In my 30s, thinking about getting a “proper” BMX. (Had one as a kid, but it was just a bike to me then!)

Finally started doing some small jumps on the MTB but there aren’t many suitable places locally so considering getting a BMX for practice (and cos it looks like fun!) There’s a decent skatepark close to where I work, was thinking I could session it before work or during lunch (on school days!) Anyone else do this?

Don’t want to spend a ridiculous amount but I’d like something decent. Looks like full CroMo is the way to go? Can I assume that any full CroMo frame will have decent finishing kit? There is a Haro 500.1 @ JEjames that looks decent to me and is at probably the upper limit of what I’d want to spend (£350). Any other decent bargains out there to be recommended!

Also, with TT size, is e.g. 0.25″ REALLY that critical? Reading some BMX forum posts on sizing gives me the impression some people think it is the difference between life and death! I’m 5’9″ btw.

TT does make quite a difference especially if you’re tall as it make the difference between a cramped bike and a bike that is stable, however being as you are of a slightly compact stature it is less critical. I’m on the tall side and find a short TT bike is very easy to flip when manualing.

I got a Wethepeople Justice off eBay for £33. Why not try a second hand to see if you get on with it?

if you want new and cannot find secondhand i think these are a bit of a bargain. And yes they do retail at double the price elsewhere, even ‘value’ retailers, think its a fiver for a discount card

bmx

yellow seems to be even newer/current/better if in stock

or just go to a decent bmx shop and ask.

There’s a 2012 Haro 500.1 on WinstanleysBMX for £230, more than half list price. Just get that.

Ah I’m 38 nd 6″3 but got mine last summer, great fun I agree use it most lunch times as skate park 5 mins from work. Keep going and don’t get put off by the kids! Lol

I just do it on my mtb. At 6’3 trying to ride a bmx is ridiculous. Why not get a dirt jump bike?

Interesting thread.. I can see me having to do this in the none too distant future… really not sure I have the skills or co-ordination for it. But my lad turns 6 soon, so I can see it coming 🙂

There’s a 2012 Haro 500.1 on WinstanleysBMX for £230, more than half list price. Just get that.

great spot! Don’t know how I missed that, winstanleys was the first place I looked! Absolutely minging colour though; I can see why they’ve never sold it.

I recently bought one of those 2012 Haro 500.1’s off Winstanleys for £230. However I had the last 21″ top tube version in matt black as opposed to the 20.5″ fluoro yellow that they have left. If you can stomach the colour I’d say go for it, they are great value for money, light and damn good fun to ride 😀

Damn you! It looks way cooler in black. The trouble with lairy bikes is you need to be an awesome rider to pull them off! I guess I could always vinyl wrap it…

😀

In response to your original post, I ride the local skatepark before work and during lunchtime sometimes, great way to get some practice in when there are no kids around 😉 Although I came off it one lunchtime last week and had to come back to work with a banged up shoulder and a load of skin missing from my elbow 😳

Well the BMX turned up yesterday! It is awesome. Was expecting it to be super twitch and just riding the thing to be a learning curve due to some things I’d read on the net but it’s fine. Feels super stable even downhill at speed. Can’t wait to try it over some rollers/tables!

VERY easy to get the front wheel off the ground using just legs/hips. Too easy to flip the bike all the way over the top as well but hopefully with a bit of practice I’ll be able to find the balance point OK!

Got a single (rear) U-brake on at the moment. It works but is pretty shockingly bad power-wise (even compared to old MTB v brakes). Are they just shite or do I need to fiddle with the pads, etc, to get it working better?

Also managed to snap the chain (first time I’ve ever snapped a bike chain!) Links are fine, it was a pin that went. Got a new KMC single speed chain from Go Outdoors 5 mins before closing! Can I just repair the old chain with a new pin? It’s a half-link chain (new one is normal). Was I just unlucky or is this something I need to get used to? Went fairly hard up some reasonable hills on my ride around town then the chain snapped right outside my front door as I was trying to manual up and down the street!

Are they just shite or do I need to fiddle with the pads, etc, to get it working better?

If you’re comparing them to MTB brakes then they are shite. a lot of BMXers run no brakes so anything is a bonus. There are various setup techniques to get it working better though. Is your rim sidewall anodised or bare metal?

Snapping a chain is not normal, possibly installed badly. Half-link chains are to be avoided if possible though.

What did you go for in the end? Didn’t see which one you’d ordered. I only fitted the rear brake to start with, but it was absolutely dreadful so I fitted the front brake to get some stopping power. I’m nearly 40, just learning to BMX, I couldn’t give a stuff if all the kids are going round with a maximum of one brake fitted!

Yeah I was a little concerned by all the talk of them being twitchy, but I needn’t have been. You get used to it after about 1 go!

Not sure about your chain though. Sounds to me like you were unlucky.

Amazing fun, I can’t get out on mine enough. There’s a brand new proper old-skool BMX track opening 5 minutes ride from my office, I’m gonna be there every lunch time I reckon!

There’s a brand new proper old-skool BMX track opening 5 minutes ride from my office,

Where’s that gonna be then Wilko?

Right opposite Asda in Kingsway, Gloucester. The contractors have completed the track, but it’s still surrounded by a massive metal fence as they haven’t finished the community centre yet that’s right next to it.

Snapping a chain is not normal, possibly installed badly. Half-link chains are to be avoided if possible though.

I have the new full-link chain on now, hopefully it will be better! The rim is anodised rather than bare. Think I’ll probably just have to accept the brakes are what they are by the sounds of it.

What did you go for in the end? Didn’t see which one you’d ordered. I only fitted the rear brake to start with, but it was absolutely dreadful so I fitted the front brake to get some stopping power.

Same one as you, Haro 500.1, but in yellow. I actually took the front brake off but think I’ll put it back on now and hook it up!

Amazing fun, I can’t get out on mine enough.

Yeah really enjoyed riding it yesterday. I can see me using it quite often for errands etc as it’s my only bike with flat pedals plus I feel better leaving it unattended compared to my other bikes. Did a 4ish mile ride on it yesterday which was fine, a few hills which weren’t as bad as I was expecting.

Nice one, I like the yellow, makes my black one look a bit drab

Just learnt to 180 bunny hop and flip back round, pretty basic stuff I guess, but felt great when I got the hang of it 🙂

Where are you based?

SE Kent. Still getting to grips with manualling and will then hopefully move on to bunnyhops. Never been able to do this stuff on my MTB but it seems a lot easier on the bmx! Sounds like you are doing pretty well already!

Ah okay, was going to suggest trying out Rush Indoor Skatepark in Stroud but probably a bit out of your range

I got my bmx last year when I turned 30, now hardly use my mountain bike! Where abouts in kent are you Zilog? I’m hastings way but travel about to different skate parks a fair bit.

Hi Tom, I’m in Canterbury. Can you recommend any places round my way? The only indoor place I know of is Revolution @ broadstairs which is mainly skate but have bmx nights I think. Have you been to Cyclopark @ Gravesend?

Cyclopark is pretty good, I think that you have to have a bit of tuition before going down the start ramp on the big bmx track. There’s plenty of gentler bumps and jumps to piss about on, plus the skatepark bit is also nice to cruise (the bowl is a bit tight in the deep end to say the least but there are plenty of QP’s to hit around the park

High-5 the STW BMX crew!

(Dialled MX20 over here, 21.5″ TT)

Zilog – check out sk8loc8 website, will give you all that’s local.
Currently riding a Verde spectrum. Lovely bike. Weird though as with the mtb I had upgraditus, jusy happy to ride the bmx till bit wear out/break.

Odd that ain’t it. I’m forever wondering what to fit next to my MTBs. On the BMX I just want to learn how to ride it well. Not even slightly interested in changing anything.

check out sk8loc8 website, will give you all that’s local.

Thanks, missing a few skateparks locally though that I know about so not a complete guide. Also it’s a bit dry – tells you what facilities are present but some local knowledge would be note useful! Doesn’t mention tracks at all (as it’s a skate guide).

Had a bit of a google but couldn’t find anything much better. http://www.extremesportsmap.com seemed promising as it works on user-submitted data so includes some street spots & local knowledge but is also very incomplete.

Rode my bmx to yoga class tonight as there is a little skatepark en-route. Fortunately it was deserted at half 9ish so I had a go. Quite scary to be honest! There’s also a little pump track as well which I didn’t know about so was a cool discovery.

zilog6128 – Member

Rode my bmx to yoga classWow, you must have good balance 😀
I just purely commute at the moment on my BMX. I need to get back to my skillz innit

i’m selling my daughters barely used wetthepeople justice, will take £150 for it

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/We-The-People-BMX-Bike-/151356952995?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item233d93d1a3

Few tips for brake setup –
black anodised rim walls look good but aren’t great for braking.
Better pads may help – Salmon koolstops used to be rated.
Make sure you’re brake cable is smooth – the less friction the better. Odyssey slick cable are good aftermarket cables. Run enough cable to be able to x-up / barspin.
If you’re bike came installed with a gyro – ditch it unless you are doing double tailwhips or barspins. getting good braking witha a gyro is 10x as hard as geting good braking without and involves lots of strange cable combinations.
Try and keep the straddle cable as short as possible – this means the mechanical leverage on the brake arms is as high as possible.
Make sure you’re brake arms are running smooth on the mounts – if necessary remove, add some grease / coppaslip to the mounts and brass bushings.

After all this you should be able to lock up your brake with one finger no problem.

Thanks steve. Will get some koolstops as they are cheap enough! Yeah I lubed the cable before fitting. Will grease the mounts/bushings on the calliper though.

No gyro, I heard they were crap plus I’m never going to be doing those sort of tricks so no point.

Found some good tips online & fitted the straddle hanger as close to the seat tube as possible which I guess makes the cable as short as it can be. Mine rubs the seat tube though as due to the design of the brake the straddle cable forms an X and then loops around the tube. I’m guessing the only way to prevent rubbing is to use another straddle hanger which is wider than the tube? I have just put some helitape on that area in the meantime.

Zilog I managed to set up my rear brake so that it doesn’t rub on the seat tube (I think…) It is close admittedly. I have it here with me at work, think I’ll just double-check at lunchtime that it really isn’t rubbing now that you’ve said that!

Cool. Is there any chance you could send me a close-up photo of how you’ve done it?

No probs

Here it is. There’s about a 4mm gap between the cable and the seatstay. I think its just enough to clear when braking. It’s difficult to see the gap in the photo though:

I’ll be honest though, I’d never installed a brake like that before, so I’m not even sure I’ve done it correctly 😕

EDIT: Grr don’t know why its rotated the photo, it’s the right way round in Photobucket!

Cool, thanks for that. Slightly different to how I did it. I downloaded the installation instructions off the Tektro website (http://www.tektro.com/_english/01_products/01_prodetail.php?pid=114&sortname=BMX&sort=2&fid=8) and you’re actually supposed to cross the cable over in between the calliper and the seat tube. The part of the calliper the cable fits into is angled to facilitate this but it looks like it makes rubbing the seat tube inevitable!

I didn’t think of looking for the fitting instructions (seems blindingly obvious now though, d’oh). When fitting mine I did a Haro 500.1 Google image search and copied what I saw. The brake works (just 😉 ) and doesn’t rub the seatstay so it’ll do for now!