BMX Bike Information

If you’ve got a pickup truck or an SUV, you may think that you don’t need to make an investment in a bike rack of any kind, because there’s plenty of room in the back of the truck or your sports utility vehicle for a bike or two. Right?

However, after you’ve driven around with your bike rattling around in the back of your SUV or truck, you may change your mind.

It’s not only the noise that may get on your nerves. Grease and dirt can quite easily transfer from your bike to the upholstery of the SUV, and of course you’ll have to flip those seats up and down to ensure you have enough room.

Even if you don’t care about the state of your truck bed, it’s easy to scratch your bike as well and you don’t want that. Scratches turn into rust. And if you’re carrying more than one bike, the chances of scratches or staining is multiplied.

What can you do about it? You can’t get a roof rack for your truck, obviously, and the roof of your SUV will be too high to comfortably lift a bike up to the roof.

No problem - if you’ve got a trailer hitch on the back of your truck or SUV, then all you need to do is get a receiver bike rack, more commonly known as a hitch bike rack. (The receiver is the name of the ball on which a trailer hitch is placed.)

Everybody Wins with a Receiver Hitch Bike Rack

Lots of companies offer hitch racks, from Advantage to Saris to Yakima.

There’s a couple of things you need to bear in mind when buying a hitch or receiver rack - what’s the diameter of the ball on which the hitch has to fit? Once you know that dimension, you also have to decide how many bikes you’re going to carry. You can buy a hitch rack that will carry up to five bikes at a time.

If you’re nervous about having your bicycles secured on the back of you vehicle, you can also explore the option of a bed mount.

This is a device that runs horizontally from one side of your truck bed to the other. You then put your bikes onto this rack and secure them down so that they stand up securely and don’t rattle around. You can also buy a similar device for your SUV, although you still have the hassle of moving around the seats - depending on the size of your vehicle.

If you’ve got a pickup or an SUV, then you’ve invested a lot in your vehicle. You’ve probably also invested a lot in your bike as well. So why not invest a little bit more in a receiver bike rack to keep everything safe, clean, and neat.

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It is your desire to go for a long ride on your own motor bike. But you are not able to fulfill this desire due to the shortage of cash. Then, would your desire remain as a desire? Obviously it won’t. If you facing cash problem in order to buy your own motor bike, availing motor bike loans will be the best option for you.

You may be surprised knowing that loans are also available for buying motorbikes. But it is true that with motor bike loans, you can finance any type of bike models. Furthermore, if you want to buy an old bike, these loans also assist you in this regard. But, do remember, in case of old bikes, these loans are available for those bikes, which are not more than 5 year old.

With Motor bike loans, you can arrange finance in two different ways-secured and unsecured. As the name refers, in case of secured option, the loan is secured on borrowers’ property. Many a time it is seen that borrowers use their new bike as a security. But there is no hard and fast rule of selecting a security. Any valuable object you can use as security.

On the other hand, unsecured option is available without any security. So, if you are a tenant or do not want to take any risk with your property, you can finance your motor bike with this option.

The interest rate of motor bike loans varies from lenders to lenders. Usually it is seen that by opting for the secured option; a borrower can get motor bike loans at an affordable interest rate. Actually, in case of secured option, the presence of security covers the risk of lending amount and for this lenders provide these loans with bette r terms and conditions. But, do not think that if you avail motor bike loans through the unsecured way, you will have to spend much. If you compare various loan quotes of renowned lenders, it will facilitate you in getting unsecured motor bike loans with better terms and conditions.

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No matter if you are looking for someone else, yourself answering several questions makes choosing the right type of BMX Bike much easier. Do you want to race? Do you insist on a lightweight frame and parts? Are you going to be stalking the streets or diggin’ in the dirt? Will your playground be the local skatepark, BMX track or your buddy’s backyard ramps? Thinking about these things and having a good idea about what you want and where you’ll ride, will ensure you get the right BMX Bike.

Because people often throw around the “BMX” term generically, it’s important to also understand that there are three different types of BMX Bikes: the true BMX bike, the freestyle bike and the dirt jumper or just “jump” bike.

What’s the difference between all these different types of BMX Bikes. That’s what we’re here to explain. Nothing beats checking out these great bikes in person, too. After you’ve read this article, take some time to check out your local bike shop.

20-Inch Bike Types

Type
Description
Features
Ideal Use

BMX
A dirt-ready race bike
Knobby BMX Bike tires, lightweight frame and parts, strong rear brake
Dirt-track racing, going fast off road for short distances

Freestyle
A super-sturdy stunt and trick bike
Ultra-beefy frame and BMX wheels, pavement-ready BMX Bike tires, cable-detangling headset, axle pegs
Riding at skateparks, learning and performing stunts and tricks

Jump
Sometimes called a Dirt Jumper, these are essentially a fusion of BMX Bikes and freestyle bikes
Sturdy frame and BMX wheels, rear brake, knobby BMX Bike tires
Carving local trails, jumping ramps in your friend’s back yard

BMX: True BMX Bikes started it all, back in the late sixties. They were knockoffs of motocross motorcycles and were designed for racing over jumps and around berms in the dirt. Pretty soon kids everywhere had them, racers or not. BMX Bikes are still designed for racing, although you don’t have to race to enjoy the light weight, speed and dirt worthiness of these machines. They usually have 20-inch BMX wheels (24-inch-wheel “cruisers” are the exception), knobby BMX Bike tires, upright BMX Bike handle bars with crossbars, small saddles, long cranks and rear hand brakes. The frames are light and sturdy, and the higher the price, the lighter they get.

BMX Bikes are generally made of chromoly steel or aluminum. Chromoly frames are a bit heavier and more economical. Aluminum frames are lighter and are often made of oversize or exotically shaped tubing. Besides weighing less, aluminum is also rustproof. So, if you scratch your frame, there’s no need to rush to touch it up.

BMX Bikes also come in different frame sizes. Our chart below shows the approximate fit based on rider age. Final fitting is best performed in our store. Also, the Pro and Expert bikes are sometimes available in XL (Extra Long) sizes as well.

Size
Description
Fits

Mini
Low standover height, 155-mm cranks, 20 x 1 1/8? BMX Bike tires
4 to 6 years old

Junior
Slightly larger frame than Mini, 165-mm cranks, 20 x 1 3/8? BMX Bike tires
6 to 9 years old

Expert
Longer top tube than Junior, 170-mm cranks, 20 x 1.5-1.75? BMX Bike tires
9 to 13 years old

Pro
“Full-size” frame, 175-180-mm cranks, 20 x 1.75-2.2? BMX Bike tires
12 and up

Freestyle: These entered the scene shortly after BMX Bikes. Rather than racing, the freestyle bike’s ideal use is for flatland tricks, aggressive street riding and getting vertical at skateparks. It’s also a great bike for riding to school, the store and the pool. Super-sturdy construction is a higher priority than light weight. The BMX wheels are usually either “mag” BMX wheels made of sturdy nylon, or heavy-duty models with 48 wire spokes. The BMX Bike tires are 20 x 2.125 or wider, with fairly smooth treads, because they’re predominantly pavement pounders. Axle pegs are often included (riders stand on them for stunts), although some manufacturers leave them off so you can choose your own. Freestyle bikes come with front and rear brakes. The front cable is routed through a “rotor” or “detangler,” which allows the BMX Bike handle bars to be spun completely around without tangling the brake cable.

Dirt Jumper: As the name implies, dirt jumpers (also known as jumpers) are designed for taking flight. They also bridge the wide gap between BMX Bikes and freestylers (beefier than the former; lighter than the latter). They usually don’t have front brakes and their brawny BMX wheels normally feature 36 rugged 13-gauge spokes, rather than resorting to 48 spokes the way freestyle bikes do. They are occasionally equipped with 24-inch BMX wheels, which are a great choice for larger riders. The BMX Bike tires are the most heavily treaded of any of the BMX types.

Equipment Choices

There are some important parts choices to make when purchasing a BMX bike:

BMX wheels: It’s crucial that the BMX wheels meet your needs. Because accelerating out of starting gates is important in BMX, the BMX wheels are much lighter than those found on freestyle or jump bikes. However, that 32-spoke light aluminum BMX wheelset designed for BMX racing won’t hold up to dirt jumping or ramping. So, freestyle bikes come almost exclusively with 48-spoke or mag BMX wheels. This makes them ultra-beefy for maximum rim protection. Dirt jumper’s BMX wheels tend to be a bit more varied. Some dirt jumpers are equipped with just 36 super-meaty 13-gauge spokes. Others come with 48 spokes like freestyle bikes, depending on whether the bike is geared more for jumping or dirt riding. It’s also important to note that the skinnier BMX tire and rim sizes (20 x 1 1/8-3/8 and 24 x 1 1/8-3/8) are not interchangeable with each other or with the 20 x 1.5 or 1.75 tire and rims.

BMX Bike tires: BMX BMX Bike tires straddle the line between pavement and dirt designs. Although they’re used mostly off road, the tracks are often hard-packed dirt where low rolling resistance is important. The tread has to provide optimum speed and traction and grip when you’re cornering and accelerating. Freestyle BMX Bike tires are designed for pavement and indoor surfaces. Premium BMX Bike tires often inflate to higher pressures as well, lowering rolling resistance, increasing rim protection and decreasing tire deflection when the sidewalls are placed under high loads such as during landings. dirt jumpers are usually designed for maximum traction. Since speed isn’t important and the conditions aren’t as controlled, their lugs are a bit beefier.

BMX Bike handle bars: Beside weight and strength differences, there is also a subtle difference in handlebar shape between the BMX bar and the others. Freestyle and jump bars tend to rise steeper from the clamping area to give the rider better freedom of movement while performing flatland and airborne maneuvers. Also, bars found on 24-inch BMX and jumpers will be slightly shorter in rise than those found on 20-inch bikes.

BMX Bike Brakes: Freestyle bikes come with front and rear brakes. BMX and jump bikes usually sport only rear brakes. Brake type is also important. BMXers require pure stopping power so they prefer linear-pull brakes, which offers the ultimate grip. Freestylers are more interested in control than grip and they prefer U-brakes front and rear. Although U-brakes don’t offer the stopping power of linear pulls, they offer better modulation, so they work like dimmer switches, where linear pulls are more like on/off switches.

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BMX racing is for the young and young at heart. It is a fun sport catering to mainly the younger generation. Kids generally use 20” bikes for BMX racing and kids under 6 may be using 12” bikes also. The bike used should be suitable to the race track. Bikes having 24 or 26” wheels can also be used. Many tracks allow and disallow certain sizes and types of bikes.

Irrespective of size and class, all bikes should have certain features to prevent accidents and injures. All bikes should be stripped of any reflectors, kickstands and chain guards. The bike should be padded on the top tube, crossbar and stem. At least one brake in working condition is mandatory. An identification number plate is necessary on the race track.

Care while racing

Protect your head – use a helmet. Use the track rules to select a suitable helmet.
Protect your body – use protective clothing and cover the body as much fully as you can. Use sturdy and comfortable shoes. Use gloves for better grip.
Keep biking tools and sir pump handy.

Ready to race

1. Finding a race track is easy – ask the National Bicycle League (NBL) or American Bicycle Association (ABA) through their websites. These bodies sanction most of the BMX racing circuits. They also provide consultancy and medical insurance (on membership) to guard you against any accidents during the races.

A parent or guardian must always accompany the rider, in order to give permission for the child to participate in the race. Proof of age is required in the form of a birth certificate. All tracks issue racing licenses on an annual basis, costing between $15 and $40. Entry fee is charged for individual races varying between $5 and $10.

Always take a walk around the track, especially if the track is new to you. Remember the jumps. Take a practice ride along with the others. Go slow and make sure you are in your comfort zone.

Races are normally segregated into age groups. The race itself may have 3 to 4 rounds, don’t get worried, if you win you will get to keep the trophy and if you don’t, you will still end up having fun. BMX racing is a fun sport as said earlier, so there is no reason to get bogged down, try the next time.

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BMX racing is a fun sport as said earlier, so there is no reason to get bogged down, try the next time.