[Jammertime]

Thing thinking about dabbling in BMX racing while our local town has some dirt jumps and pump track. Does anyone have suggestions for a bike that could do double duty decently well, or have suggestions on what to look for in a bike? Or would a cheap race bike work well enough if I'm not leaning too heavy on the dirt jumping?

 

[KingOfOrd]

BMX racing is a blast, its how I got my feet wet. Coming from MTB you might feel more comfortable on a cruiser (24" wheel size). In comparison race bikes are relatively cheap but a cheap one should be able to handle all your pumptrack/dj/racing needs. Plus upgrades don't break the bank and its pretty easy and fun to do. Its also great training since you basically do sprint intervals all day long. Helps with skills on the trail too. I cant recommend it enough.

 

[Jammertime]

BMX racing is a blast, its how I got my feet wet. Coming from MTB you might feel more comfortable on a cruiser (24" wheel size). In comparison race bikes are relatively cheap but a cheap one should be able to handle all your pumptrack/dj/racing needs. Plus upgrades don't break the bank and its pretty easy and fun to do. Its also great training since you basically do sprint intervals all day long. Helps with skills on the trail too. I cant recommend it enough.

Thanks. Any brands to consider or stay away from?

 

[KingOfOrd]

Thanks. Any brands to consider or stay away from?

Can't help much there, been a while since I've been in the game. I always raced on a Haro, Redline was another hot brand when I was racing.

 

[stripes]

BMX racing is a blast, its how I got my feet wet. Coming from MTB you might feel more comfortable on a cruiser (24" wheel size). In comparison race bikes are relatively cheap but a cheap one should be able to handle all your pumptrack/dj/racing needs. Plus upgrades don't break the bank and its pretty easy and fun to do. Its also great training since you basically do sprint intervals all day long. Helps with skills on the trail too. I cant recommend it enough.

This. Definitely a cruiser.

Train Wreck: what about DJ?

 

[mack_turtle]

I have been away from BMX for a long time, but Sunday was making a cool 24" bike that might be a bit heavy for competitive racing but stronger than most race bikes for jumping. I would spend some time on the Dan's Competition site to learn more about race bikes.

 

[Battery]

I just started BMX freestyle myself at the ripe age of 39! I have a dirt jumper and BMX bike. I plan to ride skateparks with the DJ first and eventually take my BMX there. I'm not too familiar with BMX racing brands but Sunday, We the People, Tall Order, Cult, Kink and FitBikeCo are some of the common brands I've found in freestyle.

You can also surf around Scotty Cranmer's shop for bikes too. They sell a bit of everything to include BMX race bikes: https://www.scbicycles.com/bikes/bmx/race/

 

[93EXCivic]

I would spend some time on the Dan's Competition site to learn more about race bikes.

Just don't buy from Dan's Comp. They have become really bad.

 

[hogfly]

We have a 26" DJ Bike (Spesh P3) and a 20" BMX bike (GT Performer). I'm fairly tall (6'1"), and I find the DJ bike to be much more natural for me to ride than the BMX bike. I'm sure if I were really getting into vert and skate park riding, like my son, I would want to get on the BMX more, but the dirtjumper scratches my itch of letting me zoom around pump tracks and in the bowl of the skate park with some air without feeling totally unnatural and tiny like a BMX. When I"m on a BMX, I feel like I'm a bear on a mini-rocker or this guy:

 

[93EXCivic]

We have a 26" DJ Bike (Spesh P3) and a 20" BMX bike (GT Performer). I'm fairly tall (6'1"), and I find the DJ bike to be much more natural for me to ride than the BMX bike. I'm sure if I were really getting into vert and skate park riding, like my son, I would want to get on the BMX more, but the dirtjumper scratches my itch of letting me zoom around pump tracks and in the bowl of the skate park with some air without feeling totally unnatural and tiny like a BMX. When I"m on a BMX, I feel like I'm a bear on a mini-rocker or this guy:

I am 6'2" and I find that a 20in BMX feels more natural to me then a 29in MTB. And I started with a 29in MTB rather then a 20in.

 

[hogfly]

I am 6'2" and I find that a 20in BMX feels more natural to me then a 29in MTB. And I started with a 29in MTB rather then a 20in.

I guess it's just a matter of what you spend the majority of your time on? I ride my MTB pretty much daily and have for years. I just started getting on a BMX and/or DJ bike in the last year or so, and I really only get on it when the weather doesn't permit us to ride trail, which isn't that often. I'm sure if I dedicated the amount of time to a BMX bike that I have to my MTB, I'd feel way more comfortable.

My son spends a lot of time on his BMX, and he definitely says he notices a transition period when he switches back to a MTB, and it usually takes him a bit to get to where it feels natural.. and vice versa when he has been on his MTB a lot and moves over to the BMX.

 

[Captain_America1976]

I guess it's just a matter of what you spend the majority of your time on? I ride my MTB pretty much daily and have for years. I just started getting on a BMX and/or DJ bike in the last year or so, and I really only get on it when the weather doesn't permit us to ride trail, which isn't that often. I'm sure if I dedicated the amount of time to a BMX bike that I have to my MTB, I'd feel way more comfortable.

My son spends a lot of time on his BMX, and he definitely says he notices a transition period when he switches back to a MTB, and it usually takes him a bit to get to where it feels natural.. and vice versa when he has been on his MTB a lot and moves over to the BMX.

I have a bit of a different experience here. Some days I will hit the skate park on the BMX with my kid after I have been trail riding in the AM. The two bikes are a 20" BMX bike and full suspension 29er trail bike. They are very different bikes. It only takes me a few minutes to get used to the BMX bike.

 

[DIRTJUNKIE]

I have a bit of a different experience here. Some days I will hit the skate park on the BMX with my kid after I have been trail riding in the AM. The two bikes are a 20" BMX bike and full suspension 29er trail bike. They are very different bikes. It only takes me a few minutes to get used to the BMX bike.

As with anything, once you've mastered anything sport wise it only takes a few minutes to adjust back to it after being away from it for a period of time. The human brain is an amazing thing. Switching from one discipline to another once you've mastered both is a no brainer / brain coordination memory thing.

 

[Captain_America1976]

As with anything, once you've mastered anything sport wise it only takes a few minutes to adjust back to it after being away from it for a period of time. The human brain is an amazing thing. Switching from one discipline to another once you've mastered both is a no brainer / brain coordination memory thing.

Haven't exactly mastered BMX yet(or ever). I have only been riding for a about a year. Either way the transition isn't too tough. The skills from one to the other translate pretty well.

 

[One Pivot]

Redline MX24's are only $269 on amazon/ebay right now! They're last years, but who cares. Redline is an oldschool brand that makes good bikes. The mx24 is surprisingly good for how cheap it is, its a real bmx bike that you can hop on and go race. 3pc chromoly crank, modern standards etc. The wheels arent great, but that shouldnt come as a surprise. Most of our mtb rear hubs cost more than this whole bike.

I just bought one last week. My girlfriend actually wanted it to race at the local track, so I bought her one as a gift. I hadnt touched one since I was a little kid, it was a blast just putting around the neighborhood. I think Im going to buy myself one next.

 

[TwiceHorn]

I'm 53 and we had BMX bikes when I was about 11-12, but there was no "scene," no races no parks no nothing. We built ramps and jumped stuff in alleys and on sidewalks, trashcans were a favorite. I had a Sting Ray Jr. with knobbies, bars, and a "10-speed" saddle that I did enjoy puttering around on. Most of us also had Schwinn Varsitys that we actually rode to school, so even then we had "big bikes' and "little bikes" and we were close to outgrowing the little ones even at that age.

I am intrigued by learning some skills, balance, and body control on a little bike like the 24" Redline. Things I never really learned in the first place or need to re-learn. I learned to wheelie on that Sting Ray, and that's about it.

But I have an idiotic question: do you just leave the seat way down like a DJ bike? I know you would in a park or in a race, but if you're just puttering around, do you stand the whole time? That might be good in and of itself, just seems weird.

 

[One Pivot]

I put the seat sort of high. Which on a bmx bike is still far lower than a mtb with a completely slammed seat. A slammed seat on a bmx is pretty much the same as running no seat or post at all, it's too far down to use.

 

[Gutch]

When I used to race bmx it was Skyway, Hutch, Redline, Mongoose, GT, Pk Ripper, Haro etc. At 48now, I’d buy a Redline cruiser.

 

[str8edgMTBMXer]

I leave my seat down when cruising cause growing up, that is also how I rode...the seat was just of when you were not moving...still ride my 1988 Mongoose Californian Pro, but am looking for a new freestyle BMX as well...

to the OP, check out Albes site for race bikes...Dan's Comp has become sort of sketchy recently...the true race bikes are made of aluminum instead of steel...you might want a regular 20" BMX with trail geo, which is usually a 74* HTA...and you will size it by top tube length for the most part...could also check out some dirt jumpers, which would be more strong, if the idea is to get air, and not purely get speed...

race bikes
https://www.albes.com/bikes/bmx-race-bikes/

dirt jumpers
https://www.albes.com/bikes/dirt-jump-bikes/

 

[TwiceHorn]

I put the seat sort of high. Which on a bmx bike is still far lower than a mtb with a completely slammed seat. A slammed seat on a bmx is pretty much the same as running no seat or post at all, it's too far down to use.

So there is a form of seated riding, but it resembles post 9. I'm guessing that a 26" BMX cruiser is beginning to resemble an SS MTB and would defeat my purpose, pretty much. Plus, in addition to being more tossable, I'm thinking a littler bike makes it easier to "separate" from the bike and closer to the ground in the event of a loopout or similar.