weedman

Ok, this may be crazy, but here goes:

My family will be moving soon to a town where it makes sense for me to sell my car and ride a bike--I'll be in grad school, will live close to campus, and work on campus, so we're not talking much more than a few miles every day, plus whatever for fun on the weekends. I'm not currently into cycling at all, but would like to be soon.

As a grad student family, funds are tight. I do, however, have access to my old school bmx from back in the day--a decent size 24" that was too big for me as a kid, but probably not too small now. (I'm an average sized guy).

As a kid, of course, I rode that thing all around everywhere, and I see that folks are getting more into single gear bikes anyway.
So, my question is, has anyone ever outfitted a bmx as a commuter? It wouldn't need much, since it'd be a short commute, and occasional trips to the store, etc. But is it possible to find a rack that would fit on a bmx? What else would it need to be traffic safe?

I know that these questions are not different from other newbie ?s, but I thought I'd ask separately. And you gotta admit, the thought of tooling around on the same bike I did way back when sounds too good.

Thanks!

ryang

I had lights , a siren, wedge, and a hefty U Lock all mounted to my Dyno Compe. I could do 10+ miles in one day but my neck and butt were killing me. I found myself on the pegs stretching alot.

A few miles sounds painfull after a week or 2. You can always find bikes under $100, sometimes the older the better.

Noif666

My fiance rode his bmx to commute to work for a while. He rode about 30km round trip (approx 18.6 mi).
It wasn't a big problem for him, he is about 5'11" and rode a 20" wheel bmx...the only difference it made to him was his thighs, they were massive!!!
If you don't need to carry much (say, enough to fit in a backpack), you should be fine. Besides which, this way you'll save money by not having to buy a new bike

randya

I've been doing a six mile round-trip commute on a Raleigh Chopper for the past two months, no problem. I can keep up with most big bikes, the SA three speed helps a lot there. The bike is 20" X 16" w/ an extended seatpost, I'm 6'2". All you need is lights, some reflective tape and maybe some fenders or rain gear. A rack would be nice but IMO not essential. I see a fair number of people on BMX bikes everyday and some ZooBombers I know ride their minis everywhere, so it's not unheard of, although most commuters do ride big bikes.

andygates

You can commute on anything as long as you enjoy riding it. Use a messenger bag if it won't take a rack.

cog_nate 

I agree with andygates; ride whatever, as long as it works and you enjoy it.

That being said, I think you'll have some options. I live in a college town, too, and there are always decent, functional bikes being sold in thrift stores or through classified ads. Also, check out Freecycle to see if your town is listed. If so, you could put out a request for a fixer-upper.

If you do pimp out your BMX, post pictures!

SpiderMike

I have a circa 1985 24" Cruiser in my stable of bikes. I have used it for commute, short ones. I have 3M reflective tape on the frame, a cateye rear light, and my old school set of checkered pads. It broke up the monotony of my ride. Changed out the old skyway mags for some "bulletproof" custom wheelset. I run Kenda K-rads 24X2.3's and talk about smooooooooth.

Yeah it can wear on your body, but it can take you back to when "life was simpler".

kf5nd

fine for a short commute, why not? break the mold

neoz

I am a high school teacher and some of my students commute on BMX's. Looks uncomfortable for more than a few miles.

rykoala

Last year I was on my way to work and there was a guy commuting to work on a bmx bike. Looked quite uncomfortable but he was cruising at about 16mph, only a tad slower than me at the time. He said he had 9mi to go to get to work. I couldn't imagine doing that. But if its all ya got, and you don't mind....

dee-vee

I always see rather large kids ridding those tiny bmx bikes around town and it makes me laugh. They are usually going down the wrong side of the street too.

ghettocruiser

Rode a BMX for years as a commuter. Do your knees a favor and stand on the pedals a lot. Only sit on downhills and slow cruises.

SpokesInMyPoop

I used to commute to my old job on a bmx. It was only 4 miles each way, and the path had a nicely inclined hill. My legs were probably buffer then than now... which is why I'm toying with the idea of turning my open road bike into a fixed/ss (flip-flop hub). Hmm... *thinks about it*

So yes, commuting on a BMX is not bad at all Although I wouldn't do it now, since I ride about 18-25 miles a day.

weedman

Hey everybody--

Thanks for the good words, both in favor and otherwise. It is helpful.

Turns out my folks sold my old schwinn predator, which I think was only 20" anyway, but I got my hands on an old gt/dyno ditty that I won't mind messing around with.

Those of you with experience on bmx's, are there any sure-fire ways to track down a rack, lights, etc., that will fit the bike? This is getting fun to think about, becuase I didn't realize that old school bmx was such a sub-culture of its own, so it might be fun to pimp one out as a commuter. And, since its a short ride (for now) that I'm looking at, speed is not such an issue. Plus, I'm only 5'7", so as a little guy I should be fine on a little bike. Anyway, this should work for now, until I can save up and justify dropping a little money on something more serious.

Thanks!

dedhed

You should be able to find a rack for it. We have a couple 20" from the kids younger days with trek racks on them. I put a rack on our trek 20" tag along just a couple weeks ago. that one I had to drill and tap mounting holes on the rear dropout as it didn't have any. I measured the distance from the rear axle to clearing the rear tire and came up with a distance of 11" +/- that i needed for the rack legs. Took a tape to the bike shop and measured up all the racks till I found the shortest one and it worked great. I have also shortened up rack legs by sawing off the legs shorter, pounding a flat spot with a BFH, and drilling new holes. Lights shouldn't be an issue as most mount on the handlebar. If something is too small of diameter you can usually shim it fatter with tape or a piece of slit hose.

SpiderMike

I don't own a rack system. I use my Timbuk2 messenger bag. I have a SL-LD100 https://www.cateye.com/en/products/vi...d=7&subCatId=4 that I hang off the seat rail. I plan on adding one more for the other rail. As for the head light my cygo lite works well. I have the frame mount battery, so no stress on needing a bottle cage. As for shimming the handlebar mount, I had tried some electric tape at first. Gave out quickly. I am cut a section of old tube, and it works well.

seely

I commute on my Specialized P.1 regularly. Its basically a 26" wheeled BMX bike. I like to ride the walls and stairs on campus, so it makes sense to take that bike and then have a quick huck session after class. Its not fast, the riding position sucks, but its doable, and my quads are going to be massive after a few months!

Grunk

I've ridden BMX for 8 years. I couldn't imagine commuting on one. Get yourself a $25 80's road bike and re-grease it. No bunnyhopping up curbs, but much nicer to commute on. If you want to spend a little money, make it a single speed.