[dromond]

If you haven't spent some serious time on a 20" consider it. And no I'm not talking about a cruise around the p-lot on a poorly setup bike that is too small for you. After dabbling in street riding on my mtb for a couple years and not being into the sort of street riding that mtbs are extra good at (gaps with rough run ins and that sorta stuff) I finally rode a BMX that was setup to my liking. So I took the plunge and got one.

Even though I'm still getting used to it (read: I suck) I don't think I will ever, ever go back to riding street or park on a mtb. All of the things that I thought would be problems are not. My frames not too short (21" is just right for me at almost 6') my brakes work awesome, and the rigid isn't too rigid. The lack of suspension is the hardest thing to get used to but in the end it's not an issue. I hated it when I put a 26" chromoly bmx stle fork on my mtb, but a 20" is just so much more room to manuver that you can use your whole body to absorb impacts. This is coming from a guy who thought they would never like a bmx.

Pros:
-Your bike is actually designed for the intended use, and it show.
-It's sooo much stronger, cheaper, and simpler.
-Much more manueverable for tech stuff.
-For some reason that I can't explain, it's more fun to ride (at least for me.)

Cons:
-You can't get sponsored for doing stuff that every other bmx rider can do?
-No more excuse to suck


disclaimer: I really don't care what bike you ride, whatever's fun is good.


Here's the sort of bike I never saw, and thus thought 20" bike were not for me. It's S&M Holmes Classic frame. I'd call in a mtb'rs bmx. It's got a slacker headangle, longer top tube, not crazy short chainstays, doesn't weigh a ton, and a really strong brake. Of course the bike as a whole could be lighter but it does the job. I find it pretty easy to go from this bike to DH and XC. Anyways, food for thought.

 

[Dirty]

is that an hs-33....?

 

[freerider215]

That's another one. Who's next? Come on don't be shy. RIDE BMX!!

 

[dromond]

Originally posted by Dirty
is that an hs-33....?

Yup, it requires some rigging, and the lever'sa bit long, but other than that it works really well.

 

[mutasmurf]

Your post is very inspirational, but my main problem is money *sobs in backround*. I would love to try out a 20" for a while, but I don't know anyone who has one.

 

[dromond]

When I say try one, I mean go for like 10 or 15 rides on it. It really takes awhile to get used to. So you really have to buy one. Luckily they're diiirt cheeaaap compared to mountainbikes. And if you don't like it you can just sell it. Just try to get a longer frame and something with good brakes. This means 990s that are very carefully set up (with a straight cable, but they're still not that great) or a V-brake. I considered getting a used bike and just welding V-brake mounts on but I ended up going this route.

 

[Ifelloffabike]

i like my bmx and all for street, but since i made it brakeless its really more of a learning tool. I like riding my mtb more for street and park. I can do more on it and feel more comfortable. But im glad ive got both.

 

[Salami]

I agree. I used to ride bmx before I got into MTB. I eventually came around full circle. I eventually was riding a fully rigid singlespeed 26". I rode a friend's 20 that was setup perfect for me and I said to myself "Why **** around?".

I am still getting used to the bike but I am having a blast on it. It is like I am 15 again, except I don't heal nearly as quick.

 

[dromond]

I saw that shot of your bike from another board. What a nice setup, especially for a mtb'er

When I put a rigid on my mtb, I felt like the rigidness of the fork was really limiting because I couldn't manuevre as much as I wanted too. I also felt that converting my mtb back and forth to a 26" singlespeed with slicks for street riding was silly when I could get a second bike that is much more durable, manueverable, and different for about the cost of a suspension fork.

 

[freerider215]

Hey yeah Salam, that Foster turned out pretty f#$k'n nice! And hey, man if you think 990's don't stop you well enough it's because you can't set them up properly. Evolvers or Hombres, etc. set up right should be more than enough. Damn I wish I didn't just have knee surgery, this not riding crap is KILLING me!

 

[Mutt]

I was contemplating this recently when I realized that I spent enough, just on some replacement parts, to buy myself a whole, and decent, bmx bike. It frustrated me greatly and I'm still seriously considering getting one. I just don't know about the whole 2 bikes thing. I've always had only one bike, and I don't think I would manage two bikes well, and which one to ride when...? I think I need to get on one like you said... that should help the process.

 

[dromond]

Originally posted by Mutt
I was contemplating this recently when I realized that I spent enough, just on some replacement parts, to buy myself a whole, and decent, bmx bike. It frustrated me greatly and I'm still seriously considering getting one. I just don't know about the whole 2 bikes thing. I've always had only one bike, and I don't think I would manage two bikes well, and which one to ride when...? I think I need to get on one like you said... that should help the process.

One thing to consider. Street/park riding is very hard to mtb parts. Particularly suspension forks. I don't know of many forks that last much more than a season of this type of riding (if you ride regularly.) And most decent forks cost the same as a good 20" bike!

 

[Changleen]

How did you set up the HS33? Was it the 'turn the mounts round' trick? Did you have any issues?

C.

 

[Salami]

Originally posted by freerider215
Hey yeah Salam, that Foster turned out pretty f#$k'n nice! And hey, man if you think 990's don't stop you well enough it's because you can't set them up properly.

Thanks, I like it a lot!! Don't have to worry about the 990 thing cause my Foster runs a V-brake. It gives me plenty of stopping power. Not quite as much as my 205mm M4's on my other bike, but enough for my needs.

 

[dromond]

Originally posted by Changleen
How did you set up the HS33? Was it the 'turn the mounts round' trick? Did you have any issues?

C.

Yup. My comments from another thread:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got the idea from a friend in nz who was running one on his old Hoffman Condor (what a sweet bike that was!) To mount the Magura you need to flip the mount around, file it out a little bit to fit the brake posts, and in my case file the cranks a bit (on the nonstructural end of the pedal bosses) and space them out. I also put the booster on the "wrong" end and ditched the quick release mechanism for a regular bolt. With a light trials-style grind it locks up unbelievably well, and I still have enough modulation for manuals. Much prefered to disk brakes for street riding.

I highly reccomend this to all the mtb'ers who can't stand the nonfunctional state of U-brakes and don't want to weld V-brake mounts onto their frame. Of course the performance is much better than with a V-brake, too. Just make sure than you get a bar with the narrowest crossbrace possible because the lever's a little long.

The trickiest part is getting the calipers to fit in between the cranks, as they're pretty wide. The easiest way to do it is just space out the cranks at the BB, but if you are too lazy to go out and find spacers (such as myself) you'll dial the pads all the way into the caliper half thingies and carefully bolt them into the adapter as close to the rim as possible, thus sticking out the least. As you can see mine are all scraped up from testing. Definitely easier to just use some spacers. I actually put spacers between my drive side crank arm and chainwheel at the BB and chainrings bolt points so as to space out the crank but not mess up the chainline. Works like a charm!

 

[Changleen]

Sweet - Thanks!

C.

 

[MojoJojo]

Out of all of the bikes that I have, the one in the AVATAR is the one I ride the most these days. HARO Backtrail Pro.

 

[dromond]

I just got back from a ride. Holy crap, best street ride in a long time. I'm starting to get feebles, abubacas, and fufanus down. Albeit tiny ones, but I'm learning.




[subliminal]youknowyouwantone[/subliminal]

 

[Changleen]

Damn Mojo - You got a LOT of bikes!

 

[Northshore009]

I started riding bikes with a bmx and now i use both, bmx not only is fun it really helps with your mountain biking. by doing both, you really progress faster.

 

[PaulE]

BMX definately helps the mountainbiking.... after spending most of this year on a BMX (I've only ridden any of my mtbs 3 times since christmas) I went out on the DH bike at the weekend. Sections which I used to think were rocky, felt relatively easy as even the rockiest section feels smoother than cobbled runups on 100psi bmx tyres!

 

[dromond]

About the psi thing. I'm guessing people like to run 100psi tires so that they never get flats and their tires roll really fast; but I think that's mighty hard on the wrists. I run mine 60r 40f with the 2.2 tires in the pic and it's nice and smooth. I also haven't gotten a flat yet, and they roll fast enough for me

 

[Changleen]

I think that's a hangover from back in the day when people (me included) used to run RL Edge tyres on Peregrine 48's - Those were some skinny slicks. You needed at lesat 100Psi not to get blown out.

Now it's all about the Primos.

 

[freerider215]

your rims will take more abuse when you run lower pressure in your tires. i had the same problem as you, my wrists especially my right would kill me after just a few landings. so i started to see how much pressure i could put in without my wrists hurting. i started out about 60psi and went up from there. i'm not sure why but as i raised the pressure my wrists stopped hurting. now i'm at about 75 to 85 psi with no problems. i would say maybe you should do the same and perhaps slowly get your wrists up to snuff. i'm curious to see what happens when i get back on my bike (can't ride due to knee surgery 3 weeks ago). i won't be riding for at least another month and a half. hopefully my wrists remain strong.

 

[dromond]

I dunno man, it's not like I'm hitting the rim or anything. And keeping a 48 spoke 20" wheel true is ludicrously easy compared to a mtb wheel. You barely even need to tension the spokes!!

 

[PaulE]

The 100psi is because there are some really nice concrete bowls where I live, and they have tight transitions. with much less pressure in the tyres, you can feel them rolling about on the rims on carved airs, and I hate that "loose" feeling......

also for avoiding pinches, as I'm not the lightest or smoothest rider about!

 

[MaxxisGuy]

street-MTB is sort of like BMX for big kids...

 

[dromond]

Originally posted by MaxxisGuy
street-MTB is sort of like BMX for big kids...

I'm 6' and prefer my 21" bmx to any street mtb. Sorry but that "full sized bikes for full sized people" thing is bs. If you like a bigger bike, cool; but a 20" will still be better for lots of street riding stuff, (most IMHO)

 

[boostindoubles]

hey salami~ sweet fit!

i agree. i used to be all about my bmx, until i thought i out grew it. (i'm 6'4") so i bought a mtn bike (kona roast) and i am finding that i keep on changing it around to be as much like a bmx bike as i can. I have most of the parts to build up a bmx, so i think i am going to have my buddy make me a frame that will fit me. Only thing, i think i will have him put disc brake mounts on the rear triangle, cause now that i found em for my mtn bike, i like them alot.

peace

 

[PaulE]

Originally posted by dromond
I'm 6' and prefer my 21" bmx to any street mtb. Sorry but that "full sized bikes for full sized people" thing is bs. If you like a bigger bike, cool; but a 20" will still be better for lots of street riding stuff, (most IMHO)

Definately true - rode a "street mtb" for a year or two, and it just feels like a fragile compromise.

boostindoubles, I'm 6'2 and ride a 20.5" BMX for street, so you should have no problem in getting one to fit.... as for the disk mounts, I'd advise against it if you're going to do any grinds. even if you grind on the right, at some point you're going to want to try opposite ones. If BMX brakes don't offer enough power, then get him to put magura mounts on the frame.

 

[dromond]

Originally posted by PaulE
Definately true - rode a "street mtb" for a year or two, and it just feels like a fragile compromise.

boostindoubles, I'm 6'2 and ride a 20.5" BMX for street, so you should have no problem in getting one to fit.... as for the disk mounts, I'd advise against it if you're going to do any grinds. even if you grind on the right, at some point you're going to want to try opposite ones. If BMX brakes don't offer enough power, then get him to put magura mounts on the frame.

Or regular V-brakes mounts. A well setup Shimano or Avid V-brakes can be plenty good; just requires more maintenance than the Magura

 

[boostindoubles]

Originally posted by PaulE
.

boostindoubles, I'm 6'2 and ride a 20.5" BMX for street, so you should have no problem in getting one to fit.... as for the disk mounts, I'd advise against it if you're going to do any grinds. even if you grind on the right, at some point you're going to want to try opposite ones. If BMX brakes don't offer enough power, then get him to put magura mounts on the frame.

thanks for the input, but my ride will be for dirt jump purposes as well as street riding. but no grinding, its not really my thing. I dont like to run pegs, and i hate the abuse it puts my bike thru. The kind of frame i like the most is a nice chromoly racing frame. Theyre usually pretty light, but can withstand alot of dirtjumping/dual purpose riding.

so i think that a disc brake setup would fit for my needs. besides they look cool, and no brake legs to hang up on.

*when i say street riding i guess i mean transportation/ and general goofing around.

 

[Mutha Thuga]

I got the bug to, just make more sense for where I live to, Texas, so much fun to just screw around on and not worry about brakage.
I still use my P1 but for trails mainly.

 

[bmxr]

To anyone that has seen this pic before, I apologize; it's the only one I have on my current 20...

It's a S&M RV with a race fork, Smal bar, Profile hubs and drivetrain, and T1 pegs. I'm 6'1 and 210 lbs but I'm not very hard on my bike, so it's perfect for me. My favorite bike of all time was my NG Holmes, and this one has almost the same angles, only weighs like ten pounds less!

20's RULE for jumping and street. I don't have too much trouble going from a 20 to a DH bike anymore either...I just don't switch during the same session!

 

[dromond]

Originally posted by bmxr
I don't have too much trouble going from a 20 to a DH bike anymore either...I just don't switch during the same session![/B]

I noticed the same thing; no problem switching as long as there's like 5 hours in between riding each bike. Wiiiierd.

 

[Changleen]

Is that a roll in in the background?

 

[Salami]

Originally posted by Changleen
Is that a roll in in the background?

Yeap. More pictures here: http://www.freeridesouth.com/pics/pics.php?page_num=1&cat=1&order_by=id desc&query=merrit

 

[Knuckleslammer]

Originally posted by dromond
I'm 6' and prefer my 21" bmx to any street mtb. Sorry but that "full sized bikes for full sized people" thing is bs. If you like a bigger bike, cool; but a 20" will still be better for lots of street riding stuff, (most IMHO)

Yo, I ordered an Eastern Jane. But it only comes in 20.5. I'm 6'0 tall. Is this a no no or do you think I'll be able to cut it?

Knuckle

 

[dromond]

Originally posted by Knuckleslammer
Yo, I ordered an Eastern Jane. But it only comes in 20.5. I'm 6'0 tall. Is this a no no or do you think I'll be able to cut it?

Knuckle

I think it depends. There are certainly people bigger than you who ride that size bike, but whether or not you will like it is another story. If all else fails and you can't get used to it you can get a longer stem. Word on the street is that Fit makes a nice longer one.

 

[Knuckleslammer]

Yeah, I got the bug too. I got a raw Eastern Jane comin in Tuesday. It's a tossup between black and raw. Anyhow, Ima gonna customize it yo, with ASS**LE stickers in bold on the side of the bike. White if I get the black bike, Black if I get the raw. Anyhow, I'm goin nuts on the parts too. Swappin out the rims for a cassette hub and the shops givin me a discount on the odyssey wheels caus I'm going to give them the stock wheels. I can't believe how cheap this stuff is, well besides the cranks which I'm going to leave alone. I just hope my wrists hold up. I bunnyhopped one the other day testing it out and my wrists kill from one bunnyhop. Any other fossils out there (30+) use wrist braces? Drives me nuts, my wrists. No matter how many curls I do they hurt. I can't wait to get this thing, even though I can't ride it. Anyhow, what do you cats think about gearing on these. I have no clue, I just want chrome rims is basically why I'm buying the wheels. I want to keep the 39T chainring on the front and get a 13/14/15 for the cassette? Or do you think I should go 32 for the chainring and 11/12 for the cassette gear? So much to catch up on since dabbling in mtb for the past 2 years. But I figure since I live in Massachusetts where it rains 340 days a year, this will give me something to do indoors.
Yah, the bug

I got it.

Knuckle