24" Cruiser info

[lowpass]

Hey Guys,

I apologize if this has been done to death.
I'm a mtb rider and am looking at alternative cross training methods and really like the idea of doing a 24" cruiser for Bmx tracks or pumps tracks as weeknight rides. I may race it I may not, I'm primarily thinking of it more as a training and skills tool.

I really have no idea what it is I'm looking for in a brand, geo or weight etc..

All I "think" I know, is that I want a 24" complete bike and I have a budget of $650.00, and I'm 6ft and weigh in around the high 80's ..

Appreciate your time,

Cheers

 

[fatboyonabike]

SE bikes. So cal Flyer is a good one, and cheap..Floval flyer and PK ripper also good in 24in.

 

[redbruce]

SE bikes. So cal Flyer is a good one, and cheap..Floval flyer and PK ripper also good in 24in.

GT, Intense, Redline (personal favorite so I'm biased) are the safe mainstream brands.

A decent second hand one of those will set you back $350 or so.

SE, has tradition but a bit heavy and a patchy history with quality (frame cracking) under Fuji ownership.


Alternatively, a 26" bike qualifies as a cruiser under the rules so "run what ya brung".

 

[lowpass]

GT, Intense, Redline (personal favorite so I'm biased) are the safe mainstream brands.

A decent second hand one of those will set you back $350 or so.

SE, has tradition but a bit heavy and a patchy history with quality (frame cracking) under Fuji ownership.


Alternatively, a 26" bike qualifies as a cruiser under the rules so "run what ya brung".

Steering away from the 26" so as to improve reflexes and skills etc on the smaller wheel..
I think I may go the specialized P24, it's local easy to get a ride on and looks to be a reasonable price..

Cheers

 

[Norco Maniac]

my 6'3" 86kg other half rides a Formula cruiser. it's relatively light but i watch it flex on the gate....a couple of our trackmates ride the Floval's and Redlines, i've heard a lot of whinge about GT cruisers tho.Specialised and Intense seem to be becoming more popular too. for someone of your height, i'd suggest a 21" top tube if you can find one, anything else might be a little cramped, especially after riding 26".

oh and another of our (tall) mates managed to spiral crack his modern Quadangle

 

[converge11]

careful mate, bmx is addictive! I bought mine at first just to ride the track with my son but now me and the wife both race lol. I've got a pro xl staats cruiser, top tube is about 22" I think, feels great compared to my wifes gt.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

 

[lowpass]

I wasn't into the SE bikes much but I like the looks of that Floval Flyer, very cool..

Cheers

 

[redbruce]

careful mate, bmx is addictive! I bought mine at first just to ride the track with my son but now me and the wife both race lol. I've got a pro xl staats cruiser, top tube is about 22" I think, feels great compared to my wifes gt.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

Hmmmm. Sounds all too familiar.

6' will need a pro xl (21.5 - 21.7" TT) cruiser.

"A lot of whinge about GT cruisers tho", is nonsense (apart from never heard it around the traps in VIC). Different makes have different ride characteristics. GT's tend to short TT's (too short for me), Crupi tend to short chainstays (again too short for me)- depends on what you like. All bikes have character, in BMX seems even more so.

Best thing is to roll up to a gate night and ask around, the BMX race crowd are a friendly lot. Generally you will get to ride whats available, then make up your own mind.

 

[Gordy28]

Hey Bud, well done in getting into BMX, I got hooked about 3 years ago after riding AM and 4X MTB for a long time. I now ride both 20 and cruiser; however I started back on a cruiser as the transition from big wheels was much easier.

When your looking for a cruiser, I also recommend GT, Redline, Intense as you can't beat the value for money straight out of the box; however you have a lot more options if your prepared to go with a custom build. S&M, Standard, Supercross, intense Crupi are just a few brands amongst a lot of others. I personally wouldn't go with SE. They however are popular amongst the older crowd; as they are loyal to the brand they rode in the 80's
What is fairly consistent across all the brands is geometry; the angles, BB heights are pretty much the same; just a few changes subtle changes in chainstay and toptube length.
I'm 5'10" with a longer torso, i ride an intense podium cruiser with a 21.5" TT but my S&M 20" is a little shorter at 21". I'm very picky with my chainstay length and prefer it nice and short so it more "responsive" and manuals a lot easier. Some people prefer a back end a little longer so it become more "forgiving" and less loopy.

So my recommendation for you based on your height would be to go with a Cruiser with a 21.5" TT, you can always adjust your back end length by adding or removing a chain link or playing around with the different length stems 54mm- 60mm for example.
More importantly just get out there and have some fun, race a few clubbies or Open events, ask plenty of questions and watch what the other riders are doing. Everyone is very friendly (until the gate drops) and will be more than happy to help you out. Goodluck

 

[jmpalmer]

same same

Hey Guys,

I apologize if this has been done to death.
I'm a mtb rider and am looking at alternative cross training methods and really like the idea of doing a 24" cruiser for Bmx tracks or pumps tracks as weeknight rides. I may race it I may not, I'm primarily thinking of it more as a training and skills tool.

I really have no idea what it is I'm looking for in a brand, geo or weight etc..

All I "think" I know, is that I want a 24" complete bike and I have a budget of $650.00, and I'm 6ft and weigh in around the high 80's ..

Appreciate your time,

Cheers

i was thinking the exact same thing (bit of moutain bike cross training) being only down the road from the albion park track, ive been looking at intense's mainly so far. thanks for all the info boys