Author Topic: Bikes - BMX or Track? (Read 5805 times)

IvanIvanovich · « **on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 19:40:23 »

Should I get a track bike or a BMX? ANSWER: bought a BMX. So now this thread is about BMX
It seems like I can get more for my money on a BMX... and I am sure I could potentially have more fun with one... but I am not confident it would be adequate for using as my primary source of transportation (though I don't forsee anything long distance farther than say 16km/10mi). Fortunately I am not a big person so either way I'm able to get something in the same frame size more or less on either type... I suppose I could always get a BMX with the larger chainring and cranksets like whats on track instead of the teeny ones I see on many of the BMX. I'm pretty sure the small gears is why I remember BMX being so fatiguing to ride for extended periods. Which really only leaves the wheelsize and tire types as the major differences. Decisions decisions. I currently have no bike, and no car so I do need something sooner than later as I don't care for walking far when it's hot out since that means more time out in the heat.
Anyone else on here adult (or adult size like 1.72m/5'8" ish) that rides BMX?

exitfire401 · « **Reply #1 on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 19:44:51 »

Quote from: IvanIvanovich on Sat, 12 July 2014, 19:40:23

Should I get a track bike or a BMX?
It seems like I can get more for my money on a BMX... and I am sure I could potentially have more fun with one... but I am not confident it would be adequate for using as my primary source of transportation (though I don't forsee anything long distance farther than say 16km/10mi). Fortunately I am not a big person so either way I'm able to get something in the same frame size more or less on either type... I suppose I could always get a BMX with the larger chainring and cranksets like whats on track instead of the teeny ones I see on many of the BMX. I'm pretty sure the small gears is why I remember BMX being so fatiguing to ride for extended periods. Which really only leaves the wheelsize and tire types as the major differences. Decisions decisions. I currently have no bike, and no car so I do need something sooner than later as I don't care for walking far when it's hot out since that means more time out in the heat.
Anyone else on here adult (or adult size like 1.72m/5'8" ish) that rides BMX?

I'm 5'10" and ride a 20in. BMX around campus. For long rides, I have a much sturdier 26" mountain bike. I'd say go for something larger for comfort. If you do end up going for a longer ride, you'll be thanking me for suggesting the larger frame (mainly because your knees won't be in your chest)

User Was Banned · « **Reply #2 on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 19:50:23 »

Fixed gear bikes aren't necessarily 'track bikes,' and unless you hate your knees, I'd look at single speed over fixed gear. Also, use a brake, even if it's only a front brake.

BMX are pretty meh for transportation purposes. You don't see messengers riding BMX bikes for a reason.

Fixed gear bikes with aggressive 'track' geometry will be much zippier, and smooth. Though road tires are not very forgiving and if you're riding on rough roads or lots of potholes, your butt and gooch won't be having a very good time.

Riding longer distances on a road bike is much more enjoyable than a BMX in my experience. If you're 5'8" you could probably get into a 54-56cm road frame. Though you should go to a local bike shop to measure yourself.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #3 on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 20:02:33 »

Yeah that is kind of what I am concerned with. But, on the otherhand I am interested in getting back into doing trick riding and stuff and I can only afford and more importantly only have room for ONE bike. The smaller BMX wins there for me a bit too I suppose.
Even for farther rides, they usually aren't too long the way I ride. Before my last bike was stolen I used to ride around to across town in about the same time as driving since I could bike about the speed limit. My last bike was like a track bike, fixie cafe or whatever people are calling single speed with the thicker street tires.

User Was Banned · « **Reply #4 on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 20:10:58 »

Quote from: IvanIvanovich on Sat, 12 July 2014, 20:02:33

Yeah that is kind of what I am concerned with. But, on the otherhand I am interested in getting back into doing trick riding and stuff and I can only afford and more importantly only have room for ONE bike. The smaller BMX wins there for me a bit too I suppose.
Even for farther rides, they usually aren't too long the way I ride. Before my last bike was stolen I used to ride around to across town in about the same time as driving since I could bike about the speed limit. My last bike was like a track bike, fixie cafe or whatever people are calling single speed with the thicker street tires.

Single speed = crank connected to 'freewheel' so you can spin forwards and backwards.

Fixed gear = crank directly connected to rear wheel so when you pedal counterclockwise, you go forward, and when you pedal clockwise, you go backwards.

But yeah, if you don't think you'd be into this kind of stuff, then it sounds like you're set on BMX.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #5 on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 21:15:20 »

My neighbor has a 56cm Torker and let me check it out just now and that is too big for me I think actually. While I can do some tricks on bigger bike like I used to have, it's a lot easier with smaller lighter bike. The weight on my old one especially killed a lot of tricks as it was an older steel bike. Perhaps saying 'adult sized' might not even be wholly accurate for me as I am pretty small for a guy. I'm probably more like a teenager size wise.
While I think it would be fun to get back into trick riding, and much more so aggressive stuff than in the video you linked... I also recognize that I'm getting older and might not be able to do as much as I used to back in the day. So a lot also depends if I end up just riding straight up more and it's really hard to say right now. I suppose either way I can end up regretting the decision one way or another.
I already knew that the track/fixie/whatever you want to call it would be better for straight riding. I was mostly looking for any feedback from anyone that does a lot of riding on BMX I suppose.

tp4tissue · « **Reply #6 on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 21:20:25 »

Internet is faster... get m0ar internet..

dante · « **Reply #7 on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 21:21:06 »

When in doubt buy both.

I recommend this: http://www.yellowjersey.org/panakk.html

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #8 on:** Sat, 12 July 2014, 21:36:49 »

$$$ too expensive but that does look pretty nice. I am mostly looking at things in the up to $500 range.

iri · « **Reply #9 on:** Sun, 13 July 2014, 05:25:57 »

tl;dr just buy a normal single speed with front brake unless you are a fan of track stand.
or, better, buy a roadie.

paicrai · « **Reply #10 on:** Sun, 13 July 2014, 05:28:32 »

Quote from: iri on Sun, 13 July 2014, 05:25:57

tl;dr just buy a normal single speed with front brake unless you are a fan of track stand.
or, better, buy a roadie.

or buy a pair of shoes and walk :b

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #11 on:** Mon, 14 July 2014, 01:30:34 »

If anyone is interested I ended up going for a Stolen BMX. Even still going for a 'cheaper' one I still ended up $550 all in after changing some 'essential' parts for aftermarket. I didn't like anything stock I could find under $700ish. I thought I would try to build one up but that price was just crazy. So easy to go overboard, much like building a PC. So I got a pretty good deal on the basic bike as it was a floor model last one they had so they marked it almost half off. Then needed to upgrade the wheels to doublewalled, swap the big really wide 2.3" tires for some sleeker street 1.7", swap up the handlebars to a 9" rise, better grips, pegs... Still probably more to do later, but it can probably wait like adding a front brake, getting a better rear brake and grip... probably will want to try swapping the 25 for a 28 sprocket.
I went out for a ride today. Didn't get fatigued much which surprised me even after doing some circuits around downtown going roughly the speed limit. It's Sunday so it's usually pretty nice and dead down there

) It wasn't until I was almost home trying to go up the steep hill I live on that made me have to hop off and push. Even though I was taking it easy and not doing much jumping I still managed to bend the basic single walled rims it came with a teeny bit already. I'm glad I ordered some better wheels right off.

noisyturtle · « **Reply #12 on:** Mon, 14 July 2014, 01:58:48 »

Mountian

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #13 on:** Mon, 14 July 2014, 10:17:19 »

I never liked mountain bikes. I don't do offroad (asides from cutting through a park for a minute or something) and don't like how they feel on street. I've also never gotten along with multi gear bikes. Always seem to break derailleurs or manage to get the chain to fall off and get all jammed up at best.

Looking forward to doing some riding over the next few days since it's supposed to be nice 22°-24°.

It seems like I will need to get a gyro/detangler too... which I forgot all about. It's been so long, I might as well be a total noob.

Lu_e · « **Reply #14 on:** Tue, 15 July 2014, 00:59:14 »

Here's my BMX, as you can probably tell from my seat height I am quite tall. 2 brakes, 2 pegs, freecoaster. Been thinking about how a 21.5" frame might feel.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #15 on:** Tue, 15 July 2014, 10:18:37 »

I had the chance to try out 20, 21 and 22 frames at the store. Honestly I really couldn't tell much difference and the larger frames had a price premium. I suppose it might make more difference on an extended session. Going from those up to 24 on the Redline was very noticeable along with it having 24" wheels also. If I were much bigger (and had a lot more money to spend) I'm pretty sure I would have gone that way.

Went out riding for a good portion of the day yesterday. I hadn't noticed before how mad loud the cassette was. It is really irritating ratchet noise. I hope my new wheels aren't so loud. I'm looking forward to getting my new parts. I'll take a picture of my bike then.

clickclack · « **Reply #16 on:** Tue, 15 July 2014, 12:40:05 »

Quote from: IvanIvanovich on Sat, 12 July 2014, 19:40:23

Should I get a track bike or a BMX? ANSWER: bought a BMX. So now this thread is about BMX...

LoL, good choice. ;)

Quote from: IvanIvanovich on Sat, 12 July 2014, 19:40:23

It seems like I can get more for my money on a BMX... and I am sure I could potentially have more fun with one... but I am not confident it would be adequate for using as my primary source of transportation (though I don't forsee anything long distance farther than say 16km/10mi). Fortunately I am not a big person so either way I'm able to get something in the same frame size more or less on either type... I suppose I could always get a BMX with the larger chainring and cranksets like whats on track instead of the teeny ones I see on many of the BMX. I'm pretty sure the small gears is why I remember BMX being so fatiguing to ride for extended periods. Which really only leaves the wheelsize and tire types as the major differences. Decisions decisions. I currently have no bike, and no car so I do need something sooner than later as I don't care for walking far when it's hot out since that means more time out in the heat.
Anyone else on here adult (or adult size like 1.72m/5'8" ish) that rides BMX?

I ride BMX, 6'1" on a 19.5"/49.5cm frame with (I think) 30"/~76cm bars.
Same bike for 20+ years I'm nearly sure. I've been on it ever since I got it.
I used to use if for small commutes, now it's mostly for daily/weekly fun. The exercise is a nice plus.
It's relaxing working on some light tricks here and there and just enjoying the maneuverabililty of a BMX.
It feels like an extension of my body and not some clunky gyroscope.

Quote from: IvanIvanovich on Mon, 14 July 2014, 10:17:19

I never liked mountain bikes. I don't do offroad (asides from cutting through a park for a minute or something) and don't like how they feel on street. I've also never gotten along with multi gear bikes. Always seem to break derailleurs or manage to get the chain to fall off and get all jammed up at best.

Looking forward to doing some riding over the next few days since it's supposed to be nice 22°-24°.

It seems like I will need to get a gyro/detangler too... which I forgot all about. It's been so long, I might as well be a total noob.

^^^ This 100%, every single thing about that paragraph.

Dubsgalore · « **Reply #17 on:** Tue, 15 July 2014, 13:18:10 »

I'm 5'10.5" and I ride road bikes very often (specialized only

)
I've done a good amount of cycling in the west, southwest and south of the US, put about 4,000 miles total in for two summers (jersey isn't as nice for road biking imo), so i'm heavily biased for road cycling
I was going to say go for a hybrid just for the sake of versatility even though you are going generally short distance
What BMX did you get specifically?

ferociousfingerings · « **Reply #18 on:** Tue, 15 July 2014, 13:42:10 »

I've wanted a 24" bmx cruiser w/ wide wheels and fat tires, for a while...

I've been 6' 150-175 most of my life (at this point).

i used to ride a 20" dyno ~~track style~~ race bmx bike all over an urban area (little over a decade ago), often traversing ~60 blocks a day, and doing "manuals" down slopes and aggressively descending stairs were my big things. Minimal flat ground stunt experience, but had loads of "carve." I had grown quite comfortable with aggressive stair descent. I'd dive down sets like nothing, it was fun and reasonably challenging, and i felt i could control the risk well enough.

Then one day my balls felt bigger than my abilities, and i dove down a huge 4-section stair set (4 sections of 8 steps, back to back w/ short landings), couldn't keep the nose down, flew off the top of the last section, and almost stuck the landing, but landed in a thin patch of sandy dirt on concrete, at such a high velocity that the bike just shot sideways on contact with no chance of controlling it. I slammed the concrete harder than i ever have before or since. Not sure if i actually lost consciousness or just "blinked out" and came right back... but while i was hurt pretty bad, i didn't feel like it was an emergency, so managed to tough it back to the 3rd floor apt a bit over a block away...

Then there was a gap...

The next thing i know, i'm having a nightmare about being hit by a car while riding my bike, and wake up in a panic, only to realize THE PAIN IS REAL WTF!? I freaked out for about 15 seconds before remembering the stair slam. Still dazed and barely able to walk, i got up out of my bed, staggered out of my room, and saw that i had apparently left my bike on its side in the open doorway. I didn't do much of anything for the next 3 weeks. My whole left side was a strawberry deep tissue bruise, even had some on my face, which had smacked the concrete, which probably gave me a concussion, but i never went to a doctor.

A harsh but somewhat forgiving lesson in self-assessment and personal limits. One of many.

But i still would like to own a 24" bmx cruiser w/ wide wheels and fat tires.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #19 on:** Tue, 15 July 2014, 16:33:15 »

LOL. Reminds me of that time I tried to pull a 540 on a halfpipe... during rotation I ended up pulling myself above the flat with no hope to try and recover in any way. Near self destruction ensued. Naturally I was wearing zero protective gear as I was way too cool for that ****. Amazingly I didn't break anything or any other serious injury. Just a lot of bruises and a minor concussion. I haven't been back on a halfpipe since either.

For sure it's a fun way to exercise. It felt great jetting around on the BMX the last couple days.

Sure if I were going to be riding a lot of long distance I would go for something else too.
The one I bought is a Stolen Casino which is a lower end basic BMX and I'm totally aware of it. I figure I will upgrade parts as needed and/or when I have money if I get more serious again until I end up with a full custom. I think for now, the few upgrades I'm making should be good enough for my purposes. On the other hand after doing some more research I could have gotten something else that is a bit better for not much more so I am also debating on returning it.

Lu_e · « **Reply #20 on:** Tue, 15 July 2014, 22:05:10 »

Hmm yeah. lots of choices when it comes to completes today. What is the other nicer option?

In regards to the cassette; they're all loud. That's a nice noise in my opinion... a very mechanical sound. What rear hub is on your new wheels? Some are louder than others, like Profile is very loud.

You could quiet down the cassette pawls/springs with a thin oil but that's about it. Like I said they're supposed to be loud, that means the springs are tight and the pawls/springs are 'dry' (no oil) and clean.

I preferred a loud dry cassette when I was using one. Freecoasters are meant to make riding backwards easier, but they are also silent when coasting. A nice 'side effect' among the many drawbacks of freecoasters.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #21 on:** Tue, 15 July 2014, 23:10:30 »

I don't remember off the top of my head what the next step up they had in the local shop, maybe a Haro from last year. But I know for not more than $75 additional I can get something that at least has a CrMo frame and sealed BB from online.
Yes cassette makes noise, but this one is stupid loud. Like... oh my god what is coming down the street, the apocalypse? loud. Wearing headphones listening to mp3s on my **** phone with the volume on 8/10 I can still hear it all too well. The wheels I ordered are the 'good' ones from Stolen. I almost went with the Redline Monsters but I was trying to save some money. Hoping I didn't make a mistake with those too.
Freecoasters are good if you like to do certain tricks as it can be basically impossible or stupidly difficult otherwise.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #22 on:** Wed, 16 July 2014, 17:23:18 »

Decided I wasn't satisfied with the Stolen. Even though I was going to replace the wheels anyway the fact they were warped annoyed me since they wouldn't be great for even a back up and probably not able to sell them for anything. Plus the BB started being all rattly and grinding after only riding it a couple days which isn't a good sign. Took it back and swapped it for a Mirra Detroit. Nice upgrade to a 21" all crmo frame which is almost 5lbs lighter, crmo forks crank and etc, with a proper sealed bb for only $50 more after I talked them down. Quite a bit more pleased with that. It still dosen't have doublewalled rims but my new wheels also arrived today along with my speed tires, bigger handlebars, new grips and pegs.
Looking forward to getting it all set up and taking it for a ride. Pics to come later.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #23 on:** Wed, 16 July 2014, 23:31:31 »

Shiny parts! I forgot how terrible it can be to fit tires on rims and those powerbands are seriously tight and don't stretch much. Very tough. I had to carry my bike a block to the gas station so I could use the airpump since I don't have one. So there I am sitting on the ground putting tires on rims and people are all looking at me like I'm an alien doing voodoo.
Then I had to **** around with the brake for what seemed like forever to get it aligned properly with the new wheel. Still need to put my pegs on but I don't have the right sized socket to fit down inside there. Wheels probably need to be trued... and I still need to get a gyro kit.

JPG · « **Reply #24 on:** Wed, 16 July 2014, 23:38:12 »

Very nice bike! Damn, I have been considering buying a bike more and more lately and reading this thread has increased this desire even more. But I am still not sure what kind of bike I want. I would mainly use it to ride moderately some not so long distances. I want a very simple bike that is fun to ride and while searching for something like this and following some links posted here, I stumbled on some fixies and I am not very interested in them, specifically the ones from Pure Fix. Anyone has tried one of these and could give me inputs on the plus and minus of this kind of bike beyond the obvious?

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #25 on:** Thu, 17 July 2014, 19:33:42 »

The biggest things that determine what bike to get are what kind of riding you will be doing and what budget you have. Your size may be an important factor also.
My best advice is if you have a local bike shop (that will actually let you ride them even if just around their parking) you should just go in and comparison shop in person and get a feel for different bikes. If they are too expensive you can always find them online for less probably... also if you don't have much for a budget doing some hunting on craiglist, kijij and those kind of sites could be a great idea.

Today I went and joined the local bike club, mainly to get access to their workshop area and use of good proper tools. While I was there I learned how to true my wheels and got my pegs on and fine tuned most everything.

Lu_e · « **Reply #26 on:** Fri, 18 July 2014, 13:30:07 »

Nice, wheel truing is a great thing to know... I was always doing all my buddies wheels, zzz.

)

If/when you need to or just want to change hubs, build your own wheels! it's pretty satisfying but does take a few minutes.

Although a little dated, George from G-Sport put together this building guide; http://www.gsportbmx.co.uk/custom/wheel_build/wheels.html Which also has some truing tips in the end I think. That guide is how I learned, & I think I've built like 4-5 wheels so far. You'll save a lot of money vs going to a shop for a wheel build.

On any bike forums? I'm on bikeguide.org

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #27 on:** Fri, 18 July 2014, 14:14:21 »

Yeah building wheels up is definitely something I may consider whenever I feel I need to upgrade to 'pro' quality.

Biased opinion · « **Reply #28 on:** Wed, 23 July 2014, 10:12:11 »

Part of the reason i prefer race bikes is that the brakes are so much easier to deal with. My DXRs were a breeze to set up and have stopping power for days. I don't do tricks on the thing either so i can throw as much carbon on the bike as i want and get it really light. My 20 is actually easier to climb on than my MTB becasue of how stiff and light it is. Also funnily enough I am almost the exactly same hight as you at around 172cm give or take a few.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #29 on:** Wed, 23 July 2014, 13:19:28 »

I'm kind of trying to get mine set up as a sort of race/flatland hybrid. I like to go fast, but I like to do tricks too so am trying to make it as good for both of those things as I can. I'm still interested in swapping to a different gear ratio but the more I read about it the more mixed opinions I see.
A brake upgrade is probably in the cards, but I will probably wait until I decide on a gyro kit so I can do it all at once. I think some different wheels (or maybe just rim) might have to come first though. Those Stolen wheels are kind of **** really. Seems like any time I do anything even minor stuff that isn't hard impact they need to be trued up again which is fairly obnoxious.

Biased opinion · « **Reply #30 on:** Wed, 23 July 2014, 16:13:56 »

Sounds like a nightmare with the wheels. Just rim would not cost to much but the outcome could be worse if you are not really sure how to relace a wheel. As far as gearing is concerned 21x9 is the standard I'm pretty sure and it's not to hard to move up from that and the ratio feels nice.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #31 on:** Wed, 23 July 2014, 18:52:37 »

I should have done more research and saved up a bit more for a better wheel. Hopefully I can sell them onto someone else for not too much loss on ebay or something... they would probably be OK for someone that is lighter like a kid. Though I'm not terribly heavy either so perhaps not.
I do still have the stock singlewalls that came with the bike... they really aren't very nice at all actually. Perhaps I will take them apart and put them back together a few times to practice. If I ruin it not a big loss really. I doubt I could have gotten much of anything in second hand market for them. Getting the experience of building up a wheel is probably worth more.
I have 25/9 gears right now which is what it came with and seems to be the usual standard for BMX now. I was thinking about going up so I can get more torque and not have to pedal so much. It's really hard to keep up with traffic when I'm riding as once I get to a certain point pedaling more really doesn't seem to accomplish anything.

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Author Topic: Bikes - BMX or Track? (Read 5805 times)