biknbrian

I've been beating the crap of a cheapo sporting good store BMX, and I need to get a real one really soon. I can already tell that the one piece crankset and loose bearing BB just isn't going to hold up. Plus, I'm kinda embarrassed to take what I know is a junk bike to the local BMX/skate park.

I've already learned the cheap don't hold up lesson, so now I want to go with full cromoly frame and fork. However I occasionally come across a full cro-mo bike that still has a standard 1 1/8 threadless headset. Are there any real advantages to the integrated headset. Some of the info I've come across even seems to indicate that an integrated is more likely to ruin a frame if excessive play develops.

fietsbob

How are you intending to use the bike? Tricks and jumps, or dirt track Motos?


how much in the budget?

biknbrian

I'd like to spend less than $400, but the less I spend the less I have to explain to my wife why the old bike isn't good enough. This bike is for tricks not racing. I live in the country and build little ramps and small dirt jump stuff. I've also been visiting a local skate/BMX park and having a blast. I plan to start venturing to other parks as well. I'd also like to do some straight up street riding in some of the towns around here as well as maybe in Pittsburgh once I get a little better.

My current bike has a 20.5 inch top tube. At 5'10" you'd think I'd want to go longer, but it actually feels pretty good.

One of the bikes I'm thinking about is a Sapient Saga. Yea, yea, I know it isn't a name brand, but I also know that the Full Cro-Mo frame probably came out of the same factory that many name brand frames do. It lacks an integrated headset, but at $250 I could probably buy it tomorrow without any marital issues. (20.4 TT)

https://www.the-house.com/qsasag20cb1...bmx-bikes.html

There is also a full Cro-Mo SE Hoodrich that has the integrated headset and cost a bit more at $340. (20.7 TT)

https://www.the-house.com/qsehoodm20bl13zz-se-bikes.html

Danscomp has a Kink Whip at $300 (20.5 TT)

https://www.danscomp.com/products-BIK...Whip_Bike.html

and a Stolen Heist at $340 (20.8 TT)

https://www.danscomp.com/products-BIK...eist_Bike.html


Before I buy anything online I am going to make a trip to my two favorite LBS's and give them a chance as well.

So there it is. The $250 sapient is a pretty easy buy for me as long as the traditional threadlesss head set is fine. For some reason crossing the $300 mark for a name brand and a threadless seems like it will take a little more convincing of the wife. So yea, it really comes down to how much the threadless headset really matters.

fietsbob

web buys , you're on your own , learn to be your own expert. talk to the sellers themselves

local shop, here, sells these : https://www.redlinebicycles.com/bikes/freestyle

https://www.mirrabikeco.com/,, https://2hip.com/ ..

less common in the US than Europe and the Commonwealth
is observed trials.. saddle is completely superfluous .. different skills ..

. https://www.biketrialsdirect.com/Sear...s.asp?Cat=1836

hockeyref

I'll just throw some thoughts out to you as I'm speaking from the dinosaur perspective... I raced BMX from the late 70's through 1988... (South Park and Delmont were my home tracks). I won a couple PA state plates on 20" and cruiser as well as one national plate on my cruiser. I would jump over almost anything you put a ramp in front of and could bunny hop my cruiser over the bars of the 20" and the 20" over the bars of the cruiser. I spent a lot of years riding the cheap forged one piece cr-mo cranks until I finally bought 3 piece Profile cranks for my 20" and a one piece tubular Cro-mo crank for the cruiser.... All bikes had the "old 1" threaded headset" as threadless didn't exist yet - let alone integrated....and I had ZERO issues with them. For the record I was 6'1" and about 195 at the time...

SO that said, you really don't need to over think this....
Decent Cro-Mo frame - yes
Decent pedals with Cro-Mo spindles - yes
Decent Cro_m bars - yes
Cranks - U pick em but the old one piece Cro-Mo held up ok... If Profile still makes their tubular Cro-Mo and they are close to the old quality I would recommend them.
Cro-Mo seat post - yes
Seat - whatever you have available
Brakes - no idea what's out there now, I always use Dia-Compe....
Rims - same as brakes... I still have original Mongoose Pro-Class as well as a set of Weinmans. Used Araya and Ukai too but dunno if they are still made anymore... All were 36 spoke that I built myself.

What did I ride...
20"
Original Mongoose with Motomags or SkyWay tuffwheels
Original Mongoose SuperGoose
Mongoose Pro-Class
Torker (Very briefly as in one race)
Patterson borrowed one for a couple races to try it
SE Racing PK-Ripper borrowed one for a couple races to try it
Hutch Pro Racer - 4 seasons
Cycle Craft Pro-XL custom built to my specs (Wish I remember them but they were close to that of the 1982 Hutch Pro Racer (Hutch changed the geometry in 1983 and it really altered the way it handled)

Cruiser - Profile...