A Beginners Guide to Buying a BMX or Mountain Bike

It seems like an easy thing to do, just go down to Toys-R-Us or Halfords or any other superstore, look which bike catches the eye, and looks like a bargain, then go buy it, job done! The big problem is that nowadays stores and discount bike shops tend to sell mass produced bikes, or “buy now pay later” bikes These bikes might cost less than £120 and come with gyros and/or full suspension, bright colours, and a lot of shiny bits on them. They are made to look nice and can be very tempting. These bikes will not last long if they are used regularly, especially if they are used for racing, jumping, or off-road. After just a small amount of riding, this bargain shiny bike will start to fall to pieces, leaving you with a cheap bag of bits, or a dangerous bike that is gonna cause some accident at the track/park/trails. The advertising and in-store promotions can also be rather misleading. You will notice adverts and displays displaying “Big discount Clearance Mega deal”. Essentially, discount stores and toy shops sell lots of toy bikes. Trying to work out whether any of their bikes are suitable for serious use is very difficult.

So what to do? You desperately want a new BMX or MTB, your mates have got them, the people on extreme TV have them and the guys at the local track/park/trails all have these bikes too. The hardest part is resisting the temptation to go and get a cheap bike as described above, the bike WILL be cheap, the gyro WILL probably break first, or maybe the cables, or gears, whatever, it aint gonna last. The best thing to do is wait, save up some more money and go to a good bike shop, or use the Internet for the best deals from reputable dealers online. Find out as much as you can by reading the magazines - but be warned - they are designed to entice you to spend more than you intended. Magazines are all about advertising.

Overview of BMX and Mountain bikes

There are three main types of BMX.

BMX Race

  • A dirt-ready quick-handling, race-worthy, rugged bike
  • Knobby tires, lightweight frame and parts, strong rear brake
  • Everything from around-town riding to short off-road rides to full-on dirt-track BMX racing

    • Freestyle

  • A super-sturdy stunt and trick bike
  • Ultra-beefy frame and wheels, pavement-ready tires, cable-detangling gyro headset, axle pegs
  • Riding at skateparks, learning and performing stunts and tricks

    • Jump

  • Sometimes called a Dirt Jumper, these are essentially a fusion of BMX and freestyle bikes
  • Sturdy frame and wheels, rear brake, knobby tires
  • Carving local trails, jumping ramps in your friend's back yard

    • BMX Race Bikes

    True BMX bikes started it all, back in the late sixties in the USA. They were knock-offs of motocross motorcycles and were designed for racing over jumps and around berms in the dirt. Pretty soon kids everywhere had them, racers or not. Proper BMX race bikes are no longer the most common type of BMX, due to the popularity of freestyle BMX bikes. Most race bikes have 20-inch wheels (24-inch-wheel "cruisers" are the exception), knobby tires, upright handlebars with crossbars, small saddles, long cranks and rear hand brakes. The frames are light and sturdy, and the higher the price, the lighter these bikes get. BMX bikes are generally made of reliable chromoly steel or aluminum. Chromoly frames are a bit heavier but more robust and more economical. Aluminum frames are lighter and are often made of oversize or exotically shaped tubing. Besides weighing less, aluminum is also rustproof. So, if the frame gets scratched, there's no need to rush to touch it up. There is less to go wrong on BMX race bikes than other bike (except a uni-cycle) because they have no gears, no gyro, and usually only one brake which is usually the rear brake. Proper BMX race bikes come in a range of sizes. The table below gives a guide to BMX race bike sizes, but every manufacturer will vary slightly, so always check a bike for size before purchase.
    Rider Frame Top Tube Stem
    Height Size Length Length
    under 4' Micro-mini 15"-16" Mini
    4'-4'6" Mini 16"-17" Mini-Mini XL
    4'4"-5'" Junior 17"-18.5" Mini XL-Pro
    4'10"-5'6" Expert 18.5"-19.5" Pro
    5'4"-5'10" Pro 19.5"-20.5" Pro-Pro XL
    5'10 & over Pro XL 20.5" & over Pro XL-Pro XXL
    The smaller bikes also come with narrow wheels and tyres which make it easier for little legs. Outlets worth checking out for race bikes are
  • MAW Racing who sell a range of good value bikes.
  • The Long Eaton Cycle Centre also sell a range of good value Haro race bikes and offer Bulwell Outlaws club members a 10% discount.
  • Decathlon also sell entry-level BMX race bikes but they do not normally stock them in the stores, they have to ordered specially from France.
  • Alans BMX based in Wigan often have great deals. We bought the club bikes from Alans BMX.
  • Winstanleys BMX also sell BMX bikes.
    • It is possible to get a new BMX race bike for less than £200. There are often second-hand BMX race bikes for sale at Regional and National race meetings. www.bmxtalk.co.uk also has an active classifieds section. And it's always worth having a look on ebay

    Freestyle BMX

    These entered the scene shortly after BMX bikes and the shops are full of them. Rather than racing, the freestyle bike's ideal use is for flatland tricks, aggressive street riding and getting vertical at skateparks. On these models super-sturdy construction is a higher priority than light weight. The wheels are usually either "mag" wheels made of sturdy nylon, or heavy-duty models with 48 wire spokes. The tires are 20 x 2.125 or wider, with fairly smooth treads, because they're predominantly pavement pounders. Axle pegs are often included (riders stand on them for stunts), although some manufacturers leave them off to keep the price down. These pegs must be removed of you wish to race on your freestyle bike. Freestyle bikes come with front and rear brakes. The front cable is routed through a "rotor" or "detangler" known as a gyro, which allows the handlebars to be spun completely around without tangling the brake cable.

    Dirt Jumper BMX

    As the name implies, dirt jumpers are designed for taking flight from dirt mounds with an approach trail and landing area. These bikes bridge the gap between BMX bikes and freestylers (beefier than the former; lighter than the latter). They usually don't have front brakes and their brawny wheels normally feature 36 rugged 13-gauge spokes, rather than resorting to 48 spokes the way freestyle bikes do. The tires have the most tread of any of the BMX types

    Mountain Bikes

    A good ballpark figure for a beginners MTB is £300-600 for a MTB depending upon how old you are and how hard you will ride it. You can easily spend more, but first be certain that this is the sport for you. If your goal is big air, then you’ll need a strong frame and forks and hence the price goes up. If you’re serious about racing, especially cyclo-cross or cross-country, then you’ll want to keep the weight down and hence the price goes up. You should be looking for ideas and brand names from magazines but a visit to at least a couple of decent bike stores is highly recommended. You’ll need to decide the style of bike you want, whether it is a downhill, Cross-country, BSX/4X or Freeride MTB. The best thing to do is keep it simple - only choose rear suspension if you really need it and are prepared to pay a premium for it. Choose a bike that will get you to the shops and back without too much effort, and will cover all the types of riding you like to do. Decide what you really want the bike for and discuss it with a good bike shop such as Freewheel in Hockley, The Long Eaton Cycle Centre, or Leisure Lakes in Breaston.

    So some points to help:

    1. When deciding what type of bike to buy, spend some time thinking about what you want to do with your bike.

    2. You don’t spend a fortune on your first bike, but try not to buy too cheaply. Aim for a minimum of £150 for a BMX or £300 for a MTB, and get a quality named bike that suits your style. If you really intend to race then you’d be well advised to spend a bit more.

    3. Before visiting the bike shops, buy a bike magazine or two - to get a feel for what is available. There are too many brands of street/dirt BMX and mountain bikes to easily classify brands as "good" or "bad". Most manufacturers make a range of bikes, from cheap entry level bikes to expensive expert race bikes.

    However, Magazines won’t help much for BMX race bikes. There are fewer BMX race bike manufacturers and fewer outlets too, which makes it all quite easy. BMX Race bikes all tend to be of a sufficiently high quality for beginners, even the cheaper ones which should cost less than £250.

    4. Rather than decide upon a "top" brand, it is better to visit a "top" bike shop or two. They will listen to what type of riding you wish to do and how much you are able to spend. They will also make sure the bike fits correctly.

    5. Tip to getting the best deal: if you really know what you want, go onto the Internet around November time and look at the clearance bikes on websites like winstanleysbikes.co.uk or winstanleysbmx.co.uk or chainreactioncycles.com for MTB. There are some fantastic clearance stock deals to be bought as the shops move out the 2005 bikes to make room for next year’s stuff. However, you need to be sure the bike is the correct size.

    6. Ask someone who knows, often an adult who has been riding for a while, or go to your local track or trails and ask, most riders are good guys who want to help and like to see other people on good bikes too.
    7. good luck and enjoy your riding, save the pennies and if you don’t get what you want straight away, don’t worry, you can always dream about the next upgrade!

    Feel free to contact Phil Gray-Blest or Richard Camm if you need any further advice.