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Dumb 20" BMX question?

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
yes and no.

for street/park/dirt the answer is no-ish...
for racing the answer, I believe is also no-ish..

but comparing a raceing frame to a street/park/dirt frame, there is a difference.
racing frames are usually longer in the front and back end and often have a less steep head tube angle. they are also usually lighter.

flatland bmx frames are VERY short.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
Hmm, Having ridden a lot of BMXs over the years, I'm going to to have to disagree with the 'No' answer. However, as a BMX newb I could imagine these changes might appear very subtle. Within 'freestyle' (excluding flatland frames obvioulsy which are very different) I'd say the distinct flavours of geometry availible are probably vert, 'park and street' and DJ. These will have different wheelbases, head angles, chainstay lengths and BB heights for starters. Secondly, many frames these days are designed to be more 'all-round' machines, but if you are planning to ride mostly park and street, a vert oriented frame might not be so good. The thing is that these differences are quite small, and to a new rider, probably insignificant.
 
Changleen...
Perhaps I mistook the question.
I mistakenly understood it to be a question regarding "quality" of the bike.

As far as differences in how a bike rides.. I whole heartedly agree with yourself and pnj.

However... having also ridden countless numbers of different bmxs over the years both in the competitive arena and for fun. I can say that the "intended" use of a bike geometry can be very very far from what works best for the rider (yes though I do understand that certain geometric changes make bikes handle distincly different which can make them inherently unstable in certain uses)
I will provide you with an example.
I was a vert ramp rider, and though most vert riders seem to prefer a more raked head angle, and longer chainstays, I rode a "flatland" frame. My sponsor repeatedly provided me with different "vert" oriented frames, however I was never as comfortable and able to perform as well on them. The extremely sharp steering and small chassis of my bike suited me.

Though it is not like I suddenly could NOT ride when on another bike.
 

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
shootr said:
Changleen...
Perhaps I mistook the question.
I mistakenly understood it to be a question regarding "quality" of the bike.

As far as differences in how a bike rides.. I whole heartedly agree with yourself and pnj.

However... having also ridden countless numbers of different bmxs over the years both in the competitive arena and for fun. I can say that the "intended" use of a bike geometry can be very very far from what works best for the rider (yes though I do understand that certain geometric changes make bikes handle distincly different which can make them inherently unstable in certain uses)
I will provide you with an example.
I was a vert ramp rider, and though most vert riders seem to prefer a more raked head angle, and longer chainstays, I rode a "flatland" frame. My sponsor repeatedly provided me with different "vert" oriented frames, however I was never as comfortable and able to perform as well on them. The extremely sharp steering and small chassis of my bike suited me.

Though it is not like I suddenly could NOT ride when on another bike.
Your example of personal preference is a good point. Your example of a flatland frame on vert is probably an extreme example I think you'll agree, and indeed I hated the Hoffman Condor which when it came out was 'the' vert frame of the moment, but apart from that I have generally found dirt jumping frames good for DJ and so on, and I think most riders will. Once again in the end the best answer is to ride the bike in question and decide if you like it.
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,839
6,145
Yakistan
Also, i am 6'3" and the top tube length of a bmx frame is super important for me. Not all manufacturers make a 21.75-22" TT frame. Therefore alot of frames are simply off the page for me.

and they make a lot of euro BB stuff now, so its good to pay attention if your picking up something with the american BB or euro.

I'd say that most all bmx frames will work for whatever riding you want, but when theyre designed its with a purpose in mind, and they perform best for that purpose. (unless your shootr) I rode an aluminum pro xl race frame for dj's until i out grew it. Then i moved up to a 4130 Boss racing frame that i dj'ed. I really prefer the 4130 race frames for djing over full on street/dj frames. I always wanted one of those standard motocross 125 OX frames....