Cycling motocross or BMX is a fairly popular cycling sport that is increasingly being taken up by young people. And the most pressing question for beginners is the choice of the bike itself.
BMX bicycles can be divided into 3 price categories: up to 10,000 rubles, up to 20,000 and more than 20,000 rubles. Inexpensive beginner bmx bikes are not of good quality. It is assumed that the owner will replace low-quality parts with more expensive counterparts during operation. In order not to be mistaken with your choice, get a bike in the middle price category. The choice of novice athletes should be influenced primarily by the style of the intended skiing. There are 2 types of bikes for extreme riding: flatland bikes and bikes for destinations such as bmx-dirt, bmx-street and bmx-vert.
You also need to decide on the right frame size, suitable for height. When choosing, also pay special attention to the wheels. If stability is important to your bike, choose wheels with 48 spokes and a 14 mm axle, but if the priority is high speed and a lot of street tricks, the less durable option is suitable: 36 spokes, axle - 10 mm.
Also, do not forget to inquire about the type of bearings in the hubs on the bicycle wheels, in the bottom bracket and in the head tube. Inexpensive models have open ball bearings that break quite often. Therefore, it is worth giving preference to more expensive analogs - industrial sealed bearings, which are many times more reliable than simple ball bearings.
Also consider the rims and their structure when choosing. The most viable option is choosing a bike with double rims. This information can be obtained either from the sellers or in the official documentation. A single rim is not suitable for a beginner, as it will collapse due to the athlete's inexperience and constant falls. Also inquire about the rim seam. There are welded and riveted. It is not so difficult to distinguish them. A riveted seam is always visible on the rim as opposed to a welded seam. It is assumed that the weld is stronger, but this is not so important.
Also, when considering a bicycle wheel, keep in mind that a cassette hub with driver is much preferred over a ratchet. Cassette hubs are more reliable and allow for a smaller rear sprocket. Pay attention when buying a bmx bike and its weight. The lighter the bike, the easier it is for a beginner to learn to ride it. The most suitable bmx for beginners is the one in which the gear ratio lies in the range from 2, 8 to 3, 2. You can calculate it yourself, for which simply divide the number of teeth of the central sprocket by the number of teeth of the rear. If the coefficient is very small, the pedals spin very easily, which will make it very difficult for the athlete to gain speed. Therefore, for the optimal gear ratio, it is advisable to purchase wheels with cassette hubs, which will positively affect the weight due to the small size of the sprockets.
Another important element in a bmx bike is the crankset system on which the pedals are mounted. Connecting rod systems are available with one, two and three elements. When choosing a bike, you should not consider single-element ones due to their unreliability. For a beginner, you need to choose a bike with a three-piece crankset. Such a system is ideal for the beginner athlete, and it is also quite easy to maintain.
