Any Bmx Users?


Nova

Is that a Caanoo in your pocket or are you just ha
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Yo bikers.

I'm looking to get a new bike soon, and want to move from mountain to BMX. As I'm a complete newb on this subject, I was wondering if anyone could advise me on a fairly cheap (between 100 and 350ish) BMX which is still pretty good for the cash. It might be useful to note that it's for mainly inner city cycling and not for major tricks and shit, though I hope to be able to do a few basic things.
Any feedback would be ace. Thanks!
 
Nova said:
Yo bikers.

I'm looking to get a new bike soon, and want to move from mountain to BMX. As I'm a complete newb on this subject, I was wondering if anyone could advise me on a fairly cheap (between 100 and 350ish) BMX which is still pretty good for the cash. It might be useful to note that it's for mainly inner city cycling and not for major tricks and shit, though I hope to be able to do a few basic things.
Any feedback would be ace. Thanks!

I'm in the same boat, I ride a BMX mostly just around town, no crazy tricks. Kind of a poseur thing to do, I guess, but I feel comfortable riding it and it's legal to ride it on the sidewalks here thanks to the small wheel diameter. I bought a new one at the beginning of last season and spent $550 Canadian on it. It's an Eastern Ace Of Spades. Normally it goes for $700, but I bought a leftover 2007 model as the 2008's were coming in and saved because of it. For the money, it's a great bike. The frame is fairly light but still very solid, the gearing is good, three-piece crank, it's generally a good all around bike. If I didn't have to worry about a budget, I'd have gone with a We The People frame and custom built something, but this is a good bike for the money IMO. If you're a bit taller, you might want to look at the Eastern Jane, IIRC it's basically the same as an Ace of Spades but it has a bigger frame. And if you can get one of the leftover models from last year, do it. BMXes generally don't change much year-to-year, so the difference in price doesn't necessarily mean a difference in quality.
 
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Ravnos: I couldn't find last years Ace of Spades, but are any of these any good?


http://www.winstanleysbmx.com/product/19572/Blank_Media_Bike_2009
This
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=32097
This
http://www.winstanleysbmx.com/product/23452/Verde_Eon_Bike_2010
Or this
 
Nova said:
Ravnos: I couldn't find last years Ace of Spades, but are any of these any good?


http://www.winstanle...Media_Bike_2009
This
http://www.chainreac...x?ModelID=32097
This
http://www.winstanle...e_Eon_Bike_2010
Or this

I'm far from an expert, but the last one looks like the best of the three. The advice I'd received was to generally stay away from 1020 steel frames and go with chromoly for the full frame, if possible. It will wind up being a lighter bike while being stronger than 1020. This will add a bit to the price, obviously, so you might find the tradeoff worthwhile to save a few bucks. You will also want to stay away from one-piece cranks, as they tend to be more fragile than three-pieces. I've heard a few people say you can generate more torque with a 3-piece too, but I think they're full of it as that would depend mostly on the length of the crank arms and gearing. Probably not a big deal if you're not going to be trick riding, but still, anything over $400 (whatever that works out to in pounds, I'm lazy) should have one standard. Oh, and you'll want double wall rims whatever you do, for extra durability. Even on just a riding bike, it's nice to not have to worry about your rims warping to shit if you hit rough pavement or decide to go down stairs.

Here's a thread I found regarding gear ratios, 2.75 is ideal on a BMX so you want to be close to that. The first one is bang-on and the last two bikes there come pretty close, so either is ok in that regard.

That's about all the advice I can really offer as I'm no expert, but hopefully it helps. You're not likely to find a chromoly frame bike at $400, but if hi-ten is okay with you then I wouldn't worry about it. The added strength won't be necessary unless you're really beating on the bike, the main benefit you'll be looking for is weight. Also, if there's a dedicated BMX shop in your area (not sure if that Winstanleys is in your area), go in and talk to them about it a bit, my experience has been that they're generally pretty helpful, and they can give you a chance to try out the bikes, feel the weight, etc. More generalized bike shops seem to look down on BMX for some reason, but they also sometimes have them in stock and you can check a few out there. And bear in mind frame size, depending on your height. I'm 5'7", so smaller bikes don't bother me much, but if you're taller, you might find a smaller frame uncomfortable.

Oh, and don't be afraid to buy used. You can get a hell of a deal on a used BMX if you look around, and if it's been well maintained you won't notice much difference from a new bike. Just make sure to inspect it thoroughly and note anything that looks like it would need to be replaced. That's about it.
 
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I currently have a Trek 7.3 FX WSD. Although they call it a mountain bike it's more of a hybrid which is good for road and off road. They do a boys version too Trek 7.3 FX!

It's one of the best bikes I have ridden, very light and amazingly fast!

I guess though you're after a pure mountain bike.
 
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