Nevada Sixx

Member
Jan 14, 2000
1,033
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I am new to bmx and i want to get a new bmx bike, but all the ones at walmart seem so small, they are called "20 inch boys bikes"... loooking on ebay, i see references to 19,20,22, and 24 inch... what does all that mean? is it the height? if the bikes at walmart were about 4 inches taller, as well as taller bars, that would be cool...im about 6ft. whats the lowdown on a bmx for adults?
 

PhaTDiRt

Member
Sep 27, 2003
14
0
Well Walmart bikes are pretty much garbage, I had a Mongoose from them (acutally several) and they all like broke when I used them. Some good makes of bikes that you could get from a bike shop are Poverty, Hoffman, Haro, Etc. Those are the most popular. An online BMX shop is www.danscomp.com they have a hell of a lot there. Pretty good prices, go check it out.
 

gxdragon

Member
Nov 13, 2002
268
0
You are not going to get a good quality bike at walmart. Mongoose when I was a kid was one of the better bikes from what I was told the company was sold and they no longer make a quality product. BMX has also changed over the years the bikes are specialized. I rode a 20" bike until I was about 18 (by the way it refers to the wheel size). There are several different classes of BMX bike they are as follows.
-Race
-trick/stunt bikes
-trail/street
The race bikes are light and built for speed and only have a rear brake, you can find numerous sizes in these bikes. They have minis, Jrs, standard 20" and a cruiser 24". minis & jrs are for small kids my 7yr old rides a mini. The 20" & 24" are for taller people the older croud tend to get the 24" bikes guys 30+. They are easier to peddle you don't have to work as hard to go fast. I stood next to a guy about 20yrs old about 6'3" riding a 20".
The trick bikes are a lot heavier they are made stronger for the abuse they get. They have what we used to call buddy pegs for doing tricks and they have a front and rear brakes and a gyro to spin the bars without getting the cables twisted.
The trail/street also known as a dirt jumping bike, it comes with only a rear brake and the weight falls in between the race and the trick bike. You can jump it and just use it for riding the street.
So you need to know what you want the bike for before making a choice. there are a lot of good bikes out there some of the better companies are (but not limited to):
-Haro
-Redline
-DK (relatively inexpensive but I hear they are good)
-Trek
 

Kawidude

D'oh!
LIFETIME SPONSOR
May 23, 2000
1,386
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By the way, the "inches" you are talking about refers to the size of the wheels. I bought a Haro 24" bike about a year ago and it's been great, although I really don't thrash it very much. I'm 6' 1", 180lbs. and I'm 30. I put slightly taller bars on it and it fits me fine now.
 

cr25096er

Member
Apr 16, 2002
707
0
If you are looking for a nice bike you cannot beat the Redlines and haros. I have a 99 Redline RL440 and that thing has been through hell and back. But what ever bike you buy plan on adding a 3 piece crank and possibly rims depending on what you are going to use it for.
 

rickyd

Hot Sauce
Oct 28, 2001
3,447
0
I like my Redline 24", I installed some Profile SS 3-pc cranks and noticed the difference.. 3-pc cranks dont have the "flex" of a 1-pc crank, a more positive feel.. I have about $500 into my bike..
Rick
 
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rybo3

Member
Jun 13, 2002
86
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i am 6' 1" , and have a "20 freestlye bike for riding ramps and such. i also dirt jump with it on occasion. yes, these bike as heavy, but when you get a full grown kid on them, they can take the abuse.
 

bobjay516

Member
Aug 18, 2003
5
0
redline, trek? wow you guys have been out of the game for a while huh? Plus as an ex super serious bmxer dont buy from dans comp. Buy from trend, albes and the like all the same stuff at the same prices and those mailorder's actually care about the sport.
Yes to answer your question 20" refers to the size of the wheels. Unless you are solely planning to race in the cruiser class(24") dont buy one. Get a 20 inch. As far as brands go. Standard(amazing bikes,awesome warratny policy,a little expensive rider owned) FBM(good prices nice bikes also rider owned) Solid Bikes, Voulme, Hoffman, Kink, are all rider owned companies that make great bikes. I personally own a volume frame which I use for street and a Quamen (strictly a flatland company) which I use for flatland.
 

jeffd

Naïve Texan
N. Texas SP
Jun 9, 2000
1,610
0
There are 20" bikes that are built for big guys too. You need to look the top tube length and rise of the seat post. Bar height is important too. I have a Trek 20" bike and I have thrashed it hard. So far only minor bends lol. But the Trek subvert is a mid line bike at best. Hoffman makes great bikes. I suggest the Condor.

-jeffd
 

gxdragon

Member
Nov 13, 2002
268
0
Maybe it depends what part of the country you're in. I take my daughter to Bensalem BMX track every Monday for practice. About 60% of the bikes there are redlines. Then Haro and a few Department store brands. We haven't been to a race day yet because she isn't ready so I don't know what others are riding but in this area redline seems to be the ticket.
 

JasonJ

Member
Jun 15, 2001
1,150
1
I thrashed a walmart Mongoose MTB. The Aluminum A-50. Its a great bike, I gave it to my girlfriend as it was to small for me but I came off BMX bikes so I liked the smaller feel on the MTB at first. The bike stood up to every thing I threw at it of road and I only tacoed a rim when I was messing around doing some flatland frestyle with it.
As for kids bikes, what a far way they have NOT come since I rode frestyle. They have gotten crazy heavey and crazy hard to do what it is most kids do with them. Ride. The frame profiles have dropped and the kids think its cool to put the seat as low as it will go, they ride around with their knees practicly hitting the handel bars and their feet almost hitting them in the but. With as heavy as they are, I cant see walmart bike being far off a $300 red line for even a moderate compeditor. The frames are not going to break under a 95 Lb kid, and there are no components on them like brakes or shifters, ect that are worth the extra $$$$. 3 piece cranks are great for a rigid crank, but not worth the extra $ they charge for the name brands. I dont know, maybe parents dont care about spending $300 on a bike for a kid, my parents would have flipped.
In all my years of bike abuse I have only ever broken 2 bike frames. A dimond back Ultra light BMX racing frame, and a Treck Carbon Road bike frame.
I guese what Im trying to say is, its mostley about the rider, not the bike. If the bike is sized and speced right for the application, It dont matter how much it cost or if it came out of a wal-mart or a fancy little bike shop owned by some racer/rider.
 
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