Folding BMX?
 

Hi all, I'm Jung and found this place questing for a multi-purpose bike.

Are there any folding BMX bikes?

I would get a Haro but the bike will stay in the trunk of my compact car as backup. The paratrooper bike looks good as a backup ride but I want something for flatlanding and grinding also. With that said, I would ride 45 miles round trip through the burbs and the city occasionally.

I'm 5'10" and a bit under 150lbs now that I've stopped working out. When I did lift, I weighed 165. I will probably weigh 165 again but am considering beefing up to 185 for macho reasons lol. I will have 20 pounds on me but want the option of carrying more.

Does such a bike exist?

If money is not a problem $500 or so will get one converted, www.sandsmachine.com. It is possible one of the dahons frames could support a BMX setup.

I've never seen a folding BMX. I am somewhat doubtful that you could make a folding frame strong enough for the punishment expected of a BMX rider.

Aren't BMX's small enough that you can pop off the front wheel and throw it in the trunk?

I would go with couplers on an actual BMX frame. Conventional folding frames aren't made to take the kind of stresses that can be put on a BMX frame,
Juan

I may be completely wrong, but I think you'll have a hard time convincing an authorized retrofitter to actually put S&S couplers on a BMX frame -- especially if you tell them you plan to grind with it. :D I'd think you'd slam the couplers constantly when grinding, and eventually screw them up.

I do not see any listed on the S&S site (http://www.sandsmachine.com/), in fact there are very few MTB's listed.

Also FYI, you can't retrofit aluminum, which I'd assume makes up most (but not all) BMX frames.

Have you seen PUMA bike discussed in THIS thread ? Not exactly BMX .. but a similar look.

Hello,

The Dahon single speed look convertable. They have a lengthy warranty on the frame too =)
Having a BMX handle bar, the Puma looks good too. How customizable are these bikes? Can I add BMX gryos?

A BMX bike can probably fit in my trunk if taken apart. I would have to take it out to go snowboarding though. I would need a lock and the pegs would be available to thieves when left unattended. Someone took 2 lug nuts from my car at an attended parking lot. The wheel almost fell off on the freeway.

Most BMX frames are made of chromoly - chromium-molybdenum steel (wiki). Adding couplers might be possible. Placing them near the gears is popular. I doubt that area is slammed often while grinding, otherwise the gears would get deformed. Unless the threads get deformed, the couplers would still unscrew if dinged.

I’d like to keep everything under $600, including accessories like helmet and pegs. I think I could retrofit it for $200 or less. Silver brazing might cost $45 to $60 per hour for labor. Materials costs should be minimal. SS BTCs are only sold to professional frame makers but a professional machine shop might be able to get them. Regular steel couplers on the cheap might also. SS couplers look expensive because they’re a specialty and propriety part. If retrofitting myself or finding a suitable folder fails, I’ll get two bikes instead =)

~jw

If you converted a 20" Dahon, you'd have to completely replace the handlepost; these are so flexy on the Dahons that even with basic road riding you can feel the flex. You'd snap it in no time. The frames are also rather flexy, and without the top tube, they will not provide the strength and stability you'd need for most tricks / flatlanding. (You might be able to grind if you replace the handlepost, but I'd lock down the frame hinge like nobody's business first.)

Any folding bike is going to take up significant trunk room; for example, the 20" Dahons fold down to 13" x 25" x 32". The Puma will probably take up the whole trunk. In fact, in terms of space a 20" folding bike will probably take up as much space as a BMX with the front wheel off. So no matter what, I'd think you are taking out the bike when the snowboard goes in.


As to couplers, if you aren't a professional framebuilder yourself, I would not DIY this project. This is not like swapping out handlebars or a BB, retrofits require a great deal of precision and rock-solid welds.

If you want couplers, your best plan is to find out which framebuilders in your area are on this list, give them a call, and tell them exactly what you want to do. If it can be done, they'll give you a quote. If it can't, they'll explain why with much more in-depth knowledge than what you can get on a web forum (or at least, from me. ;) )

Since this thread is 5th from the top in a Google search for "folding BMX" in less than 3 days, though, I'm going to say that folding BMX's do not currently exist, and are definitely not in mass production. ;)

Making one might be a fun project, but really I think you will be better off buying that Haro and a cheap-ass BMX as your backup instead.