My son has little interest at the moment for riding his mountain bike, all he wants is to thrash a Bmx around and do tricks and jumps. Fair enough I suppose just wish he said that before I bought his Carrera. Any suggestions tips etc gratefully received.

wethepeople is the standard answer for a good value complete. He might be better off on a 18″ wheel bike though, not sure of the options there.

I have the opposite problem , I bought my son a mongoose Logo and he now loves going to Glentress . Im now looking at getting a carrera Blast for him . Fancy a swap. 😀

I’d go for a 20″ bmx. They cover a huge amount of sizes. You can get versions with longer top tubes but I suspect he isn’t big enough yet.
Wethepeople are a good brand. I have a stolen sinner, a fantastic bike.
Avoid halfords bmxs I’d say. Halfords sell GT bikes who still make bmxs I think but I wouldn’t say they were one of the ‘cool’ brands.
Look for, wethepeople, stolen, subrosa, Sunday, kink etc….

Given that BMX’s usually only come in two sizes of top tube lengths ( and not even that many in most cases) I’d say try both? It’s more important to get the right kind of BMX (Race/Street/Dirt) to suit what he wants to ride.
There are some mighty tall folk out there on 20″ wheels. (Jamie Bestwick for 1)

Having said that a short 24″ Dirt jump / street hardtail that will take a 26″ wheels and gears later may be another option.

Agree go with 20″ wheeled bike and not 18″ he will progress quicker on a 20, most completes are 20.5 top tube, how tall is he and I can recommend a tt length.
As for brands depends on budget but I would start looking at FIT completes.

He is about 145cm’s. He has taken to riding his old 20″ Giant 150 FS around and it keeps throwing the chain off. He’s quite a powerful lad so I wonder what gear ratio’s he should be using or is suitable. 24″ inch Snot green Blast in the garage that has been spurned for his old Giant that weighs more than the Blast. It looks more like a Bmx you see!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2011-Commencal-Absolut-BMX-Bike-New-/290574664349?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&var=&hash=item895fee4458

Thanks for the link! That Commencal looks a good price but I still don’t know enough yet about the sizing. Will have to do some more research.

inbred, can you post up your findings please? Was being quizzed at the weekend by a mate who’s looking to get one for his 10yo son, who I think is ‘tall’. Many thanks!

Will do.

From what I can gleam from various sites, 3ft 10 to 4ft 10 18 wheels. Over 4ft 10 in height then you can go up to 20 inch wheels. The size of the frame is mainly 19 to 21 inches measured by the Top tube. Prices vary hugely. Still haven’t worked out what gear ratio would be best for little legs. May have to go to a local Bmx shop to get sized up. Will report back on ratio’s and spec etc later. If anybody has anything to add please do.

Without going too far “When I were a lad…” when we were kids a bmx was anything with 20″ wheels no gears and bad brakes. Yes it might be nice if it’s a little smaller in the top tube, and maybe you can run a slightly smaller chainring if you’re somewhere hilly, but You’ve probably over-though it. Have you A).Set a budget? B).Asked what he likes?

A BMX – Yesteryear

wethepeople is the standard answer for a good value complete.

+1 get one or he’ll be laughed off the skatepark.

I’m 42 i have one, thats reason enough.

CustomRiders

He’ll certainly be laughed off the skate park if he turns up with that much seat tube out of the frame .Also don’t get one with a Gyro as they make the already poor brakes even worse ,
As has been said Wethepeople are good and have a lot of street cred . United and Fit are similar in spec and price . 25×9 gearing is what most people use . Definately get a 20 inch wheeled bike .

The best thing about 25×9 is that you have to have a much more expensive back wheel… (’cause it’s all about fashion)

Went to LBmxS the other day and had a bit of a look round and asked about prices and makes. Haro lower end 250+ up to and over 500 for Premium Products(Deathtrap). The extra cost is down to better bearings mainly. Small crank and even smaller pinion gear at the back requires special ratchet in the hubs. Small crank gear to limit contact when going over the dips Etc. I thought choosing a MTB was complicated! Some good advice here, thanks chaps.

What about this for a beginner. Seems a decent spec for the money or am I being tight and should I spend more?
http://www.customriders.com/prodshow.asp?prodid=13484&cat=1010&parent=9999&sid=3#

the new yess bmx looks ace.race tho.