What's a BMX bike?
BMX bikes can be great fun and are often smaller and more robust than road and mountain bikes. BMX bikes are designed for either urban riding or pulling off stunts and tricks on the flat or on ramps at the skate park. Here's our guide to BMX bikes and some of the key features to look out for when choosing.
BMX stands for Bike Motocross. Taking cues from the big jumps seen on dirt bikes by the likes of Evel Knievel in the 70s, bike manufacturers decided to create lightweight bikes with smaller frames and wheels that would make it easier to jump over ramps or ride quickly over or around obstacles. BMX bikes are suitable for a wide variety of rides and surfaces, but mostly they're used for vert riding (getting big air off halfpipe ramps), freestyle riding, jumping over ramps and kickers, or even racing over dirt or urban courses.
BMX Key Features
BMX bikes look quite different from other bikes you'll see out there. The biggest differences are:
Frame
BMX frames are much smaller than mountain or road bike frames, and they're often chunkier. The important part here is that the frame is easier to move around, especially when doing impressive tricks on the flat or moving the bike around in the air on a big jump. However, as the frame needs to be able to handle more punishment on hard landings and when jumping over obstacles, thicker tubes and more durable build techniques mean that BMX bikes aren't necessarily lighter despite being smaller. Frame sizes tend to be 'one size fits all', but there are smaller frames for children who want to get in on the action.
Wheels and Tyres
BMX bikes also have smaller wheels to match the smaller frame. BMX riding is all about short bursts of speed on the flat or on the way to a ramp, rail or kicker, so smaller, slicker tyres that provide grip on smoother surfaces like concrete or polished wood mean you'll be able to go faster. You can however change out the tyres on your BMX for something with a bit more grip if you're going to be riding on loose surfaces, so keep an eye out for knobbly tyres with ridges if you're going to be going off-road. Our most popular wheel size is 20 inches, but you'll find smaller 16-inch wheels for kids all the way up to 24-inch wheels for nippier freestyle or urban rides.
Brakes and Gears
As BMX bikes are designed to be ridden on the flat and in short bursts, simple single-gear systems tend to be favoured by BMX riders, so you'll see these on all of the BMX bikes we sell. As well as allowing riders to build up enough speed to do things like jumps, single-gear systems require little maintenance.
Brakes are important on BMX bikes, as they'll help riders to stop in a hurry if a trick goes wrong or even do freestyle tricks where the front or back wheel needs to stay in place as the rider balances on it. Many BMX bikes use a standard V-Brake, with 'blocks' that squeeze against the sides of the tyres to create friction that slows the bike down, but you'll also find U-brakes that take up less space on the bike and offer more powerful braking. Many BMXs feature both front and back brakes, but some models that focus on trick riding may only have a back brake.
A huge difference you'll see on BMX bikes compared to normal braking systems is a gyro braking system. As the handlebars of the BMX often need to be rotated 360 degrees on certain tricks, the brake cable that goes from the handlebars to the brake itself needs to be much more flexible, as a standard cable would simply twist around the handlebar post and prevent the handlebars from turning. A gyro system uses a clever locking mechanism to allow the handlebars to rotate freely without the cable getting in the way.
BMX Bike Accessories
Kitting out a BMX with a few must-haves can allow riders to pull off more impressive tricks, or even just make riding safer.
If you're riding at night or even on dull afternoons, then a set of lights is a must-have. We'd recommend a Lezyne LED Lemto front and bike light kit, as they're light and easy to fit on any type of bike, plus they won't come off as easily on tricks and jumps.
For rail grinds and freestyle tricks, a pair of stunt pegs is an absolute must. Stunt pegs attach to the axle of the front or rear wheel (or both) and provide an extra bit of bike that riders can stand on or use to slide down rails. A pair of X-rated stunt pegs are easy to fit and are super cheap, perfect for riders who are just starting out.
For adventurous riders, 'wipeouts' (BMX speak for falling off) will happen frequently, so a helmet is an absolute must. For younger riders, a Harsh ABS Helmet is a great shout, with lightweight yet super-strong EPS foam offering additional protection.
To protect hands, knees and elbows, a set of pads is recommended if the plan is to hit the verts and ramps at a skatepark.