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Is it because of tradition, or am i missing something?
If most people are right handed, then most bent sprockets are gonna be during right-peg grinds, ergo LHD seems the obvious choice to design bmx's, not RHD.
I wish my bike were LHD and just don't get why RHD is the norm when most ppl grind right-side (at least predominately)
thnx for input 
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When grinds are done properly and smoothly the way they are supposed to be done sprockets don't make connection with the object even if you grind right side and have ride side sprocket , that's just those goons who don't ride smooth who bend their sprockets , bikes don't come with 44 tooth sprockets anymore the excuse not to grind because your sprockets on your peg side is invalid
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If you look through history most bikes have a rhd setup, bmx did the same and only changed in the 2000's if im remembering correctly.
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eskimojay- you're a condescending ass. By your logic, stevie churchill is a goon cuz he rides 4 hub guards, right? I mean, if he would just nail every trick proper and smooth, what would the problem be amirite? 8)
mychaylo- thnx that's what i figured, but i still wonder why the majority of high-end new bmx's still come w/ RHD. All things being the same, the side is irrelevant, except for it being more liable on 1 side than the other, and the more liable side for most ppl would be their right side..
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I have reason to believe that since bmx started from racing, and most people are right handed/footed, it started based on people's more powerful, dominant leg, so companies just stuck with it. I may be wrong tho, but just a guess. I've recently been considering going LHD myself since I grind on the right and I'm far from smooth to say the least, but I think it would be awkward trying to power pedal.
And I don't see what hub guards have to do with what Jay said, so that comment was kinda pointless. However I do remember how much harder big sprockets made dropping in back in the day. Plus the weight aspect of it, aka little kids crying about 4oz more like it made a difference. Lol. But another problem with grinding on the drive side is the chain hanging below the dropouts, which is something I deal with constantly. I have a 9t ti driver and the last thing I want to be doing is mashing it on ledges, but it's held up fine so far thankfully, even tho I snap my chain at least once a day when I go to the skatepark because of this. I really need to invest in a Primo DSG, but I don't know if it'll fit my old Primo Pro hub, so that's why I've been debating on LHD.
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if your drivetrain is setup strong, is there really a notable difference when power pedalling? I've never raced and definitely not strong enough to worry about that myself, but guess I just don't see the physics behind it being relevant so i'm not sure.
(edit- maybe there's flex on bigger sprockets, if you pedal realllly hard? although if that's the case i still don't see why it would matter which side the sprocket was on, considering the cranks&spindle are, or should be, solid as hell in their connections)
I mentioned hub guards because his position is that you ride smooth and never mess something up - unless you're a goon, who does mess things up. If that wasn't clear tho then, fwiw, stevie churchill also rides a LHD (chase dehart too, and i'm sure a ton of other pro's) If he's saying only goons would need or want LHD, he's either just talking $*&t, or, maybe, he's garrett reynolds or something and is in a position to talk that way about ppl who use LHD. My guess is the former.
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I think that is more inteligent to ride sprocket opposite the side you grind cause that way if you fail a grind your sprocket will not bend... :| and that's the reason...
The reason RHD is more common i suppose it's because that people are left side grinding... :| if not idk why...
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Grinding mostly not really a tradition if its LHD mostly equals you grind on your right side so less things such as sprockets and chains are broken vise versa with RHD but nowadays you can buy a bike in LHD so it wouldnt really matter
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RHD is more common because like Mychaylo said most other types of bikes come RHD just because it was probably what was originally produced... BMX followed the trend just because if they want to sell to regular users not just advanced riders it makes more sense to someone who doesn't understand the use of LHD..
A lot of mid range signature completes comes with LHD anyways now and most bikes come LHD/RHD compatible.
Not need to be an asshole to eskimojay.. he is right... you said sprocket not hub.. Stevie runs four guards to protect his hub.. but no he doesn't need to switch his drive side because he grinds both anyways so no matter what there is a chance of hitting.. but for the most part now that we run these micro drive ratios we don't have to worry about hitting our sprockets as long as we ARE smoother riders and don't slip out a tonne.
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Honestly, it more than likely doesn't make a difference. That's why I've been considering it a little more recently, just been too lazy to part my wheel and try to get another hub cuz I don't get out and ride very often. Lol. And yeah I get what you're saying. It would be the better idea for someone who dominantly grinds on the right like myself for example, whether they're buttery smooth or not. Constantly having to fix and replace chains and possibly drivers gets old fast, trust me.
And Koky, that's exactly why you get a sprocket with a guard, or don't use a super thin one with zero structural support. I have an Odyssey MDS and it's strong enough to take abuse and has saved my chain a million times since I got it. Just like I said, my chain hangs below the dropout, so nothing I can really do about that other than get a Primo DSG, if it'll even work, and learn to enter grinds alot smoother instead of slamming it down.
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Simply cause absolutely every bikes are ldh, road bikes, dh, cheap supermarket bike, any bikes !
So when the bmx had begun, they just made it ldh like all bikes, then pegs and grinds was totally out of mind.
The LDH wheels are really new, and thinked for bmx cause of grinds. Any other bike is gear in ldh.
So bmx companys have also start to make complete bikes in ldh cause a lot of riders are right footed.
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I may be a condescending ass but atleast I'm intelligent enough to know I don't need to go blowing money pointlessly to switch a drivetrain over that would serve no real purpose , what the hell does hub guards have to do with sprockets being left or right side drive ? Your probably one of those kids that thinks spending money on bike parts will make you a better rider
I hope you go break your chain ya friggen grommet ! 
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Most people grind on the side that the front foot is forward. Majority of people are left foot forward, even most lefties.
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I hear fuck footed people do awsome lookbacks , just learned lookbacks a couple weeks ago they're scary as hell I have to air opposite to do them , they have forced me to do bigger opposite airs though and for that I love that trick
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Well one of these days when I stop being a puss and learn how to do them, I'll have to post one. Haha
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This. I'm weird. I spin normally grind on the right spin left like normal. but air to the right. Makes top side can airs easy and look backs alot smoother
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josh- i've actually seen setups where you can configure the bike the way you want it, though i'm not sure how common those are (i don't just mean cranks that take the sprocket on either side, i mean those + cassettes that can be flipped to the other side)
My bike (a united supreme) doesn't even have a left crank that takes a sprocket, so it'd be a new rear hub/driver and a left crank arm for me to switch, so not gonna do it on this bike, but have been looking into a sprocket guard:
(http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHADOW-CONSPIRACY-DISASTER-SPROCKET-BASH-GUARD-28t-BMX-BIKE-BICYCLE-PERMA-BLUE-/310963028509?pt=US_Chainrings_BMX_Sprockets&hash=item4866d7421d) ,
but more likely gonna go w/ a new sprocket (cuz 25t is wayyy too soft to pedal on, just unsure whether 28 or 30t), but subrosa, fit and sunday make great sprockets for like $50-60 that protect your chain and the sprocket's teeth:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUNDAY-28T-Knox-Guard-Sprocket-Black-Chain-Ring-BMX-Bike-Odyssey-Sean-Sexton-fit-/111448453918?pt=US_Chainrings_BMX_Sprockets&hash=item19f2d8731e
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FIT-BIKE-KEY-DRIVE-SPROCKET-GUARD-28-BLACK-28T-24mm-splined-spline-PROFILE-S-M-/221435131179?pt=US_Chainrings_BMX_Sprockets&hash=item338e8ff52b
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUBROSA-MAGNUM-BASH-GUARD-SPROCKET-28t-BMX-BIKE-BICYCLE-SHADOW-69k-GOLD-NEW-/161389127074?pt=US_Chainrings_BMX_Sprockets&hash=item25938aa5a2
I think i'm gonna go w/ the subrosa magnum cuz it just looks sick in the gold color (my frame's matte black, w/ andonized blue accents) and it's same price as the rest.. I wish someone made something that could have the 'bash guard' on both sides of the teeth/chain, but understand that it's impossible to do that cuz it wouldn't fit on most frames.
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Why the fuck would companies be like ,"Lets just make bikes ; 1 RHD the other 1 LHD" Takes up time and costs.
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Brayden_Buckingham wrote:Why the fuck would companies be like ,"Lets just make bikes ; 1 RHD the other 1 LHD" Takes up time and costs.
Seriously
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Brayden_Buckingham wrote:Why the fuck would companies be like ,"Lets just make bikes ; 1 RHD the other 1 LHD" Takes up time and costs.
yesh
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tom&brayden: i'll do ya 1 further- why not just make everything interchangeable? It's incredibly simple on the crank, you just gotta have both cranks ready for a sprocket; for the cassette/driver, i don't know how hard it is but i do know they're offering hubs where you can set it to either side, so really it'd seem an awesome 'feature' for all half-decent completes (ie., ~$500 and up) to be able to use the stock-wheel for either side
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Why ask us? We don't make the bikes. You should be asking the companies this question. But as far as hubs I have no idea. Most drivers with leaf springs have the base of the pawl/spring the same size for flipping, so why they don't use a square ratchet ring or removeable/flippable one is beyond me. I've wondered this question about hubs but never complete bikes
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flippable ratchet ring sounds like a nightmare, considering they are such a tight fit that they have to be heated with a blowtorch to thread in, plus because of the facing of the teeth, if its not square it cant get removed
flippable stuff would be nice, but its more money and work because the joytech cheap hubs are only one way, and dual drive cranks require more work
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why ask you? cuz, i dunno, i figured a bmx discussion forum was the proper place on the web to pose this question.. call me crazy!
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I like lhd cz im heavy footed on the right.ive noticed less sprocket warp.i don't even grind so that part don't matter to me lol
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