The Street > The Bike Shop
Fairdale Taj or SS mtb
master:
Bigger dirt jumps and pump tracks? SS 26" DJ bike
Off road use only? SS rigid 29er.
For ramping, jumping and cruising? Taj all day long.
cmc4130:
For $350, I'd say get it. No question it'll be fun. (And I'm a big fan of both Fairdale and Taj).
At the same time, having spent the last 9 years riding mtb (dirt jump, ss xc, 4x, and DH) in addition to BMX . . . I think in terms of progressive 26" riding, you might get more out of a DJ mtb. Or, you might get more out of a 24" BMX like a Sunday ModelC/WaveC if you really want to ride concrete park a lot, etc.
Although I definitely appreciate the Taj's early-80's-retro vibe, it's worth pointing out that it does have long chainstays and a low bb. Progressive DJ-mtb's typically have around 15"-15.75" cs these days, so 16.41" is long. Also most DJ-mtb's are around 1" bb drop or even less (for example the TRANSITION BLT has zero bb drop while the PBJ has 25mm. So, 40mm bb drop on the TAJ seems pretty old school--reminiscent of a Mongoose KOS or something. The top tube on the Taj is 22.6"--so that's pretty comparable to a Large DJ-mtb. A 71 degree head angle is pretty close to DJ mtb's--they are typically 69, 70, or 71, and steepen up a little if you run a short travel fork (80mm travel instead of 100mm travel... or a shorter rigid fork). The now discontinued Volume Sledgehammer and Volume Hessian were more "progressive" for 26" (but I guess in the end not popular enough to continue making..... I have no idea where Volume is now--my impression is they bailed on 26"/700c). All this said, I haven't ridden a Fairdale TAJ, and I'd be stoked to ride one and see what it's like.
You should probably buy it, regardless of whether you also pick up an mtb.
http://fairdalebikes.com/bikes/view-bike-archive/2014-taj/
GEOMETRY
TOP TUBE LENGTH (ACTUAL): 575mm (22.6")
TOP TUBE LENGTH (HORIZONTAL): 600mm
SEAT TUBE (BB CENTER TO TOP): 440mm (17.32")
SEAT TUBE (BB CENTER TO TT CENTER): 414mm
SEAT TUBE ANGLE: 71º
HEAD TUBE HEIGHT: 111.5mm
HEAD TUBE ANGLE: 71º
CHAIN STAYS LENGTH: 417mm (16.41")
DROPOUT SPACING: 110mm
BB DROP: 40mm
BB TYPE: Mid Press Fit
SEAT POST: Use 27.2mm
SEAT CLAMP: Use 30mm
Black Market Edit1 (pictured with rigid fork, but people also run suspension fork)
Rocky Mountain Flow dj - $500 (broomfield)
http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/5062962839.html
NS Bikes Metropolis 1 - $800
http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/5017201514.html
Deity Cryptkeeper - $1175
http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/5020538963.html
Atomlab Pimp 2 Dirt Jumper DJ BMX Hardtail - $650
http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/5023812717.html
2013 Eastern maddog 26inch dirt jumper - $400 (I know Eastern sorta took a nosedive--just including it for comparison).
http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/5033645831.html
I know you're on a budget . . . but if you did want to do a high end build on a DJ mtb, but stay loyal to a BMX brand . . . STANDARD makes a 26" DJ:
http://www.standardbyke.com/26-frames/
cmc4130:
--- Quote from: Hank Chinaski on June 07, 2015, 11:32:44 AM ---. . . We're moving to Colorado soon . . .
--- End quote ---
Definitely plan on doing some DH too! It's fun to hit the mountains during the events like Colorado Freeride Fest etc. as well:
LeonLikesToRock:
That looks scary as fuck
G:
--- Quote from: cmc4130 on June 08, 2015, 02:18:33 PM ---For $350, I'd say get it. No question it'll be fun. (And I'm a big fan of both Fairdale and Taj).
At the same time, having spent the last 9 years riding mtb (dirt jump, ss xc, 4x, and DH) in addition to BMX . . . I think in terms of progressive 26" riding, you might get more out of a DJ mtb. Or, you might get more out of a 24" BMX like a Sunday ModelC/WaveC if you really want to ride concrete park a lot, etc.
Although I definitely appreciate the Taj's early-80's-retro vibe, it's worth pointing out that it does have long chainstays and a low bb. Progressive DJ-mtb's typically have around 15"-15.75" cs these days, so 16.41" is long. Also most DJ-mtb's are around 1" bb drop or even less (for example the TRANSITION BLT has zero bb drop while the PBJ has 25mm. So, 40mm bb drop on the TAJ seems pretty old school--reminiscent of a Mongoose KOS or something. The top tube on the Taj is 22.6"--so that's pretty comparable to a Large DJ-mtb. A 71 degree head angle is pretty close to DJ mtb's--they are typically 69, 70, or 71, and steepen up a little if you run a short travel fork (80mm travel instead of 100mm travel... or a shorter rigid fork). The now discontinued Volume Sledgehammer and Volume Hessian were more "progressive" for 26" (but I guess in the end not popular enough to continue making..... I have no idea where Volume is now--my impression is they bailed on 26"/700c). All this said, I haven't ridden a Fairdale TAJ, and I'd be stoked to ride one and see what it's like.
You should probably buy it, regardless of whether you also pick up an mtb.
--- End quote ---
Cant really argue with this.
Get the Taj, but if you are moving to Colorardo I think you should really think seriously about getting a proper MTB too. A full suspension bike is very different to a BMX and it takes a few rides to get used to it and to get into riding distance, but it is a lot of fun and Colorado looks too amazing not to explore off road. Personally I would look for a really good second hand 26" wheel full sus bike with 5-6" of travel. Nearly everyone seems to be jumping to 29" or 27.5"/650b so there are bargains to be had on 26" wheeled bikes second hand and lets face it, they are often more fun anyway.
:)
G.
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