BMX - Need advice on a bike to get

I was looking for some forums to get some advice on which bike I should buy. So basically what I am wanting to do is minimal. Just plain street bike or a bike to get around on but that I feel open to doing freestyle or basic BMX if I want so I want to go for a BMX bike. My budget is low and I want to buy something used so i'm looking on Craigslist. I have really little bike knowledge and don't know much about bikes themselves. I used to own a Haro at a younger age but I outgrew it and I am really craving a bike right now. Budget is about $100-$175 for a used bike and I think that is doable. Let me show yall some craigslist ads and see yalls feedback. Also if theres another route I should take let me know

Specialized 415 bmx FS-Xpert
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1527252079.html

Specialized Vegas bmx Dirt Boy
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1527259238.html

Haro 24" BMX Cruizer
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1520628512.html

Haro BMX BIKE
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1519934493.html

Another Haro
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1507711466.html

DK
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1522117589.html

I'm looking for something relatively light. I know that the budget is low. Also what size bike should I be looking for if i'm about 6ft? Just need some input. I'm not looking for anything fancy just something that gives me flexibility if I want to get into BMX.

Thanks!

I would look for a used DK or Haro out of those. But, if you could find one, an S&M or FBM frame will give you the best quality.

S&M LAF:
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/bik/1526320392.html

FBM Autopilot:
http://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/bik/1525225422.html

Also what size bike should I be looking for if i'm about 6ft? Just need some input. I'm not looking for anything fancy just something that gives me flexibility if I want to get into BMX.

Thanks!

I think for sizing, anything over 20.25" is going to be doable for a 6' tall person. I know a guy who is 6'1 and he rode a 20" Standard 250s frame forever, and he's a _really_ good rider.


What matters most for someone your height is the size handlebars you get. You'll want bars with at least an 8" rise to them. I'm 6ft and I ride a 20.5" frame, with 8" rise bars. Although I can also ride a 21" very comfortably, I prefer a shorter frame for its handling. If I could, I'd get some taller bars. They make 'em as tall as 10", although that might be a little bit *too* high.

How about this MirraCo?
http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1523561999.html

I hear great things about the bike. 24" is kind of big though. Would it still work fine for me?

Depends what you want to do- a 24" bike will be good for getting around on, but the geometry is going to be very different from a 20". The only 24" bike that will really give you the same 'hop' and handling as a 20" is probably a Sunday Model-C, which has a *much* different geometry than the typical 24" frame (the Model-C has a higher bottom bracket, shorter chainstay, etc.) but those are expensive.

Typical 24" BMX bikes have 'race' geometry, which means it is designed for going very fast and being very stable. They usually will have a low bottom bracket and long chainstays, making it difficult to pull up the front end. It is not conducive to bunny-hops or freestyle.

Alright cool I see thanks so I probably won't go with that one since I would want to be doing bunny hops and all that jazz. I was told to look at this Fly Luna: http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1526514432.html but it's $400 and my budget is about $300. I'll talk to the guy. Just need a sense of direction that's in my budget.

How are S&M Bikes? http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1495578600.html

Expensive frames it looks like. I think i'm just going to go to the Empire BMX shop downtown and see what they can hook me up with for my budget. Maybe I can find something worth while for $300 there.