I'm a newb! For BMX bikes that is!

[HRH]

So I've been thinking about getting a trials bike (after watching Danny Macaskill videos of course), but saw the price tag and said yuck. Figured a bmx bike would be good for the screwing around I want to do. I already have a kick-ass mountain bike, but it's a bit unwieldy for wheelies and jumps. Definitely can do it, but I need to work on balance and a smaller frame I can do tricks on would be ideal I think. Or I'll just suck forever! ;)

 

Anyway, the last bmx bike I had was when I was 10 or so. It was a Mongoose, which was awesome at the time, but I've heard they cheaped out in recent years. I'm looking for something to basically practice on, to get my balance better and jump stuff and hop curbs, etc. There's a particular dip I want to jump, but it's very sharp and the mountain bike is just too long for me to comfortably go down and then ride the lip up without me loosing my nerve. It's more of a bmx jump anyway. Want something I can maneuver better in the air. (And exit off of easier if I get out of shape)

 

Thinking about trying to keep it below $300. Just not sure on what type of crank, length, hubs, etc I should get. I'd like a freewheeling hub like the mountain bike. The old Mongoose had a crank brake which I don't really want. I've seen a bunch of bmx bikes on craigslist but it's really hard to tell models and components. I know what to look for in general, but there seems to be quite a few different options for how the bike is set up.

 

Anyone have any pointers? Any bmx bikes out there with a USA frame? I know most of the mountain bikes except high end have gone to China production or Taiwan. I'd like to find something good quality homegrown. Oh yeah, all the bmx bikes I've looked at so far weigh as much as my aluminum mountain bike, around 26-27 pounds. What gives? Is that the norm?

 

That's it, I'm a newb, trying to get back into bmx/trials/fucking around. What say you bike nerds on ratsun?

[Draynor]

26-28 pounds is normal now a days. I personally ride a 21" sunday Ian frame,175mm primo cranks,primo front and rear hubs with a 8t driver and a 25t sprocket. about 28 Pounds.

 

As for beginner bikes I would suggest buying a complete bike from either Fit,untited,Sunday,ect... Depending on your height your gonna want to choose the right length of frame. The normal ones are 20.5,20.75, and 21". But there are other sizes for those taller people. for referance I am 5'10" and ride a 21" and its just a little big for me.The rear end length also will make a difference in how it rides and if it feels to big or small. as for American made bikes go with Fit,S&M,Cult. There are a few others just think off the top of my head. Make sure your hubs are sealed. There are many different driver sizes for hubs 8,9,10,11,12,13t. I would suggest keeping it in the 8-10 range. The common gear ratio's would be 22t-8t,25t-9t,28 or 30t-10t. I personally run 25t-8t because it gives more response for less pedaling. You will want a integrated headset.

 

Here is a link to some of the brands just click on them and it will take you to each brands bike list.

 

http://www.danscomp....html/bikes.html

 

 

This is my bike.

 

[the nice machine]

i ride bmx... i'm 5'6" tall. how tall are you? if you are over 5'10" you might want to check out a 24" bmx cruiser. bmx bikes are pretty cheap these days, most entry level bikes even come with 3 piece cranks. i'm not much of a parts/brand nerd, i just keep everything tuned and buy parts from a local bike shop if something breaks. i don't think you'll find an american frame for less than 300 bucks. and yeah draynor just beat me to it... i would recomend buying a low end fit complete. i ride a 2009 trl 1 which was less than 300 new. i upgraded parts over the years and the frame is awesome.

[Draynor]

Yes a cruiser might work better for you depending on your size. Definitely more room to move around.

[Str8_69]

I'll sell you my Race Inc for 300 buzillion dollars.... but I say definately keep your eyes peeled for a vintage BMX'r, get some ideas here.. http://community.ratsun.net/topic/36703-the-bmx-bikes-of-ratsun/

[SlottedMagz]

ill trade you my 09 haro forum intro lite for an aluminum 240z shifter knob that cl72wagon makes. if you take care of shipping :poke:

will take pics if your interested

they are made in taiwan tho

[HRH]

^Lol, I think that might be a bitch for shipping. I'm 5'8", so fairly short. What is an integrated headset? I suppose I can look that up too, but I know my mountain bike has bearings top and bottom in the stem. It's been bulletproof for many years. Is that integrated?

[SlottedMagz]

haha probs what spokane mo, la, wa? i want to find out what shipping would be

[the nice machine]

I'll sell you my Race Inc for 300 buzillion dollars.... but I say definately keep your eyes peeled for a vintage BMX'r, get some ideas here.. http://community.rat...ikes-of-ratsun/

 

vintage bmx bikes are cool and they look good too, but the geometry on the newer frames is a lot more fun to ride. i started riding in the early 80's up until the mid to late 90's. i started riding again a few years ago and bike design had really changed a lot in the 10 or 12 years that i wasn't on a bike. it took a minute to get used to the new school bikes, they feel like a scooter at first because there is no ass end, and you can't sit down because the seat is so low. but once you get used to it is is a lot better for bunnyhopping, manuals, spins... you can carve them through the air more easily (like big hip jumps, just turn your bars and the bike goes wherever you aim it). they are just more responsive and intuitive to ride. that's my opinion.

[Draynor]

What is an integrated headset?

where the bearings sit there are usually cups that hold them on older bikes and some lower end bikes. An integrated headset has those cups to but they are not removable,they are machined in which gives the front end more of a solid feel instead of the usually front end shakiness of older bikes. Integrated headset will also be sealed.

[Str8_69]

vintage bmx bikes are cool and they look good too, but the geometry on the newer frames is a lot more fun to ride. i started riding in the early 80's up until the mid to late 90's. i started riding again a few years ago and bike design had really changed a lot in the 10 or 12 years that i wasn't on a bike. it took a minute to get used to the new school bikes, they feel like a scooter at first because there is no ass end, and you can't sit down because the seat is so low. but once you get used to it is is a lot better for bunnyhopping, manuals, spins... you can carve them through the air more easily (like big hip jumps, just turn your bars and the bike goes wherever you aim it). they are just more responsive and intuitive to ride. that's my opinion.

 

 

 

Yup, but I just like old school, and I can bunny-hop a Sherman tank cuz that's what I know. I can sit on my 'cinc backwards and it will go where I want it to go. If I still desired to ride pipes, I could prolly do what I want on that old bike and grin like a kid that just got his first bb gun. But yeah, the new stuff is def cool, I guess.

[KhausticMess]

At your listed price range finding something that will hold up will probably be hard. It will also be hard to find something U.S. made without purchasing at a much higher price. Taiwanese products are generally well enough made if you up your price a bit, Chinese stuff is usally low end stuff. I was a professional bike mechanic/salesperson for nearly 12 years and based on info you can provide I can easily make suggestions. I don't like just laying out specs since BMX products on the technical side have really changed a lot since the 90's If you have a long torso check out a longer top tube finding something that feels natural is gonna help a ton. I can answer more spacific questions and explain things in great detail if ya wanna pm me. I bought a bike a couple years back that was just under 400 and it held up pretty well I would definetely suggest upping your price range to atleast that.

 

check your local shops, if you have one with a higher bmx based crowd go there, its kinda rare these days to find a shop that specializes in BMX in western WA, I would assume the same for your area.

 

Integrated headsets are a system where the headset bearings ride basically directly on the head tube removing the "cups" that were used on older bikes Generally anything decent now days will have them. Generally they are a more secure system and less flexible.

 

Don't get a cruiser class bike if you intend to do tricks, you'll regret it they are fine for racing and well groomed dirt jumps similar to whats on a track but will get destroyed doing anything else.

 

pm me I can better explain my personal reccomendations over a phone than typing.

[HRH]

Good advice all, I appreciate it. There are a fair amount of high-end bmx bikes on craigslist too, just many are older versions that I know nothing of. I do have a long torso, while being short overall.

 

Something like this on cl is what I was looking at, but have no idea if it's really all that. Can't tell the model from the pictures provided, maybe you can Khaustic? http://spokane.craigslist.org/spo/3154749079.html

[KhausticMess]

thats a pile, 1 piece cranks are bad m'kay give me better details on what your gonna do, where your gonna ride it, how much versatility you want etc. I imagine they did pay 400 bike prices have been jumping like crazy over the last 5 or so years.

 

That redline is also super old I dont remember that graphic, but if you look at the rear dropouts they are fuckin huge, redline hasn't had a model with that top tube and stays that large for a long time that wasn't meant for a small child.

[KhausticMess]

http://spokane.craigslist.org/bik/3152519003.html this is a better bike at your listed price too probably worth much more originally if none of the frame stuff has become ovalized from poor maintenance. If you have a long torso I don't think a short top tube will help ya im 5'8" only have a roughly 30" inseam so im all torso and I always need a long top.

[HRH]

Gotcha. Basically I'm not looking for hardcore beating, just something to practice on to be able to ride wheelies better, bunny hop higher, and just some general screwing around with concrete obstacles. Probably don't have the balls anymore for major air. Just something easy and fun, basically training for better balance and easier to do tricks and stuff on that the mountain bike. To give you an idea, I have a MTN TEK aluminum hardtail mountain bike I bought in '94. Rebuilt except frame after getting run over in '98. Used since then, have around 5000 miles on it before I stopped counting. It's lasted the test of time, has full XT Shimano setup. XT crank, XT rapidfire shifters, Ringle front hub and Manitou forks (old elastomers). Deore rear hub, still damn bulletproof. Original chain since '98, still haven't broken it. Crank has some dicked up spots due to not enough clearance for mounting rocks or whatever. Still works fine.

 

I used to be much better when I rode in college because I rode every day, lately I've found my skills are lacking from just regular mountain biking with the dog. Have found a few jumps to hit and slowly building up the confidence again. Still, I've never been able to ride a front wheelie other than using the brake and bringing up the back wheel. I'm thinking a smaller bmx style bike would be better for getting the skills back, and probably more fun for using them than the headlighted, fendered mountain bike.

[HRH]

When you say short top tube, do you mean the stem where the seat rides or the lateral top of the frame?

[KhausticMess]

http://spokane.craigslist.org/bik/3092417010.html this also looks promising I sold a couple We The Peoples wasn't a huge fan of what we stocked but this looks to have a pretty decent setup.

[the nice machine]

http://spokane.craig...3152519003.html this is a better bike at your listed price too probably worth much more originally if none of the frame stuff has become ovalized from poor maintenance. If you have a long torso I don't think a short top tube will help ya im 5'8" only have a roughly 30" inseam so im all torso and I always need a long top.

 

agreed. this is what you want, not the 100$ bike with the funky experimental racing geometry.

i've seen some of those "not a wal mart" bikes at bike shops and i have no idea who rides them still.

[HRH]

That one certainly looks hella sweet. Dumb newbie question, does that have any brakes?

[KhausticMess]

just call me, I'm drinkin and getting lazy its harder to explain shit typing than speaking. 425 830 8638.

[HRH]

Lol, k then.

[KhausticMess]

oh on the brakes don't use a gyro just run the cable longer with "linear" brake cable if you care about spinning the bars so much easier to maintain than a gyro. lastly those big rear dropouts on teh redline you posted earlier avoid that style usually the sign of an older bike.

[that one guy]

Personally I'm a Fit guy, and they make really good stuff. When buying a bike, make sure it's in good condition, don't want any cracks or the like. A complete Fit will run you around 300-450, depending on what you get.

Not that you'll need it, but Fit's will pretty much survive anything but a car, especially big drops. 360 tailwhips down a 12 stair will kill the stems usually, but Fit's for some reason don't break.

And yes, stay away from 1 and 2 piece cranks. they snap really easy...

[HRH]

Sweeet, thanks guys, particularly Khaustic, had a good talk there, even if you are drinking crap beer! ;)