Bike
15 min
Air: The story of BMX in Imphal
The story of the passion that drives the young BMX riders of Imphal, Manipur, India.
Riding BMX is all about having the right equipment. And the most important equipment is obviously the bike.
Your bike and the adjustments to it will depend on the BMX style you ride. The styles are broadly classified as street (this needs a bike with a sturdy frame to handle drops and grinds), flatland (a smaller frame helps since you spin the bike around and mostly balance on a single wheel), park (park bikes have a lighter frame and shorter chain stay), and dirt (stronger frames to handle tough conditions).
There are two ways of getting yourself a BMX bike: a) buy a stock bike, or b) build a bike from individual parts.
If you are a beginner with little technical knowledge, you might want to take the easy route of buying a stock bike. But it is still best to get familiar with what to look for. Here are a few pointers.
The right wheel and frame size
BMX bikes come in sizes ranging from 12-inch wheels all the way up to 24-inch wheels. The size of the wheel depends on the height of the rider; shorter riders are advised to use smaller wheels. The most commonly used wheel size on BMX bikes is 20 inches.
The bike size is also dependent on the frame. BMX bike frame sizes are commonly measured by the length of the top tube (the top-most part of the frame which is horizontal and usually parallel to the ground). They are measured in inches. Again, the ideal size of the top tube and the bike frame depend on your height.
Height and width of handlebars
Handlebars on a BMX bike until the 1990s used to be much smaller. The handlebar size is measured by the rise (height in inches between the bike frame and the horizontal handlebar) and the width of the bar.
Today, the rise on a BMX handlebar is commonly between 8.5 inches and 10 inches. The handlebar you pick will also depend on the stem that connects the handlebar to the bike frame. Stems are either top load or front load. A top load stem gives a few inches of height, so you will need to pick a handlebar with less rise, but a front load stem is flatter so you can then attach a handlebar with more rise.
Most BMX riders prefer their handlebar width to be between 28 and 30 inches, but again it depends on personal preference and comfort.
The rest of the bike
Other components of the bike to pay attention to are the forks, cranks, rims, hubs, bearings, seat, grips, sprocket, stem, chain and tires. Small adjustments or variations to each of these will make a huge difference to your riding experience. For example, a 175mm crank will help you ride much faster than a 165mm crank. Similarly, wheels with double wall rims will last much longer if you are using your bike for drops like in BMX park style, but you could go with a single wall rim if you are doing flatland and there won’t be as much damage to the wheels.
Where to buy a BMX bike in India
Very few stores sell stock BMX bikes in India. They are mostly imported and sold via a few retailers. Below are the stores in India that sell stock bikes or BMX bike parts.
- Zealot BMX, Mumbai (operated by Rahul Mulani)
- Sharptune, Mumbai (operated by Dipak Panchal)
- Mascot BMX, Navi Mumbai (operated by Sanjay Rajpurohit)
- Ride BMX India, Chandigarh (operated by Prateek Bhasin)
2 min
Viki Gomez - The Land Glider
BMX flatland rider Jorge Viki Gomez performs on his visit to Shillong in India.
Budget for a stock bike
The cost of a stock bike will depend on the range and standard of the bike. The best way to decide this is based on your usage.
Beginner bikes: These bikes usually cost between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000. They are usually made of high-tensile steel frames and single wall rims with loose ball bearings. They can get you a decent start in BMX but the bike won’t last too long.
Intermediate bikes: These bikes usually cost between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000. These bikes are usually made with a mixture of high-tensile steel and chromoly steel. These bike frames are stronger and stiffer, and the bearings will be mid-sealed. Intermediate bikes can take a bit of a bashing.
Pro bikes or custom bikes: Pro bikes usually cost Rs 40,000 and upwards. They are built with 100% chromoly parts that are usually heat-treated or baked to increase durability. These are the bikes preferred by professional riders. Building a custom bike could also cost a similar amount from sourcing the best quality bike parts.
Tips for building your own BMX bike
Most BMX riders in India recommend you build your own bike if you know what you are doing. Below are tips from a BMX rider of height five-foot-seven-inches on their ideal specifications for street and flatland.
- Frame: A 100% chromoly frame with a top tube length of 20.5 inches and a chainstay length of 12.8-13 inches.
- Forks: A 100% chromoly fork with 25mm dropouts.
- Handlebar and stem: A 100% chromoly handlebar of 30-inch wide, 9.5 inch rise, soft rubber grips, and a 45-50mm top load stem.
- Wheelset: Double wall rims with tyres of 2.4 inch width. Hubs should be fully sealed for ball bearings. Either a freecoaster or a cassette hub is fine.
- Drivetrain: Cranks of 100% chromoly with a 25t sprocket. Either a half link chain or a regular chain is fine.
- Seat: Mid padding pivotal seats are best. Other options are tripod seats and railed seats.
- Pegs: Sturdy pegs are mandatory for a street bike.
- Bearings: All bearings should be fully sealed for best maintenance.
- Brakes: Most BMX riders don’t use brakes. But for those that do, it is down to preference between straight line brake cables or brakes with gyro.