41 and need some help deciding on type of bike

Id get this bike. The forks have brake mounts so just buy another lever cable and brake and 4 pegs. It will be good for the track and great for flatland

http://flatlandfuel.com/haromirrapro2018tributecompletebikepre-orderdeposit.aspx

You might want two different bikes. I love my Audio but I don't think it would be that great at flatland.

It's definitely gonna be a little harder to find a setup that'll work for two completely different styles, but you'll be able to pull it off one way or another.

If anything, I'd recommend getting a 20" rather than a 22" for the flatland aspect. While a 22" might be better suited for the track, it'll be very difficult for flatland riding while a 20" can do well on both.

I don't know how much flatland riding you've seen modern-day, but a couple guys now run more of a "typical" bike setup compared to a 100% dedicated flatland setup, and bikes like these can fare well on pretty much all forms of riding.

Take Matthias Dandois here, for example:

Matthias and others who ride a longer frame for flatland also happen to be taller. I'm a little jealous of the taller riders that can step across the bike without shifting their center of mass as much. A shorter frame can work for ramps and trails better than a longer bike would work for flat, again depending on rider height.

readybmxer wrote:

It's definitely gonna be a little harder to find a setup that'll work for two completely different styles, but you'll be able to pull it off one way or another.

If anything, I'd recommend getting a 20" rather than a 22" for the flatland aspect. While a 22" might be better suited for the track, it'll be very difficult for flatland riding while a 20" can do well on both.

I don't know how much flatland riding you've seen modern-day, but a couple guys now run more of a "typical" bike setup compared to a 100% dedicated flatland setup, and bikes like these can fare well on pretty much all forms of riding.

Take Matthias Dandois here, for example:

That might be the sickest flatland video I've ever seen! Thanks for sharing that!

readybmxer wrote:

It's definitely gonna be a little harder to find a setup that'll work for two completely different styles, but you'll be able to pull it off one way or another.

If anything, I'd recommend getting a 20" rather than a 22" for the flatland aspect. While a 22" might be better suited for the track, it'll be very difficult for flatland riding while a 20" can do well on both.

I don't know how much flatland riding you've seen modern-day, but a couple guys now run more of a "typical" bike setup compared to a 100% dedicated flatland setup, and bikes like these can fare well on pretty much all forms of riding.

Take Matthias Dandois here, for example:

Yes, I've become quite familiar with Matthias over the last few weeks as I've started looking into things, and that's exactly what led me to think about just going with a "typical" bike setup, but with more flatland oriented specs, i.e. steeper headtube angle, shorter crank arms, etc. But then I've also seen some of these flatland guys ripping it up on 24" cruisers, and thought maybe the 22" would be a good compromise and provide some additional stability for the dirt jumps, while still being maneuverable enough for flatland. Is the general consensus that flatland on a 22" is a lot more difficult? And if so, why? Is it because the larger tires make it harder to balance for tricks, or just because the bike is overall bigger and harder to maneuver?

Thanks for the input so far guys, really appreciate it.

I'm also 6' 185 (ok fine, I'm 190) and I have contemplated much of this same.. I see myself these days as a flatlander really but deep down inside I still want to ride ramps and dirt jumps, I just know with a family and a career I won't be the one out there pushing boundaries and going really hard - Im just not willing to risk my health and well being... I feel like we are likely in similar situations.. I am coming from a 4 or 5 year hiatus. I'm 34.

I figured there are two ways i can go about this. either one bike that does everything, but doesn't do anything that great. or build two bikes.

the one bike would be like a 20.5 frame with flattable geometry (steep HA, short CS). compact enough to learn flat on and some people ride longer bikes like Matthias mentioned above, Trevor Meyer, and some others but long enough to ride ramps and small jumps, may feel a little twitchy and compact but dudes were riding shorter TT's in the 90s and shredding parks and half pipes, its fine.

My conclusion for the one bike approach was that it was going to hinder my learning curve in both cases. big long bikes are more stable in the air and over jumps, more forgiving. and new school flatland bikes are designed specifically for flatland tricks, why try to overcome a longer, heavier bike to learn basic flatland tricks when I can just buy something optimized for it.. so I ultimately decided to build two bikes.. a dedicated flatland bike, my primary, and a longer bike for skate parts, dirt jumps and practice days at local tracks.

to be honest though I hadn't considered 22"'s id imagine that just being even more cumbersome riding flatland than a standard middle ground 20" wheeled bike.. not sure though. I may reconsider my non-flat bike for a 22..

Get a normal size bike to do the stuff with the kids. Most novice tricks can be done on almost anything truthfully.
If and when you get past the novice stuff, a dedicated custom is the only way to go.

I have to agree with some of the others on this thread in that you would be better off buying the 20" as it will accommodate more for both types of riding. Based on my knowledge of flatland bikes, you'd be looking for something with skinnier tires, a low frame, pegs, and a gyro system - bikes more suited for dirt and ramps don't usually come equip with pegs and typically have the bulkier, sturdier tires.

I would recommend getting something along the lines of We The People. It's a more "modernized" style of BMX bike and would probably better suit your riding. Some come with pegs which will help you with flatland tricks and some also incorporate gyro systems that will work for either flat land OR dirt. Hope this helps and best of luck!

readybmxer wrote:

It's definitely gonna be a little harder to find a setup that'll work for two completely different styles, but you'll be able to pull it off one way or another.

If anything, I'd recommend getting a 20" rather than a 22" for the flatland aspect. While a 22" might be better suited for the track, it'll be very difficult for flatland riding while a 20" can do well on both.

I don't know how much flatland riding you've seen modern-day, but a couple guys now run more of a "typical" bike setup compared to a 100% dedicated flatland setup, and bikes like these can fare well on pretty much all forms of riding.

Take Matthias Dandois here, for example:

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

That might be the sickest flatland video I've ever seen! Thanks for sharing that!

Agreed. I think that guy has a particularly smooth and cool style. That was pretty neat. I personally think I'd get overwhelmingly dizzy doing all that continual spinning type stuff. LOL.

Thanks for all the replies! So it seems pretty clear that 20" is the way to go for now. I'm not really looking to purchase 2 bikes for different purposes at this point in time although it's definitely an option in the future. In a very similar situation to A08, so I'm not necessarily looking to jump anything too crazy at the dirt track, job and family and all, although I will admit it's going to be hard for me to stay away from that stuff. Then again I saw a guy snap his leg in half below the knee at the track last weekend, bone through the skin, hanging 90 degrees to the side, bloody mess. Gnarliest injury I've ever seen in person, so that's slightly tempered my desire to go hucking myself off of anything very big for the time being. Sounds like a 20" street setup with a freecoaster and favoring a slightly more responsive geometry is probably my best bet (something along the lines of a WTP Reason, WTP Trust FC, Sunday Street Sweeper, Kink Downside, etc.).

I wasn't sure what to get at first too cuz I was riding a 26" cruiser every day for exercise. I started doing tricks on it and I thought some kind of in between size might be good. Like 22" or 24". But I'm really glad I got a 20"er. Well, I bought a cheap one to see if I'd like it. And then everyone told me to get a better one cuz I was gonna hurt myself on a cheap bike. So I got a better one. I wasn't sure if I bought into the hype that I'd break my cheap bike but the better one is a couple pounds lighter and feels so much better so I'm glad I did it.

But doing a tricks on a 20" bike is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay easier than a 26" bike. LOL. And a lot more fun. That being said, you can make your fun on just about anything you choose to. People do all kinds of stuff on all kinds of different sized bikes. But I think the lighter weight of a 20"er makes it a better place to start. And all kinds of size riders ride 20"ers. So...… But I'm small so I think it's an easier transition for me. I'm older though (48) and didn't like being bent over at all. LOL. But my set up is pretty comfy at this point and I'm riding 8.9" bars at present. 20.85 TT. I kind of wish my TT was more like 20.5ish though. But I'm not sure it makes that big of a difference....

So I think I've narrowed the list to three bikes (all full chromo, fully sealed bearings, freecoaster rear hubs), each with their own pros and cons:

1. 2020 WTP Trust FC - $770
pros: 48 spline cranks, most responsive geometry for flatland
cons: slightly longer cranks, most expensive of the bunch

2. 2020 Sunday Street Sweeper - $640
pros: aftermarket frame, short cranks for flatland, responsive geometry
cons: 8 spline cranks, on the more expensive end

3. 2019 WTP Reason - $430
pros: least expensive of the bunch, short cranks for flatland, responsive geometry
cons: 8 spline cranks, single wall front rim only, overall lower end parts compared to the other two

The question I have is after not having ridden BMX for 25+ years (and honestly I was always more into skateboarding), so pretty much a beginner, would I even notice a difference between the Reason vs the Trust or Street Sweeper? Is it worth it to spend the extra money to get the better parts on those bikes when the Reason checks most of the major boxes for $200-300 less?

Thoughts?

cchili00 wrote:

So I think I've narrowed the list to three bikes (all full chromo, fully sealed bearings, freecoaster rear hubs), each with their own pros and cons:

1. 2020 WTP Trust FC - $770
pros: 48 spline cranks, most responsive geometry for flatland
cons: slightly longer cranks, most expensive of the bunch

2. 2020 Sunday Street Sweeper - $640
pros: aftermarket frame, short cranks for flatland, responsive geometry
cons: 8 spline cranks, on the more expensive end

3. 2019 WTP Reason - $430
pros: least expensive of the bunch, short cranks for flatland, responsive geometry
cons: 8 spline cranks, single wall front rim only, overall lower end parts compared to the other two

The question I have is after not having ridden BMX for 25+ years (and honestly I was always more into skateboarding), so pretty much a beginner, would I even notice a difference between the Reason vs the Trust or Street Sweeper? Is it worth it to spend the extra money to get the better parts on those bikes when the Reason checks most of the major boxes for $200-300 less?

Thoughts?

Personally, considering your criteria and posed questions, if money is an issue, I'd go with the WTP Reason. WTP makes a quality product, and with the money you save initially, if you wanted/needed you could upgrade those parts you'd need to when you needed to. That being said, "back in the day", we rode freestyle on 36 hole, single-walk race rims, unsealed everything, and 8-splined redline flight cranks were the best cranks you could ever want to ride! So, my vote, considering your level, and other criteria, would be to go cheap initially. You can upgrade if needed & still be ahead of the game.

On the flip side, I'd be partial to the Street Sweeper because Sunday makes great shit.

Thanks, appreciate your feedback. And just to clarify money isn't really an issue, it's just whether or not at my level, and just getting back into this, it would actually really be worth the extra money to get a better bike. In all honesty I was kind of leaning towards the Trust FC or the Street Sweeper, because I really don't like compromising on quality when it comes to things like this that will hopefully get a lot of use. But there's also no sense in spending a bunch of extra money if it's not going to really add anything at the level I'll be riding at while starting out.

So even though the Sunday has 8 spline cranks vs the 48 spline cranks on the WTP, you'd still go with the Sunday? I mean I'm honestly not even sure how much of a difference that's going to make for me, if any.

cchili00 wrote:

Thanks, appreciate your feedback. And just to clarify money isn't really an issue, it's just whether or not at my level, and just getting back into this, it would actually really be worth the extra money to get a better bike. In all honesty I was kind of leaning towards the Trust FC or the Street Sweeper, because I really don't like compromising on quality when it comes to things like this that will hopefully get a lot of use. But there's also no sense in spending a bunch of extra money if it's not going to really add anything at the level I'll be riding at while starting out.

So even though the Sunday has 8 spline cranks vs the 48 spline cranks on the WTP, you'd still go with the Sunday? I mean I'm honestly not even sure how much of a difference that's going to make for me, if any.

Well, I HIGHLY doubt you'll need anything more than the WTP Reason for some time. Even then, I'm sure that bike would hold up. If it turns out that the sport isn't for you, you aren't into it for all that much. Either way, while the used BMX market is shit, any of the bikes you are looking at would garner you more of your investment back than if you went complete beginner bike. Now, from my experience selling bikes, I ran into more people than not who regret not buying more bike than they initially thought they needed. This was usually those buying into the sport of mountain biking or road bikes. They had sticker shock when they went shopping. Same could be said for BMX. People start looking at BMX bikes, don't really understand what they are looking at and their value-to-benefit perception gets skewed in much the same way ("Well, that bike at Walmart was pretty much the same as this bike but less than half the price"). You don't seem to be in that camp but I have seen a ton of perfectly capable, used, 8-spline cranks floating around out there. I'm sure they would hold up to you beginner riding and beyond (BTW, everything should be periodically checked for tightness to maintain durability). ANYWAY, all that said, I will change my recommendation based on all that.... & say I'd probably go with the Sunday. Largely, because it is $130 less than the Trust (pretty close to the price of a set of Profile or Odyssey cranks in any size you want), and everything else between the Trust and the Sunday is likely the exact same sort of parts, made in the same Taiwanese factory. Nobody can argue the quality that Sunday brings to the table. Likewise, WTP make a great product. Both tend to be a bit overinflated, price-wise, because of their reputation(s). Sunday made their reputation as a solid bike and their top end stuff carries their lifetime warranty. Are they better than WTP? I don't know.

adamnmexican wrote:

Id get this bike. The forks have brake mounts so just buy another lever cable and brake and 4 pegs. It will be good for the track and great for flatland

http://flatlandfuel.com/haromirrapro2018tributecompletebikepre-orderdeposit.aspx

This one is on sale too

You probably already checked this, but in case you didn't, if you want it now, better make sure any of those choices are in stock. Cuz to me it seems like anything new is grinded to a halt. I don't really know that for sure at this moment but it was when I was looking about a month ago. There are plenty of bikes in stock at online sellers and such, but they were not getting new bikes from manufactures at the time.

adamnmexican wrote:

Id get this bike. The forks have brake mounts so just buy another lever cable and brake and 4 pegs. It will be good for the track and great for flatland

http://flatlandfuel.com/haromirrapro2018tributecompletebikepre-orderdeposit.aspx

adamnmexican wrote:

This one is on sale too

It's funny it says pegs are N/A but the picture shows them on at least the one side. I wonder if it comes with the or not.

cchili00 wrote:

Thanks, appreciate your feedback. And just to clarify money isn't really an issue, it's just whether or not at my level, and just getting back into this, it would actually really be worth the extra money to get a better bike. In all honesty I was kind of leaning towards the Trust FC or the Street Sweeper, because I really don't like compromising on quality when it comes to things like this that will hopefully get a lot of use. But there's also no sense in spending a bunch of extra money if it's not going to really add anything at the level I'll be riding at while starting out.

So even though the Sunday has 8 spline cranks vs the 48 spline cranks on the WTP, you'd still go with the Sunday? I mean I'm honestly not even sure how much of a difference that's going to make for me, if any.

Mishinn_Control wrote:

Well, I HIGHLY doubt you'll need anything more than the WTP Reason for some time. Even then, I'm sure that bike would hold up. If it turns out that the sport isn't for you, you aren't into it for all that much. Either way, while the used BMX market is shit, any of the bikes you are looking at would garner you more of your investment back than if you went complete beginner bike. Now, from my experience selling bikes, I ran into more people than not who regret not buying more bike than they initially thought they needed. This was usually those buying into the sport of mountain biking or road bikes. They had sticker shock when they went shopping. Same could be said for BMX. People start looking at BMX bikes, don't really understand what they are looking at and their value-to-benefit perception gets skewed in much the same way ("Well, that bike at Walmart was pretty much the same as this bike but less than half the price"). You don't seem to be in that camp but I have seen a ton of perfectly capable, used, 8-spline cranks floating around out there. I'm sure they would hold up to you beginner riding and beyond (BTW, everything should be periodically checked for tightness to maintain durability). ANYWAY, all that said, I will change my recommendation based on all that.... & say I'd probably go with the Sunday. Largely, because it is $130 less than the Trust (pretty close to the price of a set of Profile or Odyssey cranks in any size you want), and everything else between the Trust and the Sunday is likely the exact same sort of parts, made in the same Taiwanese factory. Nobody can argue the quality that Sunday brings to the table. Likewise, WTP make a great product. Both tend to be a bit overinflated, price-wise, because of their reputation(s). Sunday made their reputation as a solid bike and their top end stuff carries their lifetime warranty. Are they better than WTP? I don't know.

Thanks again for the feedback! I do like the Street Sweeper, and you make a good point about eventually upgrading the cranks with the money saved vs the Trust.

adamnmexican wrote:

Id get this bike. The forks have brake mounts so just buy another lever cable and brake and 4 pegs. It will be good for the track and great for flatland

http://flatlandfuel.com/haromirrapro2018tributecompletebikepre-orderdeposit.aspx

adamnmexican wrote:

This one is on sale too

Yeah, the only two things about that one is doesn't have a freecoaster and to be honest I don't love the looks. But thanks for providing another potential option!

Fortyseven wrote:

You probably already checked this, but in case you didn't, if you want it now, better make sure any of those choices are in stock. Cuz to me it seems like anything new is grinded to a halt. I don't really know that for sure at this moment but it was when I was looking about a month ago. There are plenty of bikes in stock at online sellers and such, but they were not getting new bikes from manufactures at the time.

Good point, but yes these all seem to be in stock at the online retailers I'm looking at.

adamnmexican wrote:

Id get this bike. The forks have brake mounts so just buy another lever cable and brake and 4 pegs. It will be good for the track and great for flatland

http://flatlandfuel.com/haromirrapro2018tributecompletebikepre-orderdeposit.aspx

adamnmexican wrote:

This one is on sale too

Fortyseven wrote:

It's funny it says pegs are N/A but the picture shows them on at least the one side. I wonder if it comes with the or not.

On the Haro website it does say it includes 4 alloy pegs.

That's good. At least you got some options.... Currently.

Any other bikes in this range I should be considering? Just saw the Fiend Type R which seems to check all the boxes and is in between the Trust and Street Sweeper in price. Don't seem to see as much discussion/info on them as Sunday or WTP.

Kink 2020 Downside or Cloud?

Black Swamp Ghost wrote:

Kink 2020 Downside or Cloud?

Thanks, I did actually consider both of those... The Cloud has a 21" TT and I was really thinking to stay with 20.75" for flatland. The Downside is one of the best looking bikes in my opinion and it was definitely on my list, but there seems to be enough negative comments out there regarding the quality of some of the Kink stuff, that I figured if I went with something at that level/price point I'd go with the WTP Reason.

I haven't seen much negativity towards Kink, at least in comparison to some other brands really. I'm impressed by the quality of them myself.. Williams and Liberty at least..

That is news to me...…. I didn't think Kink had a bad rep for quality at all. Huh. I was close to buying the Downside. Very close. But I opted for a used, less money option. It was at the top of my budget and I wanted to have some extra money for stuff. I love the way that bike looks though too.