giant stp help

[henryNZ]

Hi guys,

just got a 2006 giant stp1 and it is in the shop getting serviced. It has Marzocchi Dirt Jam Pros and the frame is in pretty good nick. I want to use it for freeride/downhill and dj and was wondering if I should change it to singlespeed. I dont really mind deraliuers but I would like to keep the bike a bit more simple. What would be the advantages and dis of ss. Also what else could I do to it to make it better. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ride.Dirt.Wake.]

Dirt Jam Pro's, with 100mm of travel don't have the travel that most DH/FR forks do (160mm+), but you'll be riding hardtail so you're going to want to be riding smooth anyway, without too much hard work for your suspension. I've seen alot of STPs with longer travel forks, like Marzocchi 66s which rode well on DH trails, it comes down to you as a rider and what you need from your bike. Whatever you do, don't think about putting double crown forks on it; alot of STP frames get damaged this way as it throws out the geometry and is just not what the frame is designed for.

At the moment it sounds like the bike is best suited to dirt jumps; the forks are probably stiffer than you'd have them for DH or FR.

As for having a front mech or single front chainring with or without a chainguide, it also depends on your riding and your funds. If you can pump out runs without dropping your chain as is, chances are you'll usually get away without needing to change to a chainguide. This will require you to ride smooth and will prevent you from pedalling when the going gets rough.

When you say singlespeed are you thinking of removing the rear cassette so that there is only one gear front and back? I haven't heard much about SS DH bikes, but there's no rules against it. If you're new to downhill I would suggest keeping your 8/9 gear cassette at the back, for flexibility in pedalling and it's easier to get the chain back on if you lose it for some reason.

If DJ is your main niche than go for it! I'm more of a DH/FR guy so I'll leave opinions about DJ to the experts.

Hope this helps!

 

[henryNZ]

Thanks for all the info. So should i change to a single sprocket in the front and keep the 8 speed cassette in the back??? And would changing to single speed (one gear throughout) limit my light downhill and freeriding. Kinda stuck on the fence here, wanting to do both downhill and dirt jumps on the same bike.

 

[guitar1234]

Thanks for all the info. So should i change to a single sprocket in the front and keep the 8 speed cassette in the back??? And would changing to single speed (one gear throughout) limit my light downhill and freeriding. Kinda stuck on the fence here, wanting to do both downhill and dirt jumps on the same bike.

yep single chainring on the front, makes things simpler really, and more clearance.

If you were to get rid of your gears it would limit your DH/FR abilities a lot, single speed for DH would be a nightmare as you'll constantly be spinning to gain any speed. You can still jump on a bike with gears, people only change to single speed for the simplicity and cost effectiveness.

So keep your gears and just a single chainring

 

[crash]

I have an 05 stp 1, sick bike i ride it pretty much every day.
i run it single speed with a bit of a custom chain tensioner and it works really well.
but id'e just keep it for dj's and bmx tracks but it will certainly take a beating, you could
run it for dh but probs better off getting a dh bike for that. sick bike none the less.

 

[Ride.Dirt.Wake.]

yep single chainring on the front, makes things simpler really, and more clearance.

If you were to get rid of your gears it would limit your DH/FR abilities a lot, single speed for DH would be a nightmare as you'll constantly be spinning to gain any speed. You can still jump on a bike with gears, people only change to single speed for the simplicity and cost effectiveness.

So keep your gears and just a single chainring

100% true. Singlespeed is impractical for DH/FR.

 

[henryNZ]

SO I am going to go with a single chainring on the front and leave the cassette on the back. I found I needed a new bottom bracket which was annoying.

So si there any other good upgrades I could do to the bike. Forks, Rims etc. Thanks

 

[guitar1234]

SO I am going to go with a single chainring on the front and leave the cassette on the back. I found I needed a new bottom bracket which was annoying.

So si there any other good upgrades I could do to the bike. Forks, Rims etc. Thanks

You would really be better off not making any huge upgrades, as it would be better to save for a DH bike, then you could have a dedicated bike for jumps and downhill, so no more compromises

Tyres would be my fisrt upgrade, and will make a big difference, so will wider bars and a shorter stem

But it all depends on what you are running now and how biased you are with your riding ( as in 80% DJ and 20% DH)

 

[redbruce]

You would really be better off not making any huge upgrades, as it would be better to save for a DH bike, then you could have a dedicated bike for jumps and downhill, so no more compromises

Tyres would be my first upgrade, and will make a big difference, so will wider bars and a shorter stem

Agree. I had the same issue a few years ago with my son.

For the interim solution we ended up doing the tyres, stem bar bit and fitting a set of RS Pikes to an STP.

He had a lot of fun on that bike.

We now have it set up for 4X.

They are quite an adaptable platform.