. This consists of two separate earthworks, one acting as a takeoff(lip), and the other as a landing. Also known as a "gap" jump. They can be "Step-Ups", where the jump's upramp is lower than the down ramp or "Step-Downs", where the jump's downramp is lower than the upramp.

Tabletops are more common among those new to the sport, they're a single earthwork with a takeoff at one end, and a landing at the other, with a flat 'table' on the top. These are favoured by new riders because when the rider comes up short they can still easily ride out of it.

Ski jumps consist of just a takeoff, they're usually longer and flatter than other jumps, and tend to be situated on downhills, so the slope of the hill can serve as a landing. They're used mostly in competitions on jump length.

Roller a small tabletop that gives you extra speed by 'pumping' the jump. you usually find these at the beginning of a trail.

Step ups a ramp just before an incline to enable a rider to jump from the top of the incline.

Whoops/Rhythms a series of usually three or more small rounded ramps close together to enable a rider to 'manual' over them.

Spines one earth work with a take-off and a landing, but no table or gap, made to get higher air without distance.

Tricks commonly performed

Further Information

Get more info on 'Dirt Jumping'.

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