BMXBUYING GUIDE! - Evans Cycles

BMX BUYING
GUIDE!
BMX SPECIAL www.evanscycles.com
Buying BMX Bikes || Bike Sizing || What To Look For || A Buyers Checklist

BMX BUYING
GUIDE!
Welcome to the
Evans BMX bike
buying guide, we
put this together
to get you started out on the
right bike from the word go.
BMX is a versatile sport and
when starting out most bikes
can be used for all styles of
riding. This gives the rider a
great chance to experience the
full spectrum of BMX. After
more experience most riders
will then tend to ride one style
and their bike will reflect this.
To start with though you need to
know the basics, so read on and
you’re one step closer to getting
out and shredding on your new
ride!
Sizing
Sizing up a BMX works a little different to a
normal bike, young, tall, small, fat and old could
all ride exactly the same bike with no worries
at all! There are differences though, the most
obvious of these being the wheel size. There
are 3 main sizes, 16”, 18” and 20”. The majority
of our sales are made up of 20” wheel model’s,
and kids from as young as 11 can ride these
confidently as well as 25 year old professionals
competing in events all over the world.
The bikes are equipped with different sized
components though, and parts such as the
frame, bars and cranks all vary in size on
every model. More commonly than often,
the more expensive the bike the larger the
components will be, just because you are older
though does not mean you want to spend more
money, so we carry bikes such as the Verde
Vex XL and Kink Gap XL which come with a
longer frames to accommodate the taller rider
that won’t break the bank. For the younger
smaller riders though, 16” and 18” wheel
bikes are ideal for getting them started in the
parks. Still coming equipped with everything
a larger model would come with including
gyro’s and pegs, these bikes are tough pieces
of kit, much tougher than a normal kid’s bike!
For a rough guide as to what size bike you
should be looking at, refer to the table below to
point you in the right direction.
Rider Age or Height
Wheel Size
Feet and Inches Centimetres Age Inches
3’ 7” - 4’ 0” 110 - 122 5 - 7 years 16
4’ 0” - 4’ 10” 122 - 147 7 - 11 years 18
4’ 10” - 6’ 4” 147 - 193 11+ years 20
02 BMX special www.evanscycles.com / 01293 574 900

BMX BUYERS GUIDE!
BMX Bike Types
BMX can be broken down into
4 or 5 main disciplines, each
comes with its own unique take
on riding as well as its own style
and trends. There are plenty more but we
will take you through the 4 most popular
forms. This not to say you need to chose
what sort of rider you want to be, but there
are bikes that have been designed with
certain styles in mind, most riders style is
often dictated by the area that they live,
if you’re lucky enough to have a decent
skatepark to ride than it’s more than likely
that you will hone your skills as a park
rider. Each style has its own appeal, so have
a read on and see what it’s all about.
Street
Park
Race
Dirt
Street riding is all about
getting creative, whether
you’re grinding a rail or
jumping big gaps and
drops, it’s about how each
rider sees a spot, there’s
no wrong or right way to
ride street. Set-ups of bikes
vary a lot, but generally
big volume tyres help
soften big drops, and 4
pegs gives you plenty
of options when hitting
rails and ledges. More
common than often street
riders will ride with a no
brake set-up, it’s the most
simple, low maintenance
way to ride, and a lot
of companies are now
producing bikes and
frames with this built in
mind.
Park BMXs are the most
popular type of BMX we
sell. They’re designed for
use down at the local skate
park and come set up so
you can ride all types of
ramp. Generally set up
with a gyro that allows you
to spin the bars or bike
without worrying about
the cables tangling, and
a set of pegs for doing
lip tricks on quarters
and park rails. Park still
has plenty of styles and
trends within itself, and
every type of rider can be
found at the park at some
point, be it a brakeless
guy grinding the ledges to
the guy floating 6 foot airs
above a quarter, just like
street there are no rules,
and every rider will have
their own take on how they
ride the park.
Not to common at the
moment, but is likely to
get more popular with
the Olympics coming
to town. Race bikes are
light, fast and have larger
gearing for getting the
extra speed needed to take
home the win. Unlike the
other forms of BMX, lighter
materials can be used to
make these bikes as they
are put under a lot less
stress. They do not need
Gyros or pegs and are
generally not compatible
with these if you were
looking to use the bike for
other styles.
Dirt riding in the UK is
pretty tough, you need
to put the time in winter
digging and shaping the
jumps, and then wait
patiently for the summer
months to roll in! When
they are up and running
though it’s brilliant, jumps
can vary from straight
lines to practise tricks
on to a softer landing, to
winding trails with berms
and hips for flowing and
cruising through. Dirt
bikes don’t need pegs so
won’t often come with
them, and only a single
rear brake is necessary,
a larger volume knobby
front tyre for grip up front
and big wide bars for more
control and style.
‘You’re one step closer to getting out and
shredding on your new ride!’

BMX BUYING
GUIDE!
BMX Bike Parts
Bby now you should
have a price and style
in mind. These are
the things that make
BMX bikes tough, light and able
to take all the abuse that they
will be put through. Below is
our run down of parts and terms
that will help you pick out the
right bike for you, this should
give you a better understanding
of what strange specs that
appear in our descriptions!
Bottom Bracket
There are 4 types of bottom bracket,
US bb’s can be found on entry level
bikes, they are the biggest and
heaviest of them all, Euro BB’s are
fairly uncommon and Spanish BB’s do
occasionally pop up. The most common
are Mid BB’s that fit neatly into frames
that take this option.
Headset
Entry level bikes come with a standard
external headset while higher end
bikes now come with lightweight
internal headsets. These are easy to fit
and give the bike a clean simple look.
Again look out for sealed headsets that
will last longer and give a smoother feel
to the steering.
Frame
Look out for Chromoly tubing, or
cr-mo as it is sometime referred to,
this is a lighter material than cheaper
Hi-ten steel. Internal headsets and
Mid size BB’s are the most common in
aftermarket parts, so bikes complete
with these are worth spending the
money on.
Bars
the taller and wider the better, which
for a 16yr old plus rider is fine, but for
the smaller guys out there you don’t
need the larger bars. smaller guys 7.75”
rise bars are a great start, and most
companies will bear this in mind when
spec-ing a bike, taller guys need to
watch out for 8” and above.
Seat
Three types of seat, railed, Pivotal
and integrated one piece seat/post
combo’s. The most common of these is
the Pivotal design and one of the most
common things to be upgraded or
changed on a bike. Pivotal seats need
to be run on a Pivotal post, so worth
looking out for these on bikes that
come fitted with them.
Gyro
A Gyro is a device that allows you to
run a rear brake and spin the bars
as much as you want. These require
special cables and can sometimes be a
little difficult to set up, but they make
a huge difference if you want to learn
tricks such as barspins and taiwhips.
02 BMX special www.evanscycles.com / 01293 574 900

BMX BUYERS GUIDE!
Brakes
Companies know that only a small
amount of riders keep the front brake
on, and will supply a cheap basic
version to keep costs down. If you want
to run a front brake it is worth buying
an aftermarket brake to fit separately.
Tyres
Big volume tyres are designed for street
use and knobby tyres on the front are
more suited to dirt riding. Kevlar bead
tyres, or folding versions are not so
common on complete bikes, but these
are much lighter and more expensive.
Wheels
Entry level bikes will come cheaper
single wall rims and 48 spoke hubs
which are heavy and much easier to
bend, more expensive bikes will use
better quality double walled rims with
36 spoke hubs.
Pedals
Plastic pedals are cheap and easy to
replace, they are lighter than most
metal pedals, although a decent set
of alloy pedals can be just as light, as
well as lasting a lot longer. Remember,
plastic pedals can break, they are
obviously not a long lasting product.
Cassette Hubs
Rears are available as either a cassette
or freewheel option. Cassette wheels
are usually found on bikes £250 and
above, these are the most compatible
with aftermarket parts and will last
longer. Look out for sealed versions that
add even more quality and longevity to
the wheel.
Sproket
If your bike comes fitted with a 30t or
bigger sprocket, you need to be careful
when replacing so you don’t end up
with a gear that has you pedalling like
mad to get anywhere. Common gear
ratios for front to rear are 25-9, 28-10,
30- 11 and 36-12.
Forks
Forks, like frames are getting lighter
and stronger. Available in both 10mm
and 14mm options with different
models able to accept pegs. Like bars,
forks are availible in heat treated
options but are more expensive,
although they are stronger and will last
longer.
Crank
The cranks are central to you drive
chain, the sprocket, pedals and chain
are all worked from here so they need
to be strong. It is worth looking at bikes
complete with a 3 piece design, these
are much stronger and easier to fit.
Conclusion
All of the above parts are
available as spares to either
replace or upgrade, but
spending time to find the
bike with the right level of kit for you
will save you time and money in the
long run. Sometimes though, you
might just fancy a change of colour or
style in which case its always great to
customize your bike to just how you
like it. We carry all of these in our
shops and site so all you got to say is
Evans BMX….PIMP MY RIDE!Read
more: How to Customize Your Own
BMX Bike | eHow.com http://www.
ehow.com/how_6459890_customizeown-bmx-bike.html#ixzz123xr642U

BMX BUYING
GUIDE!
BMX Bike Accessories
‘It only takes one crash,
get a lid and stay safe!’......
Getting the bike is just the start,
BMX is a lifestyle and not just
a sport, keeping up to date with
the latest tricks, trends and big
events is all part of the fun. Staying safe is
all part of it to, and while a lot of footage
online will often show riders not wearing
a lid, it’s vital you do. Stephen Murray, Van
Homan, Mike Aitken and more recently
Niki Croft are just few of the big time
riders who have been hospitalised with
head injuries and will hopefully hammer
home the importance of wearing one!
Helmets
The most common style of BMX lid is the open face design,
these are light and actually look good when wearing them.
If you plan on hitting the vert ramps, then a full face is the
safer option. Most indoor parks make it compulsory to wear
one so get used to them and stay safe!
Padded Protection
Your knees, shins, ankles and elbows are about to get some
serious abuse, so it’s worth padding up. For whips shin and
knee pads are a must. Ankle braces and supports are also
worth investing in, if you have ever rolled your ankle you
will know what I am going on about!
Gloves
If you’re out for a long ride your hands can soon get pretty
sore and very sweaty making it hard to hold on to the grips.
Gloves add that extra bit of protection and grip so it’s
always worth having a set of gloves in your bag, especially
on those cold winter sessions!
DVD / Books
There are some really amazing productions being released
though, and nothing better than sticking on your favourite
riders sections before a session to get you in the mood to go
out and shred all day!
02 BMX special www.evanscycles.com / 01293 574 900

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on price for any item we stock. If
you see it cheaper elsewhere we’ll
match the price, and if you find it
cheaper within 7 days of purchase
we’ll refund the difference! Contact
our sales team or bring details of
the offer in-store.
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