[i-ride]

Help.

Diggit: I haven't ridden a small bike in any serious way for almost 15yrs. Have been riding Mountain for a number of years, but I've recently been turned back on to BMX- thx to a coupla shop monkey friends at Bicycle Fix in Frederick. I'm ready to get a bike.

My first thought was to go with a tough cruiser for street abuse.. Subrosa Letum, Shadow C Invisible:Man, WTP Unified, etc. Why 24?--Well, I'm much bigger now than i was in the early 90s when I stopped riding. Also figured that switching back n forth from Mtn (26) to BMX would be easier if the wheel sizes were closer.. the geometrical sweet spots would be more similar across the two genres.. as opposed to riding 20" one night, and 26" the next day. DOWNSIDE to the cruiser is limited selection of certain components and the fact that they're almost exclusively sold as complete only.

So I've been messin around on a couple of Sundays and a few shop Redlines.. and noticed that I'm not as gargantuan on them as I thought I might be.. that the small-bike feel would not take long to reacquire given some serious time on the street. So I'm thinking maybe I could go 'head with a true BMX with maybe 21.5 or 22" top tube. UPSIDE would be full selection of components and possibility of building the bike up.

So what other considerations should I be making here? Is my logic on point?

 

[Bicyclist]

How tall are you?

I'm 6' 1", riding a 21" BMX comfortably. It's just as easy to switch from it to a DH bike as it was with my Tonic 24", and my Evil DOC before that. I can hop on either of my bikes and be instantly comfy. It's really a non-issue.

I say get a BMX frame that will suit your needs and build from there. Look on Danscomp and Albes to get an idea of different parts, then ask us before you buy everything.

 

[cmc]

If you're tall, I recommend a 21.5" top tube frame. Big bars are also back in style, which also makes for a comfortable setup. Check out the Terrible One Paul Buchannan bars.
http://www.empirebmx.com/catalog/catalog.aspx

A top loader stem with a few spacers under it will also make your 20" bike feel nice and big.

If you rode 20" in the early 90's, then you would remember the original S&M Holmes with 8.25" rise S&M Slams. Full Circle!!

 

[i-ride]

Both, thx for the replies.

I'm 5 point 11 tall, which is probably close to avg height. Like what I'm hearing about fit. Love those T1PB bars.. Is there any difference in strength top load vs. front end? Also, at my height, would the MacNeil Duece Duece be advisable?

Edyt~ gimme a good bmx forum to read

 

[Bicyclist]

You'll be fine with a 21" top tube for sure. A Duece Duece would be for more like the 6' 3" + range. Top-load stems are taller. Look at the S&M Race XLT.

www.bikeguide.org - super trendy, lots of assholes, some people that know what they're talking about

www.bmx-forum.com - lots of newbies and everyone's nice.

 

[Mr Tiles]

I'm 6' even and just went from a 20.625 to a 21...totally diggin' it.

yep, you'll prolly get blasted on bikeguide for noob stuff. there's a lot of stickies on there though to help out. I started snoopin' around on there a few years ago and I've learned a lot about 20s from there.

 

[cmc]

my Deuce Deuce compared to the T1 Garrett Byrnes 21.25" I just sold.

you can see how much shorter the back end is on the Garrett. i ended up going back to the Macneil. maybe if you had a low setup, it would balance out. but with tall bars and a back end that short, it felt like it would loop out so easily especially on trails, manualing through rollers etc. still an amazing bike though, just not for me. i preferred the Macneil b/c it had more of an XXL race frame feel. very stable.



Terrible One - Garrett Byrnes model - 20.5", 21, or 21.25" TT, 13.75" - 14.25" CS, 74.5 HA, 71 SA, 11.75 BB, 5 lbs 7 oz; GB's frame has an integrated head tube ready to accept Fly Guiri tabs, a Spanish bb shell, CS grind plates, and 3/16" thick heat-treated drops

 

[cmc]

oh yeah, also notice how i lined the bottom brackets up. then you compare where the headset is. the front end is actually not as long as it sounds on the 22" deuce deuce b/c part of the long top tube length is b/c of the seat tube being laid back a little more.

 

[i-ride]

: thx. Great info.. and great links BiC. Thx for keepin the flame stoked.

So 21" should be fine. Now to have a look around at the various CS lengths and BB heights. And also on to wheels.. I wouldn't mind going 36 or 48, as I'm a bigger dood..

 

[Bicyclist]

36 hole is light, 48 hole is strong. Pick one. Those are the only 2 configs in BMX now.

BB Heights: 11.5" feels stable but harder to spin, 11.8" is quick and manuverable/spinable but not as stable. I love high BBs.

CS lengths: 13.75 is great for street/park because it's quick, but it's also easier to loop out. 14.25 is basically the opposite, and it's better for trails or big lines. I like my 21" top tube combined with a 13.75" stay. I initially thought it would feel "loopy" but it's actually IMO the perfect balance for riding tech street and hauling ass.

 

[sittingduck]

I love my Mosh cruiser.... 22" top tube. $40 off ebay. (frame only)
The chainstays are a tad long, but it's a fun bike.

 

[mackattack510]

im about the same height as you at 5'11 or 6' depending on the day and i guess im an oddity i ride a 20.5 comfortably...and switching from my mtb to my bmx is not a problem, i feel comfortable on both!

 

[i-ride]

Noticed my heel on the rear pegs today on a 13.75 CS, so I guess I'll go with the 14.25 to be sure.

I want a super solid bike, and am not too concerned about weight, so long as it isn't a complete fat ass. I'm really inclined toward 14mm axles and 48sp wheels.

Will likely go with a Fly crankset at recommendation of shop monkey. And odyssey for braking.

Still researching..

 

[cmc]

if you're not that concerned about weight, you will find some crazy good deals on craigslist, ebay, bmxboard.com, etc. as dudes are clearing out their early 2000's setup.

 

[i-ride]

Like the idea of 'new' and building myself.

 

[cmc]

by the way, the T1 Garrett in the picture that i posted was custom-made. the 21.25" tt Garretts don't normally have the back end that short. i believe that's a 13.75" and usually they're 14.25".

 

[roadwork]

Great thread. I just joined because of it. I'm considering the same thing myself, but one thing keeps sticking in my mind, and that was a quote from a googled link about 20" vs 24". Someone stated that the new generation BMX bikes aren't like the old school bikes (like my Redline MX III) and that as you ride you stand up, not sitting comfortably like before. Being that I'm in a place that has only one BMX bike shop in the entire COUNTRY, my selection is limited.

Questions: Should I go ahead and get raped on importing a 24" Sunday Model C for my street action, or should I just get something from here (WTP, fly, Verde).
Also, is that true about not being able to tool around sitting on the seat. Most pictures I see show the seats about 3" from the frame.

By the way I'm 5'10" and 200 lbs (and dieting for the winter).
So far it seems like a 21-22" TT with a 14.25 CS frame is the way to go if I go 20", but what is a good crank length?

 

[sittingduck]

Don't get the model C unless you like an insanely high bottom bracket.
The trend is low seats, if you follow it, you wont be pedaling much while sitting down.
175 is the norm for crank length.

 

[cmc]

Great thread. I just joined because of it. I'm considering the same thing myself, but one thing keeps sticking in my mind, and that was a quote from a googled link about 20" vs 24". Someone stated that the new generation BMX bikes aren't like the old school bikes (like my Redline MX III) and that as you ride you stand up, not sitting comfortably like before. Being that I'm in a place that has only one BMX bike shop in the entire COUNTRY, my selection is limited.

Questions: Should I go ahead and get raped on importing a 24" Sunday Model C for my street action, or should I just get something from here (WTP, fly, Verde).
Also, is that true about not being able to tool around sitting on the seat. Most pictures I see show the seats about 3" from the frame.

By the way I'm 5'10" and 200 lbs (and dieting for the winter).
So far it seems like a 21-22" TT with a 14.25 CS frame is the way to go if I go 20", but what is a good crank length?

* Seat post issue: Long seatposts still exist. You can run your seat high on today's 20" if you want to. (Only exception is certain frames where the seat connects directly to the seat tube).

* Sunday Model C vs. other complete 24"s. No you shouldn't get raped importing a Model C. It's a well-built good looking bike from a cool company. But, by no means is it the only hot chick in the office.

* Crank Length : 175mm or 180mm. Either will work for you.


2010 We the People Avenue/Avenger (with 'new geo' i.e. high bottom bracket. The Sunday's bb is 13.75" or 1.75" above axle level)

2009 We the People Avenue (with 'traditional' height bb--pretty much right on axle level)

 

[cmc]

don't get the model c unless you like an insanely high bottom bracket. . . .

+ 1 ........

 

[MC peepants]

there are a couple nice BMX already built selling around frederick for WAY less, yes its cool to build your own but at the prices i have seen i would jump on it if i didnt already have my set up the way i like. Anyways, i Ride in Germantown if you ever get down that area let me know.

 

[roadwork]

Uh, yeah I would get killed on the import fees. I live in South Korea and in the entire country, there's only ONE BMX shop. fortunately, they carry We The People stuff. I'll check it out this weekend when I go to Seoul. I was just considering the Model C because I love to bunny hop and was thinking that the higher bottom bracket would get me some serious air. My other option after doing some research on frame sizes is the WTP Trust. I'll have to go check it out and go for a test ride.
If I imported the Model C frame and forks, I would have to pay almost 100% of the total price in import tax.

 

[cmc]

. . . . I live in South Korea and in the entire country, there's only ONE BMX shop. . . .

teaching english, maybe? i have an ex-gf and two co-workers who did that in S. Korea......

what's the dirt jump / skatepark situation like ?

 

[TheTruth]

That we the people looks dope. Has a steeper top tube like a mtb. Me likey.

 

[roadwork]

teaching english, maybe? i have an ex-gf and two co-workers who did that in S. Korea......

what's the dirt jump / skatepark situation like ?

Skateparks? Crappy and crappier. There are a couple in Seoul and one up in nowhereville miles away. Yeah, I do the teaching thing here.
I live near a sports stadium that has some nice ramps (for wheelchairs) and plenty of rails to grind on. My place is up in the countryside, close to the North, so plenty of hills to bounce around on.
I'm going to go in to Seoul this weekend and see if the bike shop has the 2010 WTP Avenue. I'm curious about this elevated bottom bracket.

 

[Cru Jones]

What happened to Eazy-E? That avatar is fresh.

 

[roadwork]

Looks like I'm going with a WTP Trust. It has components that seem tough enough to last until I have extra savings to replace/upgrade anything and the frame geometry seems great.

 

[Oscarito]

Looks like I'm going with a WTP Trust. It has components that seem tough enough to last until I have extra savings to replace/upgrade anything and the frame geometry seems great.

im curious about that 21" trust ,do you think a 21" is a good size for me? im 5`10" .i have riddin a wtp 21 inch TT with 8" rise bars today and it felt almost good, bars where little bit low but im use to riding a 2009 shonky 26" .it felt a bit nervous but i think thats because im not used to it.
or would a 20.8TT be better?