[sprouty]

I have been researching all weekend and still can't make up my mind. Things that I am certain on, I want a bike, it needs to be cheap, I want a 20" or 24".

I have been currently riding mountain bikes on flatland for exercise and fun. The thing is I have been remenising about the days where all I did was ride my bmx. I have a friend who rides his bmx from time to time so I would probably ride with him. I am almost 6' tall and feel big on his 07 fuse three. I will not use this bike for anything crazy. I never got too crazy when I was younger and don't expect to now. It will be used for street cruising, and probably some small drops. I would also like to learn to manual again.

I am stuck between 20'' and 24". I am leaning towards 24" but price wise it will be tough. Let me go through a few bike options and if someone could tell me what they think that would be awesome.


20" options


1. 2005 all stock dk general lee. I found it on craigslist. It is in good shape and he wants $90 for it.

The good.
Price
He is 20 minutes away.

The bad.
1 piece crank
I don't think the frame is fully cromo.


2. new 2008 dk six pack. $200 shipped

The good.
I think the bike has everything I would need.

The bad
Nothing really.
The general lee is cheaper.


24" options.


1. 2008 Diamondback Lucky 24. Marked $299 at my local store, I know I can talk him down some.

The good.
I like the bike shop.
Full cromo frame.
3 piece crank.

The bad.
I don't like gyros.
Haven't heard much about this bike.


2. 2009 DK Cygnus 24. $300 shipped.

The good.
Full cromo frame.
3 piece crank.
I love the sands color.

The bad.
I also haven't heard too much about this bike.


3. 2009 Wee The People Avenue 24. $460 shipped.

The good.
It has the best cs length out of the three 24s at 15.25".
Full cromo frame.
3 piece crank.
I like the white and blue color scheme.

The bad.
I can't really afford it right now.


I guess I am looking for opinions on what I should get, 20" or 24", and what bike I should pick up out of what I have listed. If you have another cheap suggestion I am open to ideas. I have been researching all weekend and still cant make up my mind.

 

[sittingduck]

http://www.ridemonkey.com/classifieds/cat-5/ad-7349/

$300 shipped, nice solid bike.

 

[ServeEm]

Yea you're right in the middle with what you've described. If you're really just gonna cruise around and looking for something cheap than an inexpensive 24" cruiser is probably more what you're looking for. But if you planning on messing around with tricks while riding with your buddy a 20" I think would be more ideal.

Don't know how tall your friend is but his top tube might be too short for you, probably 20.5" TT. A 21"TT set up would be ideal for you on a 20" bmx. Dunno how hard it is to find a 21" complete, usually I only see 20.5" Now if you're not planning on getting crazy I wouldn't worry too much about specific or killer components.

nice 20 http://www.ridemonkey.com/classifieds/cat-5/ad-7549/

 

[quickneonrt]

WeThePeople make awsome bikes they are a company out of Germany. I had a 20"that was awsome but didn't ride it enough so i sold it and bought a BLKMKRT MOB, more my type of bike.

 

[cmc]

This question seems to come up every other week.

24 inch bmx cruiser advice wanted
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215394

Which BMX? For a taller rider
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214876


Questions Questions Questions
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214445


n00b..... well, sorta...
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214274

Yet another 'new guy ~ what bike' thread
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199202


All the older tall dudes coming back to BMX after a long break say the same thing about 20"s.... They want to get back into it, but the bikes feel too damn small !!

Thing is, it's not just you, the bikes ARE smaller (the front end is lower). Most complete 20"s come with 7.5" -ish rise bars, with stems slammed all the way down due to low rise headsets. If you used to ride in the 80s and early 90s, you were used to a bike with 8" or 8.25" tall bars with a wedgebolt stem raised up a little, plus a headset with a lot higher stack height. Your bars would have been in effect a full 2 inches taller than today's typical complete. (The top tube would have been shorter though). HOWEVER, the trend is going back to tall bars. A lot of this year's EASTERN completes
for example, come with 8.25"tall X 28"wide bars instead of 7.5" X 25" or 26".

So........ you can make a 20" feel bigger by riding taller bars and finding a longer frame (top tube of 21"+).

But, a lot of dudes still think 24" bmx cruisers are more comfortable. You'll be able to manual, 180 bunnyhop, ride dirt jumps, skatepark (maybe not as great), race a bmx track etc etc on a 24" cruiser. So get one and have fun. Just keep checking craigslist for a used DK General Lee 24", DK Fury 24", Haro Backtrail 24", etc. I have seen them for $150 used. Then get a 20" or a 24"/26" mtbmx later. Nothing wrong with owning multiple bikes.


Here's an example. Craigslist Eugene Oregon. $90 for a Haro Backtrail 24".

http://eugene.craigslist.org/bik/1087542941.html

 

[sprouty]

A ton of great info there CMC. Thanks! I think I am gonna try to find a used Avenue or just bite the bullet and order a new one.

The Mosh above looks good but I think I would prefer a shorter chainstay.

 

[cmc]

A ton of great info there CMC. Thanks! I think I am gonna try to find a used Avenue or just bite the bullet and order a new one.

The Mosh above looks good but I think I would prefer a shorter chainstay.

Honestly I wouldnt worry about the chainstay that much for your first bike getting back into it. By running taller bars on a slightly longer cruiser like SittingDuck did (I think his are 6.5 or something if I remember right instead of the stock 5" or 5.5" bars), you change the leverage and the front end is really not that hard to pull up. Plus, a decently long chainstay is actually more stable manualing through rollers than a bike with a super-short chainstay is. (That's why bmx race cruisers have long stays). But whatever, it's up to you.

 

[sprouty]

I plan on manualing curbs, ledges, and such. I don't have any plans for dirt tracks. Maybe the occasional dirt jump but nothing serious.

What do ya think? Would the .75 cs length difference be noticeable to me?

I have read more about the Avenue and know nothing about the Mosh.

At least I know I have it narrowed down to a 24.

 

[cmc]

I plan on manualing curbs, ledges, and such. I don't have any plans for dirt tracks. Maybe the occasional dirt jump but nothing serious.

What do ya think? Would the .75 cs length difference be noticeable to me?

I have read more about the Avenue and know nothing about the Mosh.

At least I know I have it narrowed down to a 24.

Yes, 0.75"cs difference is noticeable. But, I don't think it would negatively affect you learning manuals. I can't say though. Everyone is picky about that stuff. I personally can manual any of my bikes (and actually I like manualing my 26 with a 16.25" back end the best, go figure). You just adjust your balance point.

Being tall, I would opt for a 22" tt cruiser over a 21.5".