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I currently do not wear one but I should. A Leatt brace saved my life after a Kona dh bike (Operator) snapped, I almost broke my neck. I was lucky enough to receive only 2 fractured vertebrae. The doctor said without the leatt brace, I would have snapped my neck and potentially been paralyzed. Now I’m the jack ass like everyone else wanting comfort. I have forgone wearing a leatt I will prob start wearing it again.

Prices in € https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:hx2oe9NeILsJ:http…

Found this...

Whoever mentioned a budget trail hardtail made a good point. A hardtail with the dropper post down can be a lot of fun at local dirt jumps and pump tracks, and also give you an option for trail riding if you ever want a break from the downhill bike (or if your downhill bike is broken/being serviced/etc). You'd still get a lot of the skills benefits but it would be more versatile than either a dedicated dirt jumper or a BMX bike. That said, any of them would be fun and worthwhile.

I'd go for bmx. They can take a lot of abuse for a lot less money. Easier to fix and find parts. Less expenditure to try something new that you might not like or do for long. Big Bird is correct, tho. Honestly for dj prices I'd be more inclined to get a trail/am hardtail for the same cost, the base model canyon stoic for example.

I've tried both at different points over the past few years. I've pretty much settled on BMX, though, due to the price difference and simplicity. I've gone brakeless and found that has helped a lot with cornering and being more comfortable at higher speeds on the mountain bike. That said, it generally takes around a half-mile or so to get comfortable on the bigger bike if I've gone through a stretch of mostly BMX. I was able to ride more terrain and go longer distances on the DJ, which made it more helpful with the endurance side of crosstraining.

both would be great! a bmx will humble you for sure, but once you get used to it, maneuvering the testy 20 inch wheels will make the dh feel amazing. I think you will have a quicker time getting used to the dirt jumper, as the wheel size difference is much smaller, but both are fun and great for bike handling/reflex training. hope this helps!

Any kind of hardtail riding will benefit your DH riding, in my opinion at least. It's also my opinion that a DJ bike is better for cross training because it's less of a size difference. If you're riding a BMX bike between races, all hunched over and short wheelbase, it's a much bigger change when switching back to the DH bike.

I can't think of a trick step up at old rampage site, but there is lots a good stuff at the old rampage site, by the campground. If you're going through Cedar City we have similar dirt (an hour ish north), me and some homies have built some stuff up cedar canyon we are finishing up trick step about 8ft up 6ft out, that should be done in the next 2 days.