My local town has opened an indoor BMX centre and I fancy giving it a go, just a few questions:
1. I don’t have a whole lot of cash but I appreciate that the cheapest bikes are rarely fit for task. What components should I be looking for in a bike?
2. How much is a minimum spend for it to stay together and what makes are good?
3. I’m 40 next month and, whilst realising that I will probably have the p~~s ripped out of me, has anyone else tried taking it up at this age and are you still able to walk/speak/eat without the aid of a straw.

I have no idea as haven’t riden BMX for 23 years but used to love it but big respect for giving it a go.

can you not borrow/rent/demo a bike to see if you like/can handle it??

I see the lads on my local ramps have some pretty trick looking bikes compared to the Super Burner I had 😉

1. a decent frame is most important IMO and most completes with full cromo frames usually have pretty good quality parts.
2. probably around £300ish
3. 40 here and been dipping in and out of BMX for nearly 30years, never been laughed at (well.. not by any kids I don’t know).. Just take it easy at first, riding BMX feels quite different to mtb.

Same rules as cheap mountain bikes IMO,

Avoid plastic pedals, one piece cranks (though not as bad as you’d think) stickers proclaiming “space age components” or “genuine HI-TEN” etc

Stick with brands you recognise.

To ease hassle, remove the gyro if it has one, unless you are the king of barspin tail whips it’ll just stop your brakes working well. 4 stunt pegs doesn’t look “street” but does make it easier to learn what you can and cannot do! Tighten the bars. tighter. Tighter than that!

Good luck!

Thanks for the encouragement, I’m getting very excited already and the wife’s eyebrows are raised so high she’s given herself a face lift.

Go for it and good luck

I ‘started’ at 51 – went for a cruiser 24″ – big bmx, thought it would be better ?

I had some funny comments while in A&E

Broken collar bone
Broken bone in hand
Crushed wrist

That was 4 weeks – 1 operation and 7 trips to various outpatient departments ago

MrsG not very happy……………….!

Pain not too bad now – can’t wait to get back out riding and try that little bike again.

Not sure if advertising is allowed – but winstanleysbmx have some good ‘known’ brands

Do it it’s fun

What’s your budget?

Second hand would be the place to go, no doubt.

Tips for what to go for?

Go wethepoeple, fitbikeco, s and m bikes, kink, subrosa, primo, odyssey.

Dont go GT, mongoose, norco.

if you’re looking at brand new completes, the cheaper end of the market is aimed at younger kids, therefore smaller. You’d be looking at £400+ on complete that was appropriate size for an adult.

if you got the cash and don’t want something a jittery feeling as a 20″ BMX, get this – http://www.sundaybikes.com/catalog/completes/plus-4/model-c-ex/. It’s not a cruiser, it’s a 24″, “freestyle” BMX. It rides like a proper BMX, only bigger. Where cruisers generally ride badly.

Dont use winstanleys they are a bunch of cretinous morons. I’ve ordered from then twice, neither time did I actually receive what I ordered. Instead of Taj grips I got Taj tyres. Instead of black 182mm spokes I got silver 180mm, instead of a 48 hole big city rim I got a 36 hole and so on. CRETINOUS MORONS.

Loads of good deals on complete bikes nowadays.
Example:
http://www.leisurelakesbikes.com/product/fitbikecotrl1bmxbike2010-sale.aspx?&id=12629

That sunday 24″ looks cool, buy one of those and then report back!

Just caught the BMX bug at the age of 39. Bought a SE Racing Floval Flyer XL (24″) and love it.

I’ll admit that the first time i rode it i nearly broke my back falling off the back while trying to manual it (always cover the brake when pulling a manual 😳 )

It sharpens your riding skills no end and is a great laugh. I go to Gosport BMX track and want to get in to racing once the backs fully recovered 🙄

Just get stuck in. It’s great fun 😛

It sharpens your riding skills no end

That’s one of the reasons I got one

and is a great laugh

That’s the other

spend around £400 (or a bike with £400 retail price but in a sale..)

look for:

FULL cromoly steel frame (cheaper bikes have weaker / heavier high tensile frames with often a single cromoly tube i.e. downtube)

cromoly steel fork and cromoly steel handlebars

sealed bearing hubs

sealed bearing bottom bracket and cromoly crankset

I’ve just picked up a Specialized P20 for £350 (brand new) which is very tidy for the money with a Reynolds double-butted frame and fork and all the items listed above including a 9T cassette rear hub, and weighs 25lb which is light for the price

although admittedly I’ve had to replace the stem which would not grip the bars properly when landing airs (I found an Eclat stem at Evans on sale for £30)

and replaced the tires which were lethally slippy in my local concrete skatepark with Odyssey Aitken front and FIT FAF rear

unusually for a £400 bike, its got a 21″ top tube

I’m in my 40’s and started a few years ago.
Bought a cheapish Mongoose and really wish I’d spent a bit more. Mine weighs 38 lbs!

Hurt myself quite badly on my first ride and just gave up for a while. Have started again recently and really enjoy just razzing about in the woods and playing in the local park.
No other grown ups riding near me though, and I really do feel daft riding the thing!
Would like to get a better bike but can’t find anywhere that does good in depth reviews.

Just out of interest, what tyre pressures do you lot run?
Am using Snafu Rim Jobs mostly, pumped up very hard to avoid pinch flats.

Good on you. I started almost a year ago, and I thought I was old for a beginner, at 28.
After moving house 5 months ago, I currently ride nothing other than bmx, as I haven’t the space to build up my bike and leave it out. (although I have just rebuilt my Pace ready for the morning).
One thing is, I didn’t feel odd on a bmx, and mine is huge (21.25 tt, 14.5cs), far too big for me really, but I’m getting a new frame next month, but after riding a bmx a lot, my mtb feels very odd and ungainly.

And in answer to your question, I am currently on Demolition Momentums at 80psi, but I’ll be going back to Maxxis DTH’s soon ( lots more grip).

I’m 20 and ride bmx a lot, got a fit series 3.5, lovely thing
get some fatter tyres, they will assist with cushioning ..

oh, and a G sport ratchet hub is the chris king of the bmx world, it’s a beautiful thing.

I tend to go to sourcebmx.com or alansbmx.com too, both really great

Just out of interest, what tyre pressures do you lot run?

Quite hard

Yeah, cheers for that. 🙂

Been out for a ride and can confirm that 90 psi is perfect for the beer can slalom, the half-arsed manual and the wheelie to intense pain combo’s I’ve been practicing.

No visible skin on left knee and elbow, but can now drop in to a small ramp whilst being heckled by emos.
To be fair, they were pretty helpfull once they stopped laughing.

Which balaclava is best for hiding middle aged shame whilst getting sniggered at on the train on the way home?

I am 42.

I should know better.

Not a BMX but a hard core hard tail

My wrist and shoulders now ache from improving my abiltiy

Go for it.

ive got a 4 ride old DK fourpack thats brilliant for indoor park riding if yer interested? cost £370 and i’ll sell for £180 … its sealed everything and cassette hub :O)
mail me for pics if ya want a looky

cheers, Tony (Wigan)

My other half said I’d be crazy at 30 to get a BMX but with the opening of a sweet track only 2 miles from me and reading this tomorrow I will mostly be buying a BMX!

Sweet!

43 and have been know to “borrow” the kids’ Kink Whip. £400 will get you a (relatively) light bike, sealed bearings US (smaller) bottom bracket and micro drive.

I should know better, but cracked a rib on a small drop off before Christmas when the front washed out in damp. Great on the trails in Swinley too.

Oh and I bought a ripstik last week and can ride it at the skate park and look moderately talented 8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqu2YG6rLMQ

this single handedly got me back into BMX after a 10 year hiatus (where i rediscovered mtb after sacking it off to ride more bmx…)

This is my 40th present, a Fit BF2, and where I go some lunchtimes rather than a “gym” (I hate the gym).

IMAG0019 by thepimpmessiah, on Flickr

I used to BMX 15 years ago… and getting back into the ramp thing has been painful but great fun… take it real easy at the start!!!

Check out 20twenty BMX and give them a call for exceptional advice… or go to your local BMX place.

It’s ace 8)

http://www.20twentystore.com/

As you’re probably from a mtb background you may want to try a slightly slacker than usual frame – Deluxe frames look great and are made for going fast and big rather than street nibbling 🙂 They had a sale on a while ago, wish I’d picked up one of the frames whilst they were cheap!

Let us know how you get on – need more inspiration for me to try it again!

I got one of these today

http://www.alansbmx.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=9692

Even after a couple of hours on it I can see it will help with MTB skills, really glad I got it.

I’m 40 and ride BMX with my kids regularly. It’s fantastic!. All the stuff I used to to on my BMX is now considered “old skool cool” and kids learning to ride can now do all the stufff i used to practice for hours to perfect easily.
But when I get on the track, I can waste them on my GT Pro series cruiser.
Then they come to me for tips to make them faster.
My kids are progressing well, the others think my tips are crap. I wonder why? lol

Gonna get some races started soon. We don’t have enough BMX racing in South Wales.
I spoke to Tracy Moseley about it last year, and she said she’d support a move to get funding for tracks in the area.
Good on her.

Go to http://www.bmxtalk.com/ there’s always a good selection of secondhand bikes for sale

I’ve just bought this off there as a treat for me 🙂

I’ve got basically the same (race) bike as Ken ^^

For grown ups I think a 24 is a much better option, although you don’t say if you want to race or jump, which does influence bike choice. The 24 still steers quickly but has a bit more room to move around on.

If you didn’t ride/race bmx back in the 80s then the learning curve is going to be fairly steep, as they are quite different from mtbs, but they’ll improve your riding no end.

bmx rocks!