[TN]

I know how Echo feels about it & there has been some discussion before & now i want to know how you REALLY feel.
I only ask because I am in a constant struggle to aquire more bikes & I want a BMX next. I am leaning towards 24" wheels b/c I want to be able to ride some distance w/o my legs falling off.
I will also be learning to jump & other ways to make myself bleed.
Any other tips on what kind of setup i need would be cool too.

 

[pnj]

what's the question?

you want to know what I think about 24 inch wheels vs. 20 inch when your the one that's going to be buying and riding it? and you live in the south?

 

[bru]

Depends on what you plan on riding with it. If you are gonna ride street and skateparks I would definately suggest a 20" just because they are more suited to this. You might as well be riding a mountain bike if you get a 24" for this. If you are only gonna dirtjump with it, the 24" may be worth looking into since it is a little more stable and forgiving. Its a little scarier dirtjumping a 20" but don't let that stop you. In the end, for a given weight, a 20" will be stronger and more nimble than a 24". There are also more choices when shopping for a 20" since most 24" are more race oriented. Then again, I am probably a little biased since I ride a 20". They're tougher to get the hang of but when you do, you won't want to go back. GO 20", YEAH!!!

 

[Echo]

I'm guessing that means you don't want me to reply to this thread :devil:

 

[TN]

Originally posted by pnj
what's the question?

you want to know what I think about 24 inch wheels vs. 20 inch when your the one that's going to be buying and riding it? and you live in the south?

uh-huh, yeah, ya' see I'm after the pro's & con's of 20" vs 24" wheels for all around riding for someone that is a newbie.

GO 20", YEAH!!!

Thanks! that is the kind of opinion I am after. I will be riding urban stuff not alot of DJs. I already use my MTB as my urban fun time crash bike & I want something more suited for the type of riding I am doing.

 

[Booker]

I found that 24" tires are a little more easy to adjust to if you are coming from a mountain bike back ground. I am a short person and i felt like a clown on a 20" bike. I ride dirt jumps , street, park and our local bmx track all on 24" tires. I feel more stable in the air. To me a 20" bike feels like i am riding a brick. On the other hand my brother (who is bigger than me) rides a 20" and he loves it. He does NOT ride mountain bikes so there where no bad habbits to break or anything to get use to. I am by no means as comfortable on my cruiser as i would be on a mountain bike and i still have a ways to go before i start really throwing down at the park. It is a little hard for me to break my "Freeride" mentality where i try to launch drops and stairs on the little bike.
Landings will make for some sore joints for sure.

 

[Mudpuppy]

I have both a FR hardtail on 24's and a Cruiser. I'd say if you already have a small mtb for stuff like this get a 20" the 24" won't be different enough. Just make sure you get a 20" that feels good. I'm 6'4" and I've sat some 20" that felt good some that felt great and my some that felt horrible.

All that being said I love my cruiser. But I think I want to put 26's on my mtb and make it more FR/XC oriented (not that it'll ever be anywhere near xc) so I don't have two bikes almost the same size for the same type of riding.

 

[pnj]

if your current bike has zero suspension then go for a 20 inch. if you have shock forks (yes, they are called forks, don't argue with me) then i say go for a 24. it will be an easier transition.

as mentioned earlier, make sure you get a bmx (if that's the route you go) that is the right length. longer is going to be better in your case.

size on a bmx is measured in the top tube. 21 is standard for long and 18.5 is pretty damm short (dirt jumping vs. flatland)

why longer?

they are easier to handle. a 20 inch will feel squirelly as it is, get on a flatland bike and you will more than likely not even be able to ride in a strait line.
you won't hit your knees on the bars as much if it's longer also.

but keep in mind, size is relevant. i'm short and I like to ride flatland, so a 21 inch bike (top tube) is crazy long. if your over 5 foot 8 inches stay in the 20.5 or 21 inch top tube range.
if your crazy tall some companys make longer bikes than that...

 

[MojoJojo]

If you're indecisive, buy both, than sale the one that you don't like.

 

[pnj]

Originally posted by MojoJojo
If you're indecisive, buy both, than sale the one that you don't like.

SELL

are you from the south to?

 

[MojoJojo]

DAMN!!! Busted again.

 

[TN]

Originally posted by MojoJojo
If you're indecisive, buy both, than sale the one that you don't like.

see...that was what I was thinking.

I am gonna hit up the LBS's this week & try & ride a few. I am on a budget so i am hoping i can find something nice that has been used.

 

[Atomic Dog]

No thanks to the wintertime antics of those damn Rochester s I've been considering buying a bmx myself. (It doesn't hurt that I live 2 blocks from a small skatepark )
My problem is that I'm 6'6" and I just can't imagine being comfortable on a 20" bike. I do like the thought of learning grinds and such on a bike with pegs, but I suppose I could put those on a 24" if I really wanted.

I dunno, I'm pretty much ignorant on the whole bmx thang.

 

[Squid]

I rode MtBknGrl's 24" General Lee the other day in the park, and the one thing I noticed is that I kept buzzing my front foot with the front wheel while turning on ramps and whatnot. That's a problem I never have with the 20".

 

[Rik]

Go the General Lee 24"
If you wanna do technical stuff in skateparks and whatnot, I'd reccomend staying with a 20". I know nothing about BMX, I've been a MTB'er most of my life, but comparing my 24" to my friends 20", the smaller wheels are so much easier to chuck around and change direction.
If you're like me, coming from a mtb and only want to jump/drop and do alot of damage, yet want something that's rideable on the streets for some distance, then read my thread on my current project, and maybe get some inspiration from it

 

[Mtbkngrl]

Here we go again......
I have the 24inch General Lee, and the only problem I've encountered is that it doesn't turn as sharply on the walls. I wanted to give up on it at first and go to a 20inch, but I perservered. Now I'm glad I did, I love that bike. It jumps like a champ. I put pegs on one side(haven't gotten enough b@lls to use them yet) and upgraded the seat post and cranks. Some day I might add a 20 to my collection, but I'll probably have to relearn some things. Happy shopping.

 

[Parkrider522]

sick 24" get a 24"

 

[Hacim]

hey atomic dog go with a 20'' it will feel really small for about a week or so, but you will get used to it

i'm 6'6'' as well & i never feel to big for the 20''

 

[roel_koel]

I got a DMR Rhythm which is a 24" specific cromoly dirt jump frame, I run this with 24" Sun Rhyno rims and Tioga Comp III bmx tires

it has bmx b/b so its bmx cranks, bmx stem, etc. the only bsx parts are the DMR Wingbar (like a bmx cruiser bar) and DMR seatpost which is larger than bmx at 26.8mm

because its got a rear disc brake and DJ2 suspension fork, I can ride it in the woods by using 2.3" mtb tires, or I can run 24" bmx tires like Primo Dirt Monsters and Holly Rollers for skatepark, smooth dirt jumps.

you can't go as tech as you can with a 20" (although I have a long braided disc hose so I can barspin and maybe one day learn a tailwhip) but I can ride to work, ride the woods, ride the trails, ride the skatepark

 

[SwisSlesS]

24". That's the *only* way to ride.

 

[ChrisNJ]

i have ridden/raced both 20" and cruiser for a few years, and i'd have to say, cruiser is very fun. but for dirt jumping, i would have to say 20" is better. so my vote:
street/park/trails=20"
racing/more fun=cruiser

 

[ChrisNJ]

btw, i have some 20" frames for sale