dynikus

Hi, I've been riding road bikes for about 2-3 years now, and been skating for longer. I've always wanted to try out bmx, but I never had the cash for a decent bike.
I don't really know the first thing when it comes to bmx though, except general bike knowledge. Would somehting like this be good to start out on?
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv...283172176.html
I mainly want to do tricks, and a bit of dirt jumping.
If not this, can anyone give some suggestions of entry level stuff that won't break the bank? I've been spending quite a bit lately on bike stuff (about $1200 last month) and don't want to spend too terribly much. I'd say $200 at the very most.

Oh, and I'm 5'10-5'11, 170 lbs.

Street rider

Since you have knowledge about bikes, you know its hard to get something decent for that small amount of money. That CL bike looks a bit older. So it would probably be on the heavy side. It would be ok to start on, but you shouldn't expect it to last very long.

dynikus

Yeah, I know it's pretty rare to get something decent for cheap. but I'm fine with something older. I'm just looking for something to try out, kind of test the waters before I dive in a get a nicer bike. By last long, do you mean it physically wouldn't, or I'd just outgrow it skill-wise relatively soon?

Edit: it looks like a 2003 redline supa x, judging by the pics on bikepedia. https://www.bikepedia.com/QUICKBIKE/B...e#.UFuwSY1lQzI

Street rider

I mean it physically might not last. If its old, and being a BMX bike which was probably thrown around and abused, its not going to be as strong as it once was. Its different than buying something like a c&v road bike, which was most likely taken care of, or at least not ridden as hard.

dynikus

oh okay
well it should last long enough for me to atleast get a feel for bmx though, right? depending on how much it's been used and abused of course. I'll definitely look it over pretty good tomorrow.

Street rider

Sounds good man. And when you decide to upgrade, come on back and we can talk turkey.

CsHoSi

My brother recently got a lightly-used 2012 Specialized P.20 AM off craigslist in HI for $275.

He said the dood ate it first time on some dirt jumps and didn't want to ride it anymore.

I looked at that bike and for $100 it might be worth it to start out with. The person has a bike stand so maybe they have maintained it too. Check the crank for play, frame for hairline cracks etc.

dynikus

I ended up getting it. It needs some new grips, and some stunt pegs, but other than that it's pretty good. As was expected, it's pretty heavy at (on my bathroom scale which isn't so accurate) about 33 pounds. While learning to wheelie I kinda ate ****. Which would have been fine, but I had a half century charity ride the next day. I still did it, but it was a bit painful. Any advice for places to go to learn basic tricks? flatland, grinds, etc etc? And also suggestions for somewhere other than asphalt that's plausible to practice on so in case I do bail, I don't get too hurt? I'm still trying to teach myself to fall properly and not catch myself with my hands. The parks near me all have too tall of grass to really ride on and go fast enough to practice.

Street rider

Just stick to the pavement. Forces the learning curve a bit faster. And what size are the rear axles? If they're 3/8, they'll go pretty quick when learning grinds.

CsHoSi

Glad to hear you got a BMX to ride, sorry about the fall.

You could maybe ride to empty tennis courts and practice flatland, they're usually a softer surface like a running track. But really it's not the falls that get me flatland, it's the bike. When I want to practice flatland I just do it in front of the house or a parking lot I'm riding through.

Don't be afraid to wear pads. I'm too old now to get all bruised up. My square stem is not fun to hit with my knees. Pedals and pegs aren't nice to the shins, calves or ankles either.

Skate parks with wooden ramps might have a little more give than concrete. First time I went to this skate park I wore a full face helmet and my complete Rockgardn armor, a skate boarder remarked, "Why even bother?" Well, because I'm a noob and I had to be able to go to work the next day! First time I tried to drop into a 6' concrete bowl I skidded down on my shoulder without pads, it didn't do much for my confidence.

The skate parks in every town around here have a policy of no bikes. Of course the kids scratch it out on the sign and you usually see them there. I went that first time and there were half a dozen kids riding bikes in the evening. I went back during the day to practice without an audience and had a park maintenance guy threaten to call the cops and get a ticket if I didn't leave. He said my "standing bars" would poke a hole in the wooden ramps.

Now, I'm not up on all the lingo but I do manuals on the BMX. I think wheelies are under power from the drivetrain to get up, whereas a manual is your weight leveraging the bike. I started out covering the rear brake but that caused me not to come straight up. So I learned to grip both bars evenly and pump my butt to maintain balance. If I go too far back I'm ready to jump off the pedals and hit the ground running. Much easier to do on the BMX.

Oh, and I think you're supposed to wax concrete ledges before grinding on them! I saw a ledge I couldn't resist trying my first grind on, and well, the bike stopped very quickly and I kept going!

Have fun and be safe!