Brakes - wtf!?

Any 7yo starting out just needs a basic bmx with whatever out of the box rear brake is fitted.

You’ll have a very hard time finding a complete with a gyro and front brake nowadays, even in 20” sizes. I don’t think many companies make gyros for 16” bikes either, and it’d also be hard to get a 16” fork with brake mounts.

gyro will work on a current 16" from a BMX brand. Fit was the only company putting them on stock (prk16/prk18) and have stopped. front brakes aren't going to happen unless u pony up some dough to FBM or another builder to make a custom fork with mounts.

Cult make some decent looking kids BMX bikes, check them out

Brakes will only slow you down! haha

For 16" kid bikes, I know Kink and Cult have good 16ers, and a gyro could work on either (just make sure the HT is drilled for gyro tabs)

Thanks for the replies. Obviously the lad has to have a front brake at his age for general riding safety.

I'll prob be looking at a caliper brake then like a dia compe bulldog. I don't suppose they still make ACS boas!!?? ha haaa

I have an ACS boa with the oversized spindle thing....

I don't think ACS is still a company but I did see a car license plate today that had ACS in the name/number. haha.

Front brake safety? Bulldog and BOA?

The 90's ended a long time ago. Buy any reputable complete bike and forget about how those old bikes were setup back in the dark ages.

Check out Fly bikes, We the People, Cult, Fit, Kink, for a few quality options. I'd lean towards Cult for a lighter alloy frame in the 16" bike but worth mention are the Fly 18" completes in full chromoly if looking to step it up/depending on kids height etc.

Ares makes 16" bikes with front brakes, but they are flatland bikes

Try haro. Pretty sure their entry level stuff has both brakes

My 6yr old's 16" Haro Shredder came with front brake, rear brake AND coaster brake. I removed the coaster brake though.

streethack wrote:

Front brake safety? Bulldog and BOA?

The 90's ended a long time ago. Buy any reputable complete bike and forget about how those old bikes were setup back in the dark ages.

Check out Fly bikes, We the People, Cult, Fit, Kink, for a few quality options. I'd lean towards Cult for a lighter alloy frame in the 16" bike but worth mention are the Fly 18" completes in full chromoly if looking to step it up/depending on kids height etc.

"The 90's ended a long time ago. Buy any reputable complete bike and forget about how those old bikes were setup back in the dark ages."

The guy is asking about brands that existed back in the day because that's what he remembers. Not even the first time this type of question has come through. Why bash the guy for asking about what he remembers from back in the day?

As to the "dark ages" comment, clearly you have not been riding that long/are pretty young. Let me guess-teenager? MAYBE 20ish? Judging by your photo on here, I am not that far off.

Should everyone ride brakeless and jib foot tall ledges all day? That's 80% of BMX these days. Why not have some variety? Brakes are fun, front brakes are fun, and BMX is bland when everyone rides the same everything. Watch some Dave Osato, Jay Miron, Clint Millar, Brian Vowell, Rick Moliterno and even older Brian Kachinsky and Dave Mirra footage. Those guys KILLED the front brake game.


Honestly brakeless is a trend, and it seems to be ever-changing. A lot of the guys who have been brakeless for years are starting to pop up with brakes...Trey Jones, Brian Kachinsky has a setup with front brakes he brings out, Tom Justice and so on.

Companies aren't doing a lot of front brake stuff because people are (unfortunately) not asking for much with front brakes these days.

You're way off Dave, but thanks for your misunderstanding.

I'm about to assemble a Fly Supernova 18 inch for my son who's soon to turn 9yo. I'm giving him every chance to be a much better rider than I was in my youngster days, because at his age all we had were the 80's and 90's heavy piles of shit, which pretty much inhibited the ability to get any decent amount of riding skills up, until being big enough to muscle those tanks of bikes around.

Front brakes are pretty dangerous for young kids, pretty sure I went OTB at least once hitting the brake too hard as a kid, and definitely went over when I once decided to stick my foot in the front tuff of my Kuwahara to see what might happen!

We all had fun back in the dark ages anyway, even though the bikes sucked bad. But the bikes of today are far superior, there's nothing to debate on that subject matter.

streethack wrote:

You're way off Dave, but thanks for your misunderstanding.

I'm about to assemble a Fly Supernova 18 inch for my son who's soon to turn 9yo. I'm giving him every chance to be a much better rider than I was in my youngster days, because at his age all we had were the 80's and 90's heavy piles of shit, which pretty much inhibited the ability to get any decent amount of riding skills up, until being big enough to muscle those tanks of bikes around.

Front brakes are pretty dangerous for young kids, pretty sure I went OTB at least once hitting the brake too hard as a kid, and definitely went over when I once decided to stick my foot in the front tuff of my Kuwahara to see what might happen!

We all had fun back in the dark ages anyway, even though the bikes sucked bad. But the bikes of today are far superior, there's nothing to debate on that subject matter.

No one is debating the quality of modern bikes here.

I am pointing out that there are modern bikes and options for front brakes out there, and if the OP asks about that, it should not just be dismissed like your "forget about how those old bikes were setup back in the dark ages." blanket statement indicating he should just settle. Notice how I never said "give the kid a bike from 20+ years ago to ride"? I wouldn't even do that myself for anything more than to cruise my neighborhood and keep the wheels down.

Front brakes are only dangerous if you don't teach kids the right way to use them, or to just lock em up-assuming they lock in the first place. Most stock bmx bikes with front brakes aren't able to lock up crappy pads being spec'd on them, cheap cables, and in many cases poor setup/assembly by the factory and or shops.

My 4 year old uses his front and rear V-brakes just fine on his MTB and has yet to go over the bars, even when he is panicking. His v brakes work just as good as my Fly Seatstay, and Diatech Fiestas-both with clear odyssey pads. One finger lock up.

If my 4 year old can handle it, I am pretty sure older kids can also learn not to crank em down too. If it is such a concern, don't just hand a kid a bike and say "see ya". Ride with them, teach them and help them. Make them wear safety gear. If the danger of going OTB is such a concern, then maybe BMX likely isn't the best hobby for a kid to get into.

I'm obviously out of the loop a bit, but I do think the front brake thing could turn out to be a phase, or part of a cycle. I was aware that top riders had ditched brakes, but was a little surprised at just how few front brakes there are available to buy now.

The way I see it, to take their skills up a level, the top riders of today have basically achieved what the previous generation did with front brakes, but with without them! Going brakeless of course increases the difficulty because you have to master 'pure balance', as opposed to being assisted by feathering a brake.

Front brakes could return again, IF riders can be creative and develop some new, more difficult tricks that are only possible with a front brake. BMX is getting ridiculous and the next generation of top riders will be looking for a new way to stand out and take it up a level again, so who knows. It just takes one rider to be creative and show whats now possible with brakes.

Supplier wrote:

I'm obviously out of the loop a bit, but I do think the front brake thing could turn out to be a phase, or part of a cycle. I was aware that top riders had ditched brakes, but was a little surprised at just how few front brakes there are available to buy now.

The way I see it, to take their skills up a level, the top riders of today have basically achieved what the previous generation did with front brakes, but with without them! Going brakeless of course increases the difficulty because you have to master 'pure balance', as opposed to being assisted by feathering a brake.

Front brakes could return again, IF riders can be creative and develop some new, more difficult tricks that are only possible with a front brake. BMX is getting ridiculous and the next generation of top riders will be looking for a new way to stand out and take it up a level again, so who knows. It just takes one rider to be creative and show whats now possible with brakes.

Honestly with what I have seen over the last 2 decades, front brakes would make a rider stand out a TON compared to being brakeless and hitting ledges and rails and that's it.

OR riding like Tate Roskelly or Erik Elstran.

Ah yeah okay Dave, bravo. Keep dropping names like you're the only one who's been around bmx for a minute.

I didn't read half your front brake rambling, but you sure sound like an old broken record. And I can't be bothered pointing out your contradictions from one paragraph to the next.

Set your bike up how you want. Dave’s right about bmx being boring. It needs more diversity.
However, brakeless is hardly a trend. There’s been brakeless riders for longer than most people that ride now have been alive.

It's never been more diverse.

streethack wrote:

It's never been more diverse.

I dunno man, I've watched a lot of videos recently and I've seen a fairly narrow variety of tricks. The majority of the riders were just doing the same tricks.

streethack wrote:

It's never been more diverse.

Yet you’re moaning about someone wanting a front brake on his kids bike?

If there were loads of kids at every skatepark with front and rear brakes, doing loads of brake tricks, I’d agree. But I’d bet 90% of riders now can’t even do a fufanu. I can’t remember the last time I saw someone do a nosepick in person. It seems almost everyone can do bars and whips. But when was the last time you saw an Indian air seat grab? Yeah they’re tricks that have been done. But so are the tricks the vast majority of riders are doing all the time.

Well I mean, according to Dave the stock brakes are all junk parts and won't lock up (agree with that bit) so what's gonna be the use of em anyway?

It's whatever really, I actually watched a clip of a brakeless nosepick just yesterday. It was pretty cool but yeah it's all been done to some extent as far as basic core tricks, it's just more of stuff linked like whips out of grinds. There's that many riders crushing it with all sorts of line combo's that are pretty crazy, so that's the real progression of riding.

Some new school stuff being done today is on a whole other level whether those watching can acknowledge it or not has very little significance, as long as people are stoked doing their thing then good on em!

"The 90's ended a long time ago. Buy any reputable complete bike and forget about how those old bikes were setup back in the dark ages."

"as long as people are stoked doing their thing then good on em!"

Huh. Must be one of those contradictions you mentioned?


Stock brakes tend to be crap. I work in a shop on the side and see them every single shift. The rock hard pads don't grab well. A little cleaner on the rim, clear pads and some cable lube and they can lock up. Problem is most of the kids who get bikes with brakes rip em off to be like the pros, then they slam into stuff, get hurt and quit.

There is minimal diversity in riding. Bikes are mostly the same, all black, tall bars, no brakes, freecoasters and 4 pegs. SO MANY edits are comprised of the same roughly jib 15 tricks combo'd up on ledges and rails.

You have to go out of your way to see different things.

I agree with that Dave. As someone returning to bmx, i probably have the benefit of fresh eyes and not much stood out from the battle of hastings footage recently, except:

Courage Adams ridiculously landing into manuals and nose manuals, like no one else I saw.

Morgan Wade trying big jumps/transitions that hadn't occured to other riders.

streethack wrote:

Well I mean, according to Dave the stock brakes are all junk parts and won't lock up (agree with that bit) so what's gonna be the use of em anyway?

It's whatever really, I actually watched a clip of a brakeless nosepick just yesterday. It was pretty cool but yeah it's all been done to some extent as far as basic core tricks, it's just more of stuff linked like whips out of grinds. There's that many riders crushing it with all sorts of line combo's that are pretty crazy, so that's the real progression of riding.

Some new school stuff being done today is on a whole other level whether those watching can acknowledge it or not has very little significance, as long as people are stoked doing their thing then good on em!

Anyone can buy forks with mounts and brake.......

Yes lots of people are doing combos. But that’s the point. Not many are doing anything else. Grind to bar out? Seen it plenty of times. Every time I watch an edit, or go to my local. I’d rather see something that stands out a little. I myself am bored of watching grind combos and spin whip combos. I can’t tell one rider from another most of the time. It would be nice if there were more riders with front brakes, or doing stuff you don’t see every day. That’s what diversity means.

Totally get Op’s point. Last 6 months I’ve been toying with getting back into Bmx, 25 years since I last rode (and not that well either). Went to regular bike shop stocked with Haros full of gyros and front brakes for $250, thought that looks good. Then dropped into an independent bmx shop, no brakes anywhere (WTF right?) and entry level at $650. Long story short, got a second hand Fit Vh1 last weekend for $250, no front brake, go with the progress! BUT, my 11 year old boy wants a bmx now which is awesome, but he absolutely wants a front brake. He’s not big or strong enough yet to muscle the bike round, but wants to get riding with me, so I’ll be trying to get him a bike with a front brake. the market might dictate otherwise, but whatever makes him confident to ride that thing everywhere is good for me.