The first officially organized motocross cycling race took place in July 1969 in a park in Santa Monica, California. In the 50 years since then, the term “BMX” has been applied indiscriminately to anything from the Olympic race to the arcane and special discipline of lowland freestyle, with countless applications in between. It is arguably the most diverse and comprehensive form of cycling, encompassing coastal cultures, urban stunt driving and hard-boiled rural competitions in a single, easy-to-understand concept.
While most best BMX bikes are highly focused on a particular subgenre, their simplicity also makes them easier to customize for other singlespeed activities. The same bike can often be used on the track, near a skate park and in street style. Against this background, it is a good idea to reduce your concentration a bit before purchasing.
Redline Proline series
Available in 10 sizes, Proline motorcycles of the venerable racing brand Redline stand for the latest state of the (affordable) technology for traditional BMX races. With aluminum frames, three-piece cranks and durable components, the Prolines will lead a racing star through the early years of the competition with relatively few changes. Shoppers on a budget should consider the lower-priced MX Series, but note that the lower price will incur a weight and durability penalty.
Sunday Primer 16
The experienced road or mountain biker will notice a cognitive dissonance riding a 10-year-old on this tiny 16-inch bike. Should not children drive on a standard 20-inch BMX? A few minutes of browsing on YouTube or Instagram will show endless videos of young drivers on 16- and 18-inch wheels to perform the same tricks that older and larger models perform with a 20-inch wheel. Primer 16 is cockroach resistant, which is particularly important in 8 year olds. But it is also light enough to be useful. If races are not on the menu, the Primer or a similar bike from Cult, GT or SE bikes should be the first choice.
SE Bikes x City Grounds “Big Ripper” with 29-inch wheels
The urban BikeLife movement, which focuses on the stylish performance of wheelies and other tricks in city traffic, identifies strongly with two brands: SE Bikes, which was for years the only manufacturer to supply these drivers, and the City Grounds shop in Southern California. In recent years, the two have teamed up to offer uniquely designed variants of the SE bread and butter wheelie bikes. The City Grounds Big Ripper outperforms the genre with clear design and 29-inch versatility. This monster BMX bike can be ridden up a flight at full speed.
Haro Mirra Pro Tribute 2019
The darkest days for freestyle BMX are known to be in the early nineties. The following renaissance was largely attributed to a rider: Dave Mirra of Haro, the X-Games champion, who made BMX accessible to a whole new audience as he gave his name to a famous series of video games. Mirra died in 2016, leaving a gap in the sport that will probably never be filled, but his legend lives on in Haros Mirra Pro Tribute. As with the other motorcycles in the Lineage series from Haro, this is not an exhibit. The geometry and components are similar or identical to those of the “modern” Haro motorcycles. This would be equally at home among a 16-year-old skatepark star or a 40-year-old BMX veteran.
Conclusion
Not a few BMX riders in the 80s started in a Huffy department store. Most commonly sold as “Pro Thunder”, the Ohio steel base bike was found on almost every street corner. Today’s Pro Thunder preserves the characteristics of these classics with a steel frame, a coaster brake and a screw-in stem. Although it is possible to race with a Pro Thunder race, as was the case 30 years ago, this bike is best viewed as an affordable choice for recreational use.
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