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BMX and MTB

Cru Jones

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2006
3,025
2
Hell Track
I was going to respond in the next level thread, but instead of cluttering up the raddest thread alive, lets start a new thread. We have definitely talked about bmx vs mtb (I hate calling it "vs") before, but lets do it again because why not? It's teh internets.

Here's a quick recap:

I posted this crankworx slopestyle vid...

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/34937/

freeridekid said this...
idk, i think i've been watching too many bmx videos to appreciate that anymore. 20'' is just so much more stylish, and bmxers have had all those tricks for years on just as big of jumps. i don't mean to hate, but mtb just doesn't do it for me anymore (i still enjoy dh vids though, of course).

i understand that lots of people have practical reasons for riding mtb rather than bmx (I used to because of back problems, until bikes got stupid light and I found out what a difference big bars can make), but a lot of the kids I see riding are richies who clearly like mtb cuz you can buy more expensive crap for your bike and justify talking about that rather than riding progressively. there are exceptions of course, but that's just what i've noticed lately. sorry rant over.

And T1 said this...

I'll agree that I wasn't that impressed by that little video, but I'm not sure I view kids riding MTBs because they have the cash as a reason. Personally I see alot of cross over from BMX to MTB because there is money in it (if you are competing). One on my friends friends is a super good 20" rider, went to a competition for MTBs and one, which qualified him for Crankworks. The kids had no prior background on a big bike but his skills just transferred over well and he was doing stuff most of the Pros weren't even touching.

Lets face it, MTBs are a lot more forgiving when jumping and such. It blew my mind how easy it is to ride my Fallguy in a park or jumping compared to my 20", but my 20" is much more flickable and easier to control in airs out of quarters and what not.

I just think some people feel more comfortable on different bikes, bigger or smaller, but perhaps in some areas it is a money thing, I don't know.
I don't feel like typing my thoughts right now, but you know I will at some point. :biggrin: :cheers:
 

sittingduck

Turbo Monkey
Jun 22, 2007
1,958
2
Oregon
I decided to clutter the other thread before I saw this.... I will edit and post it here.

BMX will always be a bit more "hardcore" when it comes to street/park.
Who cares, ride whatever you want, it's all good. There's plenty of sick stuff to bee seen and done on either one.
Ignore petty bitching about which is better, etc.
Get over yourself if you think you're better for riding one or the other.
 

mosplat

Monkey
Mar 25, 2003
177
0
Brooklyn <-> Oakland
i don't bother even thinking about the people in it (or anything) for the money; it's not worth my time. when people get too worried about stuff like that it takes time and energy away from going out and riding with people they do get along and have fun riding with.

i ride and enjoy both bmx and mtb. i had stopped riding bmx for a while because it just beat me up too much, but i got stronger after riding mtb for a few years and got back into bmx again.

when i see something like crankworx, i figure that everyone out there rides mountain bikes (it's the north shore, for chrissakes) and getting into tricks and style over terrain was just a natural progression.

skills crossing over just motivates people to ride different bikes, and that's good for the bike industry and can be good for the community. not so much segregation between styles.

/end thought scatter
 

t1maglio

Monkey
Oct 29, 2001
855
0
southern wisconsin
Good call, Cru.

I'm from the camp of ride whatever. As far as appeal of videos goes, 9 out of 10 bmx vids will beat out MTB stuff, but once an a while I see someone riding a big bike and making it look sick. I think contests like Crankworks cater to big contest style riders. To be honest, I would much rather watch some killer no-name kid ride street or trails then Nyquist or Mirra, and I think the same could be said about big bike riders as well.
 

pedalkicker

Monkey
Jun 3, 2008
288
0
earth
BMX will always be a bit more "hardcore" when it comes to street/park.
Who cares, ride whatever you want, it's all good. There's plenty of sick stuff to bee seen and done on either one.
Ignore petty bitching about which is better, etc.
Get over yourself if you think you're better for riding one or the other.
+1

My 2 bits: You can ride a BMX bike, road bike, unicycle, etc. on trails/the mountain/offroad but you'll prolly enjoy riding a MTB more. Just look at all the variants of MTBs for different disciplines.
That said, BMX bikes have the "hardcore/trick/jumping" culture going for them that I don't think can be equaled by other types of bikes. Possible reasons for this: BMX bikes are smaller (easier to trick on, easier for kids or smaller riders to start on), are cheaper (easier for kids to acquire), are more simple, rigid SS (less breakage, makes smoother riders), as kids are the newest riders it goes that they are the most likely to come up with new tricks/new ways to ride/take on the injuries that come with learning/doing.
Anyways, end of rambling ...
 

jasride

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2006
1,069
5
PA
It just simply comes down to style. That's why most everybody tries and buys all the exact parts they want in all the exact colors because it just comes down to style. What that particular person thinks looks good is all that matters. 20 inch compared to 26 inch are just 2 different styles of riding. Get a visual right now in your head of the baddest 8 pack you can think of. Now 1st visualize 4 dudes flowing those sets on 20's....... yeahhhhhhh, looks good right. Now 2nd, visualize the same 8 pack with 4 dudes on 26 flowin the same sets........ ahhh yeahhhh... in both visuals, through the trees, you can see back ends whipping out, front ends dippin in, ohhh, oh oh, a real nice dumped 3 off the 3rd set, ohhh yeahhhhh. nothing like some real good slow motion flow.

Style and flow can look good on either set up, it's the rider that's making it happen. When that certain rider is trying to trick it out and lands that tail whip way nose high but pulls it, it's gonna look kooky no matter what, 20 or 26. When that certain rider dumps that slow motion 3, it gonna look bad ass no matter what 20 or 26. If I 50/50 a jump, its gonna look foolish no matter what im riding.

And all this talk about one is easier than the other (sorry T1 not a personal attack)is **cking bull**it. You see it all the time, some dude dishing the 26 because he feels he can flick the 20 around easier, or the dude that wants to get rid of his 20 because he cases to much and thinks the mtb will magically make him flow trails. To a small degree yes, maybe both of those decisions are justifiable, but you still got to get out there and ride baby, come on now. You can break bones on either set up, it doesn't matter.
People want to get on one or the other because they think all of the sudden they're gonna pull some super cool **** without even trying. If you can pull a trick on one set up, you'll be able to do it on the other with just some time and adjustment. Done.

Oh yeah, make sure you tune your tv onto the Olympics tonight to catch some history.
Weather you like BMX or not, those dudes are there because they love riding their bikes.
And because they're **cking fast as s**t. Damn, I hope the network presents all of it with some decency.

Well alright, bitch rant over. Ride on.....
 

grom-dom

Turbo Monkey
Jun 27, 2006
1,140
0
Chapel Thrill
imo, bmx is more fun to watch and do, but racing dh or riding singletrack doesn't compare with bmx. totally sick, but totally different
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Bikes are fun. Two wheels, all good. I will never relate to people who get worked up about the size of someone else's wheels, it has always seemed to be incredibly narrow and useless, like not seeing the forest for the trees. Take a step back and realize that in the big picture we're all just looking to get some kicks getting rad. Harness the combined energy wasted on all the infighting and we'd probably have mad bike parks everywhere.

That is all...for now. :cheers:
 
i could care less, i hate everyone the same... 20" or 26", bike or no bike, tight pants or baggy, long hair or no hair. i just poked my head in and wanted to thank cru for starting this thread and keeping the separation of riders in the forefront of everyones mind...
 

cmc

Turbo Monkey
Nov 17, 2006
2,052
6
austin
DJ/DH/Freeride mtb ARE bicycle motocross. (after 20+ years of riding a 20" i am happy to have a trails bike that actually fits me, a 26").

you should frame the topic as:

20/24/26 Bicycle Motocross vs. Offroad-Roadies (XC)

XC'ers are the ones who really don't get it
 

JGill

Monkey
Jul 7, 2008
288
0
Norman, OK
They both look a little weird. 26" wheels spinning in a whip look huge and a little funny. A 5-10/6ft dude on a little 20 incher looks a little silly too. Stop all the arguements and just ride both, and ride them equally as hard.
 
Mar 27, 2007
263
0
LA, CA
i could care less, i hate everyone the same... 20" or 26", bike or no bike, tight pants or baggy, long hair or no hair. i just poked my head in and wanted to thank cru for starting this thread and keeping the separation of riders in the forefront of everyones mind...
You are always on point. (or ellipsis)

My 2cents. Bikes are fun, I used to hate on other disciplines when I just rode BMX, but now there is not a style of riding that I dislike.
 

t1maglio

Monkey
Oct 29, 2001
855
0
southern wisconsin
And all this talk about one is easier than the other (sorry T1 not a personal attack)is **cking bull**it. You see it all the time, some dude dishing the 26 because he feels he can flick the 20 around easier, or the dude that wants to get rid of his 20 because he cases to much and thinks the mtb will magically make him flow trails. To a small degree yes, maybe both of those decisions are justifiable, but you still got to get out there and ride baby, come on now. You can break bones on either set up, it doesn't matter.
People want to get on one or the other because they think all of the sudden they're gonna pull some super cool **** without even trying. If you can pull a trick on one set up, you'll be able to do it on the other with just some time and adjustment. Done.
No worries, perhaps I just presented myself wrong, and I agree with you, ride what you like and get used to it, one size or another is not going to make you an insta-pro.

I have broken many more bones and torn more ligaments on a 20" so I am not proof of that stance (I have a clean record on big wheels, but perhaps riding parks and trails is more dangerous then slalom and DH :p).
 

Zach Dank

Turbo Monkey
Jun 28, 2005
1,296
0
Gnarcal
i could care less, i hate everyone the same... 20" or 26", bike or no bike, tight pants or baggy, long hair or no hair. i just poked my head in and wanted to thank cru for starting this thread and keeping the separation of riders in the forefront of everyones mind...

This guy.
 

opjones

Monkey
Aug 17, 2006
678
0
Detroit
At our opening of the MTB park last weekend we had 16's, 20's, 24's, 26's and even some 29'ers and everyone had an absolute blast riding all day. I see no lines or division, I only see the reaction of having fun and taking yourself to your limits on your bike.
 

mattmatt86

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2005
5,347
10
Bleedmore, Murderland
Bikes are Bikes. I own a BMX, two 26" MTBs, a road bike and a 29er, they are all fun in their own ways. Sometimes we need to step away from the keyboards and go out and ride whatever makes you happy.
 

grom-dom

Turbo Monkey
Jun 27, 2006
1,140
0
Chapel Thrill
as much as i enjoyed riding mtb, i got to the point where i wanted to do something new, i had been mtbing since i could ride on 2 wheels and it was time for a change. i still enjoy ripping gnary singletrack or bombing runs on a fully, but that's my extent i'll do mtb for a while. i may give big bikes another try in the future, just have to wait and see
 

Cru Jones

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2006
3,025
2
Hell Track
Some good points in here. WCH is my hero.

I agree with most in that it doesn't and shouldn't matter what you ride. But, there are differences. From the competitions, to the styles, to the prices... there are definitely differences, but I love it that the line is getting blurred.

One thing I do hate is people who do bmx type riding on 26" wheels, but don't know sh!t about bmx. To me that's like starting a game like basketball, but the rim is 11 feet tall instead of 10. And everyone that plays on the 11 foot rim doesn't really care about the game with the 10 foot rim... even though it's been around longer, is more popular, and has more talented players.
 

sixgun_sound

Monkey
Sep 24, 2007
215
1
Yakima, WA
I'm a bmx rider. I'm 6'4. My bike has 26" wheels. I love bmx, I have no interest in mountain biking.

A couple things:
-If you're not ridiculously tall, ride a bmx bike.
-I wish I wasn't tall... forks for 26" bikes cost more than complete 20" bikes.
-It IS all about style. Skateboarding, Bmx, Snowboarding, etc., are all more art than athleticism or sport.
-Whatever bike you ride, whatever sport or hobby you have, you're awesome for getting out there and doing it... think of all the lame-ass people that waste their lives watching tv.

Cru, good analogy.

Dusk 'till Dirt is going to be rad. A dirt jump video on mountain bikes... without a bunch of lame freeride and downhill footage to fast-forward through.
 
....One thing I do hate is people who do bmx type riding on 26" wheels, but don't know sh!t about bmx...
not sure why you even bother to waste your life away worrying about what someone else thinks is cool...

i ride a bmx cruiser, but would never classify myself as a bmx'r, a mountailbike but would never classify myself as a mtb'r, and a road bike, without being a roadie. i am a bicyclist, nothing more, nothing less...

personally, i could care less about the "history" of any of them, since it has no effect on how i ride or what makes me enjoy riding. so, go ahead and have blind hatred for someone who finds joy in the same ways you do. sounds like an idiot move to me...
 

Cru Jones

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2006
3,025
2
Hell Track
not sure why you even bother to waste your life away worrying about what someone else thinks is cool...

i ride a bmx cruiser, but would never classify myself as a bmx'r, a mountailbike but would never classify myself as a mtb'r, and a road bike, without being a roadie. i am a bicyclist, nothing more, nothing less...

personally, i could care less about the "history" of any of them, since it has no effect on how i ride or what makes me enjoy riding. so, go ahead and have blind hatred for someone who finds joy in the same ways you do. sounds like an idiot move to me...
Haha. You know I don't "waste my life away worrying" about anything. I just like to voice my opinion. To me, it basically comes down to a lack of respect. There are definitely riders that don't know much about bmx or mountain biking. And that's fine, they probably just don't care and just ride to have fun. But, that's not the type of person I'm talking about.
 
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roamingoregon

Monkey
Apr 10, 2004
250
0
Wilsonville
I ride bikes. That's just the way it is. Right now I'm into a 26" dj bike. Whatever.

Hating is for people that have low self esteem.

I just got back from Whistgnar and spent some time riding with some new school 26" guys and old school 20" guys. Everyone had fun and no-one hated.

I almost got one of the 10" guys to take his 20 up onto Dirt Merchant for a little shoot- but ran out of time.

FWIW- If you have never stood in the middle of the slopestyle course at Whistgnar to understand how nut's it is then you will never get it. Even though comments were that it was smaller- it by no means was small this year. Lot's of rocks- huge landings big giant blind gaps. It would be very difficult for a 20 to manage the course with any style at all.
 

Cru Jones

Turbo Monkey
Sep 2, 2006
3,025
2
Hell Track
I almost got one of the 10" guys to take his 20 up onto Dirt Merchant for a little shoot- but ran out of time.
Is this a 10" guy?



Yeah, I bet that course is crazy looking in person. I was actually more impressed with the Crankworx slopestyle this year than I was with the Empire Of Dirt. You can see the differences in the two... crankworx is more about going big, EOD was more about style. If they ever could strike a balance between the two, they might have the perfect event.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Funny. People say it comes down to style but at the same time the debate seems to be centered on how the 26" guys can't compete on tricks...:crazy: More proof the whole thing is silly. A tweaked invert is rad, regardless of how big your wheels are.
 

sixgun_sound

Monkey
Sep 24, 2007
215
1
Yakima, WA
Funny. People say it comes down to style but at the same time the debate seems to be centered on how the 26" guys can't compete on tricks...:crazy: More proof the whole thing is silly. A tweaked invert is rad, regardless of how big your wheels are.
It does come down to style... that's why it doesn't matter that the 26" guys can't compete on tricks.
 

cmc

Turbo Monkey
Nov 17, 2006
2,052
6
austin
. . .

One thing I do hate is people who do bmx type riding on 26" wheels, but don't know sh!t about bmx.
I haven't seen that with riders. . . . . maybe at the MTB industry level like MTB bike companies calling something a "dirt jumper" or "urban" that is designed badly for it, or mainstream MTB magazines being totally clueless about the BMX connection to jumps, pump tracks, whatever....

But what I do see is older/experienced 20" bmx riders hating on or closing their mind to 26" mtbmx. Like they forgot that the word "FREEstyle" used to be part of the sport's title. BMX has not always had its sh*t together--sketchy no-style box jump jams (where everyone screamed if you just landed a trick), gay uniforms, crappy bike parts, and horrible video editing. I was there and it was a blast.
 

grom-dom

Turbo Monkey
Jun 27, 2006
1,140
0
Chapel Thrill
FWIW- If you have never stood in the middle of the slopestyle course at Whistgnar to understand how nut's it is then you will never get it. Even though comments were that it was smaller- it by no means was small this year. Lot's of rocks- huge landings big giant blind gaps. It would be very difficult for a 20 to manage the course with any style at all.
that's at the fault of the builders. not everyone likes a rock garden with 8' lips. actually nobody does
 

freeridekid

Monkey
Oct 18, 2003
789
0
U-District, WA
Funny. People say it comes down to style but at the same time the debate seems to be centered on how the 26" guys can't compete on tricks...:crazy: More proof the whole thing is silly. A tweaked invert is rad, regardless of how big your wheels are.
there are some tricks like inverts where mtb's look good, but others like turndowns look godawful on 26. style is definitely in the hands of the rider, but i gotta say watching even really stylish mtbers in skateparks and on street makes me wanna puke. 24 looks ok, but 26 is just so awkward. i would never give anybody any **** for riding a mountainbike in a skatepark or on street, but i can't help what looks good to me.

and what really annoyed me was when aaron ross and taj rode mtb's at that rays contest and everyone's like, "look at that big 180 aaron did or that walltap three taj did. you can do the same stuff on a big bike as on a bmx." that wasn't that impressive; that kind of stuff was being done well before kyle strait got his first section in nwd for doing a bunch of no foot cans on dirt.
 

cmc

Turbo Monkey
Nov 17, 2006
2,052
6
austin
...... style is definitely in the hands of the rider, but i gotta say watching even really stylish mtbers in skateparks and on street makes me wanna puke. 24 looks ok, but 26 is just so awkward. ......
if it's stylish then by definition it doesn't look awkward.
 

JGill

Monkey
Jul 7, 2008
288
0
Norman, OK
I don't give a sh** what wheels are under your feet, whether a bicycle, skateboards-longboards, blades, if your a triathlete, a runner, or any play any other sport. If anyone is in the central Oklahoma area and wants to, I'm down for whatever. The more, the better.