I fancy a BMX. My new job has a skatepark around the corner and I’ve got some great street spots locally to me. The bike will be for skatepark/street and the odd pumptrack.
I’m 5’8” so looking for a 20.75″ I think..

What do i want/need? I assume something 4130 and above with sealed bearings.
I’ve spotted this bike that seems good value at 40% off?
Happy to spend up to around £315. Will this get me a reasonable spec and weight? Is it worth looking second hand?

That looks like a decent bike. I’m out of touch but I wish you could get stuff like that when was riding BMX.

Firstly though, have you ever ridden BMX or a skatepark? I know the kids make it look effortless but it’s bloody hard work.

always worth looking second hand. I bought a very nice BMX a few years ago for £400 that was in great condition and had a build cost of about £1000 (and it weighed under 10kg)

Didn’t have it long as I soon remembered how old I was…

Look second hand, I got a Haro for £100 that was in good condition off gumtree. Bmx’s aren’t high tech enough to warrant spending huge amounts if you’re only a beginner.

Cheers all.
Spotted a WTP that was £650 down to around £250.
Seems good value. Just not sure how abused it’s been.

Look second hand, as you are short I would not worry about TT length too much 20.5 or 20.75. be warned. BMX is hard. I rode when I was younger, tone on and off through my 20s got back into it as 36 and still only have a handful of tricks. In a good day!

Having said that it is a brilliant sport with a brilliant older rider scene with our the upgrade iris if MTB.

If you’re anywhere near Lancs I’ve a WeThePeople BMX that I should really sell. It’s a warriors frame with Salt components.

I’ve recently trued the rear wheel and all the bearings are good. It’s got scuffs and scrapes from use but it’s not abused and is well under your budget. 21.3″ top tube though.

I used it last week to ride back from the garage after dropping the wife’s car in for an MOT, and had a blast riding home on it!

make you sure it has brakes. Lethal if like that wtp it doesn’t appear to have them. I think that U brake mentioned on the ad is useless and not a proper brake, just designed to be taken off and run brakeless. I may be wrong though.

As far as I know U brakes are the standard brake on BMXs these days. The model the OP linked to has removable hardware, as does mine so that if you want to run brakeless you can remove the mounts for a cleaner look.

In terms of performance, mine has a Proper U brake with clear pads and it works reasonably well. It’s still poor compared to a V brake, but it’s much better than the cheap Dia Compe copies I used to run 15-20 years ago.

fair enough i thought U brakes are just the token front brakes bmx bikes sometimes have.

I u brakes work fine, you only ride in the dry and you can lock up enough to hold your weight so that’s all you need. As above the hardware is removable.

Love my Collective C1, order direct from them.

Thanks all!
Yes, I’ll certainly be running a rear brake. Hard to know what is good second hand and not about to die.

I’d rather spend a little more and get something nice.

that wtp from winstanleys looks great. I say go for it if the top tube length is correct for you.

Picked up a used BMX locally; Saracen Amplitude- 4130 frame, sealed bearing (apart form the front hub).
It’s a great laugh! Turns out I can still do half the tricks I learned 10 years ago.
Just need to practice a bit now.

The chainstay protectors being removed. not sure what it’s doing there.
Had to do a fair bit of adjusting, tigtening and greasing but it’s great now.

glad you got one. Looks great and well done for not being a brand snob! You probably would have just got a high tensile steel frame for the price you got the saracen for if it had been a trendy brand. How much did you pay if you do not mind me asking?

looks like a dirt jump bike as it looks longer than a freestyle bike. Would also be better at a pump/bmx track than a freestyle bike. IMHO dirt jump bikes are longer and slacker than freestyle bikes, which I prefer.

thats not to say you can not do street and skatepark stuff on it too.

Saracen Amplitude Frequency 2015- original price was £370, I got it for just over £100.

Not sure what it’s destined for- Saracen borchure says;

‘No jazz, No razzmatazz, just cracking bikes built for riding. The Pressure features a 4130
cromoly fork, 25x9t drive and is perfect for riders learning their game and ready to step up
their apprenticeship in riding. The Frequency goes one step further and features sealed bearing hubs and a full 4130 cromoly frame. Two great bikes for concrete, dirt or ramps.

It’ll do me fine though. Not sure I’d want anything shorter!

Looks ace that- enjoy!

sounds like a bargain for full cromo. Sounds good value at full rrp too. I find pure freestyle bikes very twichy which I do not like. Sounds like yours is designed for everything, although I still think it’s got dirt jump influences.
If you do a search there was a website for all UK bmx and pump tracks local to you. Might be surprised at what you find . I was.

Definitely look second hand. There are some absolute bargains out there which aren’t just stock completes.

U brakes are still the standard on BMXs, and IMO if you take the time to adjust them, and have the right pads and cable, they can be pretty great. One of the flaws is always the straddle cable and keeping it tight to stop spongy brakes – that’s where a lot of set ups fail. The below is an absolute god send for good bmx brake (straight cable) set up. No straddle, no problem.

Quick Slic Cable

It’s so odd riding without a front brake again. A few of my tricks are reliant on them.
On the list to learn-
– Drop in on a quarter
– Barspin
– Nose manual & grinding (assume I need some pegs of some sort for this?)

U brakes are still the standard on BMXs, and IMO if you take the time to adjust them, and have the right pads and cable, they can be pretty great. One of the flaws is always the straddle cable and keeping it tight to stop spongy brakes – that’s where a lot of set ups fail. The below is an absolute god send for good bmx brake (straight cable) set up. No straddle, no problem.

Quick Slic Cable

Mines setup well now- I can lock up the wheel (eventualy) if needed.
Do I use my existing setup and just replace the cable with that? Might help in the future.
Can’t you retrofit V-brake for more power?

this is well worth a look

pump and bmx tracks in the UK

Nice- Thanks @trumpton!
There’s a pump track 5 mins from my hous 🙂 !

glad you found one.

Do I use my existing setup and just replace the cable with that? Might help in the future.

Yeah, just replace the cable and use your existing set up. If I recall it comes in different lengths so just measure up and buy accordingly.

grinding (assume I need some pegs of some sort for this?)

depends what grinds you wish to learn, pedal and crank arm grinds dont require pegs. There are some pegless street riders doing normal grinds with no pegs or running longer axle nuts.

There are some pegless street riders doing normal grinds with no pegs or running longer axle nuts.

Mad! I guess it’s the cheapest option.. Load up the axle with axle nuts?

If I really get into it I’ll start investing in some proper kit.

What size axles are on it? I’ve got four 14mm steel pegs here if you want them for nowt.

looks like the front axle is small. Bike needs some new funky valve caps 😉

Thanks for the offer Kayla1- I don’t think mine are 14mm though.

My pedals are hopeless. They are just plain cheap metal ones. What do people recommend?
I’ve got a set of Nukeproof Neutron Evo Flats, but these might be overkill? BMXers never seem to ride sharp pedals..

I headed to the pumptrack lastnight. It’s in desperate need of repair. Not sure how easy it is to do.
All the lips & bumps are worn away and the whole track is covered in sizable rocks. I guess it needs a sweep and some mud to build up everything. I think it’ll be diffult to build it up and let it set without the youth riding over it.

Depend what it was finished with to start with but jumps aren’t made from ‘mud’ you want a clay soil with very little organic matter in it as the very least. Which usually means digging a big hole, dumping all the topsoil elsewhere, then digging out the heavy clay which will if built properly will last for ages.

Best option is crushed limestone and a wacker plate.

If it’s a council facility see if they will repair it, if it’s been built by kids then unless you’re part of a group then you’ll never get far on your own. Just find a proper track.

For others looking, jump bikes are an option too and I feel any skills learnt on a jump bike are more easily transferred to your bigger bike than on a BMX.

The caveat is that they aren’t as good for mini ramps, bowls or street, but my experience i that they are just as capable on jump boxes, spines, and bigger quarter pipes and better on dirt jumps.

20″ bmx’s are an invention of the Devil, if you master manuals/jumps/bhops etc on a 20″ you can do it on any bike, easily…that is “if” you master it (which I haven’t btw).
So before jumping on a 20″ I’d recommend you to try it, also try a 24″ bmx and a 26″ jump bike, then decide.

20″ bmx’s are an invention of the Devil, if you master manuals/jumps/bhops etc on a 20″ you can do it on any bike, easily

I disagree with this personally. I find it much easier manualling, jumping and doing tricks on the BMX. My other bike is a 29er FS 150mm bike, so the other end of the spectrum which is essentially a monster truck by comparisson.

if you master manuals/jumps/bhops etc on a 20″ you can do it on any bike

I can get on the bmx and manual for ages, on the MTB cant manual for shite!

Nice bike Cokie, have fun with it.

I hadn’t ridden my BMX for over a year and when I jumped on it a couple of weeks ago it did feel twitchy for a few minutes, but it didn’t take long to adjust to it. Ultimately they’re supposed to be nimble and chuckable.

I think riding a 20inch bike really helps improve mtb skills esp for cornering.Also helps confidence generally. This is judged by riding a bmx track though.