BMX - Is it acceptable in the BMX "culture"....

.... for us old guys to ride a 20"? Or are we supposed to graduate to the cruisers? I am *seriously* looking at 20 inchers... just for fun!!

That's perfectly acceptable. It's actually cooler than old guys riding cruisers.

Steve
Just do it
There is nothing wrong with riding a 20 inch.I bmx race 26 and 24 inch at the track.
I ride 20 inch on the street and in the parks.

I still have my ( sweet, chorme ) dyno vfr, I used to commute to college & ride around campus/ downtown ... : o )


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I have a 20" flat bike and a 20" park bike. I also ride a road bike, mountain bike and I am now looking to get a fixie. Just ride what you like and don't a second thought to what others think. They are wrong.

AH ,A fixie might be my next one

Heh... I just bought a 1980's Bianchi road bike on ebay. Gonna convert it to a SS I think. Wanna buy a BMX first... my teenage years are calling me back!!

Post pictures after the build

My Coworkers have been laughing at me cause I ride a 20", I don't care though.

i ride from 20" to 700c and everything inbetween
be proud of what you ride and dont give it a second thought

Nice. I like the "old guy" thread going on here. I just picked up my first bmx bike ever the other day and had a blast riding it around. I got a redline off craigslist for $5 from a storage unit that just wanted to get rid of it. I was just going to tinker with it and fix it up to resell it, but I had such a fun time riding it, I don't think I will be able to part with it easily.
Anyway, I feel the pains of an old guy wanting to ride bmx.

Heh.... everyone in my area had a BMX when they were a kid. That's what everyone started on. Being a roadie is cool, but jumping dirt ramps is pure fun!!

I'm 6'1" 25y.o. 200lbs with a beard, and i ride a 20" EVERYWHERE while my $1,300 cannondale hangs from my ceiling gathering dust. I got a free 20" at the end of last summer and started having all these childhood flashbacks so even though a couple people insist i should get a 24" I just have SO MUCH fun on the 20" and I'm in no hurry to "size up"

*I did just learn though that it's unacceptable to have brakes or to put your seatpost any way other than completely bottomed out, i guess stopping is for sissys*

*I did just learn though that it's unacceptable to have brakes or to put your seatpost any way other than completely bottomed out, i guess stopping is for sissys*

I was told that for dirt racing the seat needs to be bottomed out or it gets in the way. The brake thing makes no sense to me... can anyone explain that??

If you're old enough to be older than most of the BMX scene, you're way too ****ing old to be giving a **** what others think of your choice of bicycle. Or any of your other choices, for that matter.

True. Good point.

bottomed out

FYI, correct lingo is "slammed". It's partly to keep it out of the way, partly to save weight (only need a tiny seat post), and partly just cause that's how everyone else has theirs. :P

The no brakes thing seems to be mostly fashion, but most of the fashionistas will swear up and down it's a weight saving thing (how much does a brake weigh, seriously) or that it makes them flow better.

Some people do ride well without brakes, others mostly just scuff the **** out of their $200 shoes...

I tried stopping the other day without using my brakes for the first time. The shoe on the back tire method does seem to work pretty well, and I do like the brake less look a whole lot better, but honestly I can't see myself being able to pull off a panic stop if I need too. So I guess I'll be keeping my ugly/heavy gyro and rear brake. :P

Buy a MTB, and make it a large BMX ... SS conversion & a rigid fork. ... maybe, a single rear v-brake. : o )

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I have a 26 inch Bmx
But I am selling it because I will be using the money to build up my Fall Guy when it arrives

Some people do ride well without brakes, others mostly just scuff the **** out of their $200 shoes...

exactly, as the guy who told me about riding with no brakes said. "You need a good shoe sponsor" so not too practical for casual riders

Yeah, I remember going brakless in middle shool... it was dumb then, too ...

exactly, as the guy who told me about riding with no brakes said. "You need a good shoe sponsor" so not too practical for casual riders

aha that's awesome

whats the problem goin brakeless? mine broke and i was too lazy to replace em. i like this a lot better

I don't see any problem with going brakeless. I'm always keeping my brakes though.

I rode brakeless when i was younger, just starting. and went back and forth with brakes. I ride brakeless now hand have for a few years again. I feel I have developed much better bike control and i can pritty much hop over, or quickly swerv to avoid anything i might hit. I have yet to crash into anything, and i feel i can stop just as fast by just puttin my feet down. You might feel sketchy at first with no brakes but you get used to it. I ride longboards down big hills and they have no brakes either so i guess that helps with the fear of going fast with no way to quickly stop haha. Ive been thinking about building up a more trails / racey kinda bike which i will throw brakes on. As for the streets and the parks. just helps you comit, and makes for a seamless simple to work on bike.

This thread is a little dated.... but as an update, I saved enough bucks to buy me a 20". My local shop has some '08 left-overs he wants to move. So I might come home with a Redline by week's end. You never know.... I got 30-pounds I need to loose and this might be the hot set-up!!

(off to build me some quarter-pipe ramps!!)

don't be like every other ******bag on your block - ride a 20" bmx, not a fixie.
it's a mark of distinction!

37 here and 20"

Dont worry about bmx culture, most of the scene kids are trendorks anyhow. Once you bust moves on them they dont say jack. Just figure out what the "in coolguy trick of the week" is and dont do it.

You can tell the trendy tards because theyll have their seats so low they can't even pedal. Their range of tricks is so limited that a decent trick bag will put them in their place and theyll stop talking smack.

36 years old here and 20.5" for 4 years now. Just have fun.

If it has 2 wheels and some cool parts ,I will ride it
Biking is fun at any age

You can tell the trendy tards because theyll have their seats so low they can't even pedal.

seriously... what's with that?
i don't see being able to do any kind of distance with the seat down to the frame... i guess they don't really use the bike for its intended purpose, then. (to actually GO somewhere.)

Not true. There are alot of ****** kids out there to just look cool these days, but i ride my seat low, about an inch out or so, and its a bmx.... normally you dont sit and pedal, and when i do sit its usually resting at the skatepark, or coasting, in which the height is fine, but the seat doesn't get in the way for other things.

Who wants to sit and pedal on a BMX? If you wanna GO somewhere, get a bike that fits.

exactly. if you're GOING somewhere get a fixie or something. a BMX isnt gonna go very far

Not true, i ride my bmx everywhere. you dont even notic the distance when your hopping over **** and hitting whatever you see along the way. If im not driving the nearest skatepark to me is a half hour away, and thats cruising pretty fast. I used to go to Winnipeg's big park downtown, that took me an hour both ways.

I ride my bike everywhere I can too. It's not that bad if you're actually used to it.

Not true. There are alot of ****** kids out there to just look cool these days, but i ride my seat low, about an inch out or so, and its a bmx.... normally you dont sit and pedal, and when i do sit its usually resting at the skatepark, or coasting, in which the height is fine, but the seat doesn't get in the way for other things.

I do see cases where people have their seat low for a reason, or decided to do it for themselves but lets be honest:

99.99999999999999999999999999999% of the trendorks do it because they are conformist sheeple that make sure to check each others' socks and shoes for the color of the day compliance

Not true, i ride my bmx everywhere. you dont even notic the distance when your hopping over **** and hitting whatever you see along the way. If im not driving the nearest skatepark to me is a half hour away, and thats cruising pretty fast. I used to go to Winnipeg's big park downtown, that took me an hour both ways.

ok well i ride mine all over too, but i guess i was meant like if you were just gonna go and ride. not jump or manual or anything like that. just going out to cruise.

99.99999999999999999999999999999% of the trendorks do it because they are conformist sheeple that make sure to check each others' socks and shoes for the color of the day compliance

[citation needed]

Haha. I ride my seat low, but it's comfortable. I don't like to be up real high when I'm sitting down.

I like to just cruise too, but i guess Im always doing something.

i actually cut my seattube just a smidgen cause it felt a bit high and in the way sometimes. now its riiiiiight where it should be

I keep mine 2 inches above the seat clamp when cruising
Buy when I go to the track or the park to ride the ramps,I slam it down low

when I cruise around,I keep the seat up 2 inches
But when I am at the track or the park riding the ramps,It's slammed down LOW

i actually cut my seattube just a smidgen cause it felt a bit high and in the way sometimes. now its riiiiiight where it should be

Haha a smidgen. About how much is that?

just a hair more than a pinch, i'd say

almost an inch

Ohhh alright. Haha I was just wondering. I chopped mine down when I first got it because I couldn't slam my seat.

35 Today 26"OM Flyer, 24" Redline Flight and 20" HARO F3 . The 20 is definately alot of fun and my favorite bike to ride when not racing. I do look a little goofy on it but I look goofy rding anything (I am a big man 250) When a 14 year old laughs at me I can scare him pretty easy. They don't laugh again! LOL