[Poops McDougal]

I recently caught the bug again after years away from a bike, and picked up a DiamondBack Lucky 24" on the cheap.

I rode street on a 20" for quite awhile back in the day, and bunnyhopping on the new 24" is NOT how I remember things.... I'm looking for some input from others who went from 20 to 24. Did you find the transition difficult at all? I suspect the geometry of the Lucky is just not for me, or perhaps its just the nature of cruisers. Then again, maybe I just suck after all these years away from riding, and I need to practice....

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[ebrider510]

I recently caught the bug again after years away from a bike, and picked up a DiamondBack Lucky 24" on the cheap.

I rode street on a 20" for quite awhile back in the day, and bunnyhopping on the new 24" is NOT how I remember things.... I'm looking for some input from others who went from 20 to 24. Did you find the transition difficult at all? I suspect the geometry of the Lucky is just not for me, or perhaps its just the nature of cruisers. Then again, maybe I just suck after all these years away from riding, and I need to practice....

Any thoughts?


Thanks!

give it some time and just ride as much as possible. after being away for years there's going to be a bit of catching up to do, but if you ride a lot it will come back.

 

[BikeSATORI]

wheel size is not really the determining factor for ride feel or hops.

Your DK might be super long. Cruisers are typically designed around laying the power straight to the ground and for stability, not for pops and manuals on the ease.

but, like eb said, get some time on her and you may just get used to it... making the swap farther down the line to a frame with optimal geometry feel like riding a cloud.

 

[Poops McDougal]

wheel size is not really the determining factor for ride feel or hops.

Your DK might be super long. Cruisers are typically designed around laying the power straight to the ground and for stability, not for pops and manuals on the ease.

but, like eb said, get some time on her and you may just get used to it... making the swap farther down the line to a frame with optimal geometry feel like riding a cloud.

That's what I was thinking, but as I've haven't ridden in a while, I wasn't sure if it was me or the bike. It does lay power down pretty well, but the front end is a chore to get off the ground. Thanks, I appreciate the input from you both!

 

[ServeEm]

I hear you on the difference in feel when trying to hop on ur 24. It was the same for me coming from my 20. It's just that you have to pull up more and longer before you tuck your rear. Like Satori said the cruiser has a longer tt. Also for mannies I have to get far back on my bike to keep my front end up.

 

[Poops McDougal]

I hear you on the difference in feel when trying to hop on ur 24. It was the same for me coming from my 20. It's just that you have to pull up more and longer before you tuck your rear. Like Satori said the cruiser has a longer tt. Also for mannies I have to get far back on my bike to keep my front end up.

It's going to take some getting used to, that's fer sure. I plan on riding it around for awhile, but I'm already looking forward to upgrading to something I can manipulate a little easier.

 

[cmc]

i have had three different 24" bmx cruisers (and a ton of 20"s).

i have noticed that a lot of companies set up their 24"s with the bars too low. like the DK cruiser bars that come stock on the Fury and General Lee are probably only a 4" rise. they are trying to make the stance feel the same as a 20".

the problem is the proportions are thrown off. the way a bike feels manualing and pulling up has a lot to do with leverage and angles--not just rear end length.

if you look at typical bmx racing cruiser bars from the 80s and 90s, they are generally 5" to 6.5" tall.

i guarantee you if you run some taller bars on your Diamond Back, it will feel more normal and you will have the familiar bunnyhop feel. (i am 6'1"). remember you can buy a 7" or 7.25" rise bar but flip your stem over and it drops it down.

go to empirebmx.com and look through the handlebar selection. the S&M Dive bar with a 6.75" rise would go great on a 24" cruiser in my opinion.