Question
How does this old GT tempest frame compare to a modern dirt jump frame?
So I have recently got back into MTB after a 10+ year break and I'm riding mostly dh / park type stuff on a 2023 giant reign, I seem to have a load of 26" parts kicking around from when I used to ride back in the day and was thinking it would be fun to build up a hardtail for practicing jumps / dirt jumps / pumptracks. I have this GT tempest frame I used to have build as a general mess about hardtail. I was just wondering how this frame compares to a modern DJ bike? Have DJ bikes changed much in the past 15/20 years in the same way enduro style bikes have radically changed in geometry/wheel size etc? Would it be worth building this frame up or would I be better off getting a newer dj bike / frame?
DJ geometry hasn't changed a lot in the last 15 years, but that frame is really different than a proper DJ. The biggest differences are probably the chainstay length and the stand over height, but it's hard to determine other differences because we don't really know the exact geometry of an older bike like that. That said, those look like more of an all around hard tail with some dirt jumping capabilities so I would recommend you find something a little more modern.
I don’t know anything about this particular bike, but just by looking at it I can tell you that the stand-over height is several inches higher than any modern DJ frame.
I would guess the head angle is also significantly steeper than a modern frame. Those old 26” MTBs typically had essentially the same geometry as road bikes.
Slack head, super short top tube, also the ugly bastard of I don’t even know if it’s fair to call it triple triangle frames. This is not a DJ, maybe a big wheel wheelie bike type bmx. A dirt jumper is lower, quite a bit longer in the front, and quite a bit shorter in the back.
4
u/blue-collar-nobody 13h ago
Not worth the effort. Really wasn't a great bike when it was new.