bassinboy

hey all, i just joined the forums, my name is jared, i'm almost 15, i have been biking all my life and want to start getting serious instead of using wal-mart crap that breaks all to easy.


anyways, i have the need for speed, i love riding downhill on rocky-bumpy surfaces but not many good places to ride around here so i want to try flatland.

first off, what kind of shoes should i get? i need something that wont tear up when i skateboard.

now for a bike.. i need something thats useable, but cheap. basicly i need a suggestion for a begginers bike.


thanks guys

Flatland Freak

As for shoes...anything that has a flat bottom will do, but make sure the rubber is going to be flexible so it can move like your foot, i would suggest something with a Gum Rubber sole. The gum rubber is sort of sticky and very flexible, but it does wear out kinda fast.

As for a bike. If your just beggining then a Wal-Mart bike might be exactly what you need, Yes I know they are pieces of crap, but until you really feel like you want to stick with the whole flatland scene, i would suggest learning a few things on them first. Dont get discouraged if its hard to learn on one of these cuz they are heavy, and they just dont work good, but once you feel comfortable with the sport, Try checking out FlatlandFuel.com and looking at a "Titus Flatliner" by KHE. It goes for around $300, but its actually a very nice bike. I'm using one right now (I've upgraded all of the components), but it is an excellent bike for a very affordable price.

I hope I could be of some help...an more Q's just ask and I'll try to check back here as often as I can.

bassinboy

thanks for the help... but i had my eyes on this bike: https://bikebarn.com/site/itemdetails...=39&sort=Price

and i've gone through quite a few walmart bikes, including trashing my brother's and all my friend's

Flatland Freak

Ummm...You want to ride flatland right??? That bike is meant for dirt. Its got v-brakes in the rear and caliper breaks in the front...your not gonna want either of these starting out in flatland. Youll want U-brakes front and rear. V-brakes will stop you too fast and you wont be able to feather them much at all, and caliper breaks, (most of them) Just dont work for beans. plus the demensions arent very suited to the sport. it has a very long top tube. (21") which is very long and would be hard to manuever at your age. You would want something around 19". The frame is also made out of steel, this is very heavy and not very strong. The sprocket is too big also...this isnt a real important feature, but being so young your gonna want a small sprocket (around 32T) so it will be easier for you to come out of a trick and ride away, even being older this is a big help, otherwise youll be struggling with all your weight to pull off and ride out. And the last big thing i noticed is the tires. they are made for dirt!!...very knobby, definatly not something you want to be scuffing or squeaking on. they wont roll very smooth either.

Im not trying to make you buy a bike I like, but your not gonna want a bike made for dirt, if your gonna be riding flatland.

bassinboy

thx for the input, i knew that bike wasn't going to cut it, lol, anyways, what about this: https://bikebarn.com/site/itemdetails...=39&sort=Price

well, i basicly want a bike i can do everything with, ya, its not possible, but o well, i love mountan biking over rocks, the bad thing is that i bend rims real easy, i also love dirt jumping, not the major kind, but just small stuff.

i'm going to have to go with a bike thats 200 or less(even know its still going to take 6 months to save up for it)

well, can i buy some used weels and brakes and switch them out when i want to?


thx again!!! and Merry Christmas!



oh ya, as for shoes, i'm on an extremely tight bugget, and i need some school shoes, so i'm just going to buy some bike shoes and use them for school to, so that way i dont have to bring my duct-taped stake shoes anymore

Flatland Freak

Ok definatly a little better than your last choice. It does have the U-brakes front and rear, cheap as they are, they should still work alright. Make sure it comes with pegs too though. A few problems may still arise with the weight, length of the frame, and the large sprocket. But if you are determined enough you may be able to still learn a few things on this though. You CAN upgrade the brakes and other components later if you want, but i would just save up for another bike more suited to flatland while you're riding this one, instead of ugrading it. Just ride on that one and stick with the original parts untill you can afford a better one. If you do end up getting good at flatland, you're also gonna definatly want to invest in a Freecoaster. It is much like a freewheel, but for tricks that require you to roll backwards, it wont let the cranks spin backwards with the wheels and get in the way. VERY nice thing to have! I learned all of my first tricks on a street frame too, so its not impossible, just really hard.

yeah I know what you are talking about with the shoes, i do the same thing with mine, i have one pair i use to ride and for school. i beat them up really bad though, scuffing and squeaking really wears down the bottoms of em fast.

IF YOU WANT!! I am selling a bike right now and i will sell it to you for $200. Its a hell of a deal and a hell of a bike. It's Matt Hoffmans Signature bike the CONDOR It has Dia-Compe 990 U-brakes Front and rear, 14mm rear axle, Primo signature grips, Lump bar ends, Odyssey 99er seat, Odyssey Intac seat post, SST Vert Complete Oryg, and Dave Mirra Signature handlebars. Just let me know.