20'' vs 26''

It's all about what you like to ride. I prefer 20's, but I've been on them my whole life. My buddy Simcik (Transition factory pro.. yeah Nick!) prefers to dj on his Double. We ride the exact same jumps, but we ride different bikes. No big deal. The upsell on rolling a 20 is that they are cheaper. You can pimp the hell out of a 20 for $800. $800 on a 26 doesn't go as far. I ride both, but spend more time on the 20. Two wheelz fo realz!

I've been rolling on 20's for my whole life as well, but i do have a 24 and a 26. But the benefits for having a 20 would be weight, price, and maintenance. But it comes down to personal preference really, i'm a fan of all types of bikes and someday down the road I'll probably have a 26" dirt jump/park bike.

Mtb disc brakes work. Bmx brakes don't really.


That's the biggest reason for me why I ride 26" stuff. I'm not even kidding.

there was this thread . . . . i won't rehash, but it's worth a read . . .

BMX and MTB
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207706

kidwoo said:

Mtb disc brakes work. Bmx brakes don't really.

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I beg to differ (not on the fact that disc brakes work). It does take some time to set them up, you need a good combo of brake pads and rim, but it is possible to get a decent working U brake.

Just buy one. The used BMX market is hilarious and you should be able to pick up something nice for pretty cheap. I was 26 and 24 only until a couple years ago when I got a bmx just to see what it was like.
After switching back and forth several times, I find that I prefer the 20 for street and park stuff (basically anything where the small bike can make up for my lack of bike skills), but prefer the 26 with one brake and 80mm fork on dirt jumps and everything else (wherever the big wheels can make up for my lack of bike skills and keep me from ending up on my face).
Everyone's different, just buy or borrow one and see which camp you fall into.

stino said:

I beg to differ (not on the fact that disc brakes work). It does take some time to set them up, you need a good combo of brake pads and rim, but it is possible to get a decent working U brake.

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u-brakes (bmx) will slow you down. disc brakes will stop you.

escapeartist said:

Just buy one. The used BMX market is hilarious and you should be able to pick up something nice for pretty cheap.

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this ^^

I like 20s...the most fun I had on a 26 was on a pump track. strictly opinion.

escapeartist said:

Just buy one. The used BMX market is hilarious and you should be able to pick up something nice for pretty cheap.

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Word

jonKranked said:

u-brakes (bmx) will slow you down. disc brakes will stop you.

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Words

I ride 26s, if i rode more skate-park, id probably try owning myself on a bmx bike.

I'm back and forth between them. 20 makes transitions and stuff feel bigger and is easier to throw around. it forces you to be smooth on the ground.
26 makes stuff feel smaller and is more forgiving and flexible. it will make you smoother in the air since they tend to weigh more and have more gyroscopic effects, ie you can brute force a decent whip on a bmx just by kicking your legs out, to get one on a 26 you need to get your whole body and the bike involved.
you lean a lot of stuff transitioning between them too.

jonKranked said:

u-brakes (bmx) will slow you down. disc brakes will stop you.

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However they are intended for entirely different purposes.. U brakes are great for locking up for stalls and such, while disc brakes aren't designed to take the reverse loads of hopping around on your back wheel. Sure, you can still use discs, but the leverage that a locked u brake gets on a 20" wheel is much more than that of a 6" rotor, and will have much less chance of slipping if set up correctly. Same reason you don't ever see trials riders running a rear disc brake. I have the U-brakes on my liquid set up to be really snappy. if anything they lock up the back wheel before slowing it down, just how I like it for park.

I hate the excessive length and slow spin of 26. I hate the bone jarring ride and clown-bike feel of 20.

Now I ride 24 with a stiff sus fork. Spins and turns quicker but doesn't blow my wrists up if I overshoot.

FR4life. said:

However they are intended for entirely different purposes.. U brakes are great for locking up for stalls and such, while disc brakes aren't designed to take the reverse loads of hopping around on your back wheel. Sure, you can still use discs, but the leverage that a locked u brake gets on a 20" wheel is much more than that of a 6" rotor, and will have much less chance of slipping if set up correctly. Same reason you don't ever see trials riders running a rear disc brake. I have the U-brakes on my liquid set up to be really snappy. if anything they lock up the back wheel before slowing it down, just how I like it for park.

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or when you slip off riding a railing you will bend your rotor 90 degrees... and when you mess up on that ice pick, your rotor will get smashed on that coping...