Discover the Important Aspects of BMX Frames
If you feel like you’ve outgrown your BMX beginner bike, and are considering getting a new one, then you might want to consider actually building your own BMX bike that will suit your specific riding style. This doesn’t mean you have to start from scratch, as you can use your first BMX as a donor bike and simply customise and upgrade the essential parts like the frame.
So your first step is to look for BMX frames for sale. When looking for BMX frames for sale, you’ll come across frames built from different types of material, and the one that’s right for you will depend on your specific riding style.
For instance, freestyle BMX bikes are typically made from Chromoly 4130, which is an alloyed steel that has extremely high strength properties when compared to typical steels found on department store and lower end bikes. Chromoly can be “butted”, which means it can be made thinner and lighter in the middle of the tubing, while having its ends and joints reinforced for extra strength.
Aluminium is also a popular material of choice for BMX racing bikes, simply because it’s extremely lightweight. So if you’re serious about racing and want to get a slight advantage in your races, then aluminium might be right for you. However, if you’re not on a limited budget, you can opt for carbon fibre, which have become extremely popular among elite BMX races due to the fact that it’s even more lightweight than aluminium, and it features vibration dampening properties that aren’t found in aluminium.
Besides the material they’re made from, the size of the frames is of significant importance as well. Freestyle bikes are ridden by basically everyone, so even though the wheel size may stay the same, the frame size can be different in order to fit the height and riding style of the rider. Most freestyle frames feature a 21 inch top tube so that the rider has enough room to swirl the bike underneath them when performing airborne tricks.
Flatland frames, on the other hand, are usually lighter and feature a shorter tubing all around for improved control and balance. They also have 3/8 inches dropouts and a steeper head angle for smaller rear axles. Lastly, race bikes have a longer wheelbase and a slacker head angle to put the rider further back on the BMX, which translates in improved handling and stability at high speeds. Race frame sizes typically come in a wider range, so that they can suit the rider age spear that’s typical for BMX races.