A Dirt Jumper is a type of hardtail mountain bike. It’s a slightly bigger version of a BMX bike with a front shock. Compared to the more popular trail-riding hardtail MTB, the dirt jumper has only 1-gear, no front brake, slack frame geometry, low seat-post, and is relatively heavy.

A dirt jumper is also known as an urban or street mountain bike. These bikes are designed for aerial stunts and landing jumps. They don’t have a rear shock because the rear suspension absorbs energy making jumping and pumping on pump tracks less efficient.

HardTail = front suspension only, thus hardtail, since the rear shock is absent.

Dirt jumper vs trail riding hardtail

A dirt jumper is a cross between a BMX trick bike and a traditional mountain bike. When picturing a Dirt Jump MTB, think of a BMX bike with a front fork and slightly bigger wheels.

Dirt Jumper vs trail mtb

Trail riding a dirt jumper

You can, but you wouldn’t want to.

Dirt Jumpers are heavy, have 1-gear, are inefficient for pedaling in both frame design and seat height, and don’t have a front brake.

They are specifically engineered for landing tricks and jumps. Even if you upgraded components, the frame geometry is similar to a Downhill MTB, with its slack angles for stability. The 26-inch tires are over 10% less efficient, compared to 29ers when climbing, nor do they deflect trail obstacles or roll over hazards as efficiently.

slopestyle vs dirt jumper bike

A slopestyle mountain bike is a full-suspension dirt jumper. These bikes are used for bigger terrain and jumps, which is why they have a rear shock.

Jesse is Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Valdivia, Chile. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: MTBing, snowboarding, reading, taster of craft beers, researcher, & compression sock wearer.