best spinning bike for beginner image
Tyler P
I have a stock Diamondback '04 Grind bmx bike and I want to customize it to a good flatland bmx. Can someone please tell me what kind of sprockets, wheels, forks, etc. I should put on it? Thanks
Answer
A new Flatland bmx will set you back between US$350 and US$2,000... depending on how good you want your parts to be. Obviously, the $2,000 bike will come with the best parts on the market today. Here's an example... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1311
At the cheaper end, you have the beginner-orientated bike, which has low-end parts, but good to start out with. Here's an example .. http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1124
As a rule of thumb, the more expensive a bike or part is, the lighter it will be, over the cheaper parts. When it comes to Flatland, a light bike is usually better, and will allow you to develop your skills a lot faster, and let you ride longer, without getting as tired as you would if you were riding a street bike for Flatland.
So in saying all that, here are your options...
1: Buy all new flatland parts for your current frame. http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=2
This option will set you back around $1000-1200, but keep in mind, your frame is way heavier than any flatland frame on the market, so you will more than likely switch to a flatland frame soon enough. If ur outlaying all that money for new parts, throw in the extra $300 and get urself a nice Flatland frame while ur at it... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=26
2) If ur on a budget, spending thousands on a bike might not be such a good idea, and since ur new to Flatland, you might wanna get a good beginners bike, and then upgrade ur parts as you feel you need to, or can afford to. This way, you have a frame that you can stick with for years, without needing to upgrade. A good example of this kind of bike is this one... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1322 or this one... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1331
That last one is a beginner bike, but the same bike, with pro-range parts on it, looks like this... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1309, which is something you can turn the 'beginner bike' into, with some extra money.
You can still ride Flat on a street bike, if you change a few parts, it will just not be as 'smooth' and easy as riding a flatland bike. Heres what you will need to do to your current bike if you wanna make it more of a flat-bike...
- Get a longer seat post, around 300mm, and set it to max. height, as noted on the bottom of the post.
- Get minimal or zero offset forks, to make front wheel tricks way easier. They allow u to pop up onto the front wheel so eaisly.
- Put pegs on, all round.
- Be sure to have a gyro set up for back brakes
- Put a shorter reach stem on. Anywhere from 26mm-40mm.
- Get tyres no wider than 1.95, and make sure they're high-psi. For flatland, 120psi is super smooth for spinning and rolling.
- If you really wanna lighten ur bike without spending much, take the cranks off. You'll save about 2 kilos, and you can do a lot of tricks without needing to pedal. It's not a popular option, but it's a cheaper one.
So there are some options for you. The main deciding factor for people buying a Flatland bike, is budget. I splurged and bought pro-everything when I build mine, so I knew nothing was going to hold me back from learning, except myself. Right now, there is 10% off on all parts and bikes from the site I've posted links to, so now is the time to buy... you'll save a packet.
Email me if you have any more questions about any of this. :)
A new Flatland bmx will set you back between US$350 and US$2,000... depending on how good you want your parts to be. Obviously, the $2,000 bike will come with the best parts on the market today. Here's an example... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1311
At the cheaper end, you have the beginner-orientated bike, which has low-end parts, but good to start out with. Here's an example .. http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1124
As a rule of thumb, the more expensive a bike or part is, the lighter it will be, over the cheaper parts. When it comes to Flatland, a light bike is usually better, and will allow you to develop your skills a lot faster, and let you ride longer, without getting as tired as you would if you were riding a street bike for Flatland.
So in saying all that, here are your options...
1: Buy all new flatland parts for your current frame. http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=2
This option will set you back around $1000-1200, but keep in mind, your frame is way heavier than any flatland frame on the market, so you will more than likely switch to a flatland frame soon enough. If ur outlaying all that money for new parts, throw in the extra $300 and get urself a nice Flatland frame while ur at it... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=26
2) If ur on a budget, spending thousands on a bike might not be such a good idea, and since ur new to Flatland, you might wanna get a good beginners bike, and then upgrade ur parts as you feel you need to, or can afford to. This way, you have a frame that you can stick with for years, without needing to upgrade. A good example of this kind of bike is this one... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1322 or this one... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1331
That last one is a beginner bike, but the same bike, with pro-range parts on it, looks like this... http://flatlandfuel.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1309, which is something you can turn the 'beginner bike' into, with some extra money.
You can still ride Flat on a street bike, if you change a few parts, it will just not be as 'smooth' and easy as riding a flatland bike. Heres what you will need to do to your current bike if you wanna make it more of a flat-bike...
- Get a longer seat post, around 300mm, and set it to max. height, as noted on the bottom of the post.
- Get minimal or zero offset forks, to make front wheel tricks way easier. They allow u to pop up onto the front wheel so eaisly.
- Put pegs on, all round.
- Be sure to have a gyro set up for back brakes
- Put a shorter reach stem on. Anywhere from 26mm-40mm.
- Get tyres no wider than 1.95, and make sure they're high-psi. For flatland, 120psi is super smooth for spinning and rolling.
- If you really wanna lighten ur bike without spending much, take the cranks off. You'll save about 2 kilos, and you can do a lot of tricks without needing to pedal. It's not a popular option, but it's a cheaper one.
So there are some options for you. The main deciding factor for people buying a Flatland bike, is budget. I splurged and bought pro-everything when I build mine, so I knew nothing was going to hold me back from learning, except myself. Right now, there is 10% off on all parts and bikes from the site I've posted links to, so now is the time to buy... you'll save a packet.
Email me if you have any more questions about any of this. :)
What does it mean when ppl say that a motorcycle is too big for you?
gloriousga
I've just asked a question about a motorcycle and all the responders said that it was too big for a beginner. Are they talking about the weight or the power of the engine? What's a good beginner bike and what should I look for?
Answer
To me, there are 3 types of "too big." One is weight, namely the bike being too heavy for you to balance or to pick up should you drop it. Another is physical size, as in the seat being too tall for your feet to touch the ground. The last isn't necessarily engine size, but rather horsepower and in how it's delivered.
A big twin cruiser of any number of makes may have a large displacement engine, but still not have uncontrollable horsepower. If anything, such an engine is actually easier to operate because with loads of low rpm power, they are hard to stall and you can twist the throttle and accellerate away quickly in an emergency situation rather than having to downshift 3 or 4 gears to get any kind of accelleration. On the down side, cruisers tend to be somewhat heavy, especially considering their rather low power output. Drop one and a small person or woman could require help to get it back upright. But on the plus side, cruisers usually have a low seat height, making that weight easy to handle at stops and slow speeds. Think of a gentle but powerful work horse.
True sport bikes tend to be really light in weight, especially considering their high horsepower output. This makes for extreme accelleration, but it also makes for unplanned wheelies and spin outs. They also usually lack low rpm power, meaning you have to keep the rpms up. Especially for a beginner, such a bike can be very difficult to learn to ride on. Think of a high strung race horse that's good for one thing only, going fast.
That said, a hyper, lightweight tall seated 600cc sport bike could be way too much bike for a new rider to handle while a heavier, low seat and lower powered 800cc cruiser could be really easy to learn on. A lot of people suggest starting out with a 250cc Ninja but I don't necessarily agree. For some people, that neat little bike is all the bike they will ever want and will never want anything different. And while it's lightweight and easy to handle, the small engine must really be wrung out to get any kind of horsepower. That means it won't tolerate abrupt clutch engagements (you'll stall the engine) or short shifting (shifting to the next higher gear at low rpms) and while it'll keep up with interstate traffic, that's just about it. Something like a 700-800cc cruiser will be much more forgiving and will have enough power to keep you entertained for several years rather than you being ready to trade up in 6 months. If you're a 5' 90 lb woman, then they would probably be too much bike, but my 5'2" 125 lb ex rode a 700cc cruiser and never had any problems.
To me, there are 3 types of "too big." One is weight, namely the bike being too heavy for you to balance or to pick up should you drop it. Another is physical size, as in the seat being too tall for your feet to touch the ground. The last isn't necessarily engine size, but rather horsepower and in how it's delivered.
A big twin cruiser of any number of makes may have a large displacement engine, but still not have uncontrollable horsepower. If anything, such an engine is actually easier to operate because with loads of low rpm power, they are hard to stall and you can twist the throttle and accellerate away quickly in an emergency situation rather than having to downshift 3 or 4 gears to get any kind of accelleration. On the down side, cruisers tend to be somewhat heavy, especially considering their rather low power output. Drop one and a small person or woman could require help to get it back upright. But on the plus side, cruisers usually have a low seat height, making that weight easy to handle at stops and slow speeds. Think of a gentle but powerful work horse.
True sport bikes tend to be really light in weight, especially considering their high horsepower output. This makes for extreme accelleration, but it also makes for unplanned wheelies and spin outs. They also usually lack low rpm power, meaning you have to keep the rpms up. Especially for a beginner, such a bike can be very difficult to learn to ride on. Think of a high strung race horse that's good for one thing only, going fast.
That said, a hyper, lightweight tall seated 600cc sport bike could be way too much bike for a new rider to handle while a heavier, low seat and lower powered 800cc cruiser could be really easy to learn on. A lot of people suggest starting out with a 250cc Ninja but I don't necessarily agree. For some people, that neat little bike is all the bike they will ever want and will never want anything different. And while it's lightweight and easy to handle, the small engine must really be wrung out to get any kind of horsepower. That means it won't tolerate abrupt clutch engagements (you'll stall the engine) or short shifting (shifting to the next higher gear at low rpms) and while it'll keep up with interstate traffic, that's just about it. Something like a 700-800cc cruiser will be much more forgiving and will have enough power to keep you entertained for several years rather than you being ready to trade up in 6 months. If you're a 5' 90 lb woman, then they would probably be too much bike, but my 5'2" 125 lb ex rode a 700cc cruiser and never had any problems.
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