[Closed] BMX advice for a 10 year old ???

first up, what kind of BMX?... Park/dirt/race/freestyle/flatland etc

ahhhhh - my ignorance is rather evident!

It'll be for messing around with his buddies on the street, and playing at the park's skate/bmx ramps. He's not esp brave, so he'll never be doing big jumps / massive stuff. I guess a 'play-bike'.

He has a neat little MTB which he enjoys, so the BMX will be for kid's fun.

My advice would be get a cromo frame not hi ten as there is a big weight difference.

mongoose menace

Things to look for are short ish top tube, unless he's tal for his age, less than 20" if you can find it. Cro Mo frame and forks are not a massive priority at that age, a ten year old is normally alot lighter than an adult. 3 piece cranks are a must though, along with smalish chainwheel, 36T or less ideally. Helps with clearance on ramps and grinds.
I'd suggest a Mongoose Capture, £199 and it weighs far less than the '09 models.

I think bike weight is a factor in that the child has to be able to move the bike around under him/her. My son is 12 and his friends all commented that his was easier to do tricks on.

depends if you would like a proper bmx or not..you can go to halfords an buy a crap bike for around £70 but they fall apart literally ( i used to work there) or spend a little more and get a decent one that will last a few years. If he is big enough but a proper 20" wheel bmx and tilt the bars back and seat forward as will last him longer and just buy a better bike originally. Ring alans bmx and ask some advice should be able to help or look on http://www.alansbmx.com/index.php?cPath=21&sort=2a&page=1

that shows a few complete bikes all good specs, mite be able to find cheaper than alans if you look around as well.

pete

thanks all - have a few pointers to go on ..

Had the same problem a few weeks ago, ended up with an Eastern Jane for Abigale. Bought a 2009 one and got it at a bargain price in the sales. She is 11 but is very tall for her age.

Tracey

10 years old. I'd be getting him an 18" wheeled Hoffman or similar. 20" is way too big. Plus when he is big enough to get a 20" you'll get a fair bit of your money back when selling the 18"

thanks ... he's standard height for 10 year old, so 18" the way to go (I wouldn't want it 'just too big' as I guess that'll not be confidence inspiring!)

Trust me, BMX is my life. All 3 of my kids are into it big time too.

The 18 will be perfect and he'll soon gain real confidence and be doing all sorts of stuff you can only wish you could do, haha! Indoor parks are absolutely great but make sure you go on a quiet night so he can get to grips with it as it's daunting at first but within the first session he'll be loving it!

20's are jut too big, this makes them unweildy, clumsy, too heavy and they'll just get annoyed that they can't do much with it.

Don't stick any pegs on it at first either as there's no way he'll be doing any grinds etc. Plus in a park they just get in the way big time. Where are you?

have a look on ebay (once you've found out what bike to buy), some real bargains from time to time esp in the 16 - 18 wheel sizes. a few months back i got an immaculate se racing 16" for about 60quid, the guy had bought it new and his kid was just never into it.

www.bmxtalk.co.uk is also really good.

if there is a bmx club near you thats also worth checking out. since my 6yr old has been riding on tracks his skill level/confidence has gone through the roof and now he's super keen to race (the local club to me even does coaching sessions just for kids).

sounds good - zedsdead - Surrey/Kent border, Westerham. We have a half decent skate bit in the park where a few of the boys are doing some bike stuff