PETER GRIFFIN
New member
statement & why (or why not)? Recently, when inquiring about getting a bmx bike for my young nephew, I was informed by the LBS owner that all bmx bikes of good quality are made of steel.
I found this statement odd, but I just listened to his superior knowledge regardless. I've been out of bmx for so long.
When I told him about my nephew, I said that he'd be using the bike for riding unpaved trails and for just getting some fresh air in his neighborhood. He wouldn't be riding skate parks with it or doing those amazing and impressive stunts the bigger guys (he's little) perform. I like the idea of an aluminum bmx bike for its lighter weight, since his current steel DB is ungodly heavy. And, despite his desire for a geared bike, a bmx would be less problematic.
Incidentally, I had an aluminum bmx (cycle-pro foiler frame) back in the "old skool" bmx days of the late 70s. It was much lighter than the steel Redlines and Mongooses ridden by my friends. The anodized finish remained almost perfect for years. In contrast to the taunting of friends that insisted "your bike's gonna break," the frame remained absolutely damage free...no dents, cracks, or broken welds...after having ridden the local tracks for over four years and having jumped the bike thousands of times.
So my personal experience with an aluminum bmx was quite positive. No, I didn't do crazy stunts on it, but neither would my young nephew. The particular shop I visited sold Fit; these were all in the 25-lb range. My light touring road bike weighs less! I thought an aluminum bmx in the 17-19-lb range would be ideal, but now I'm doubting they even exist due to the strong market for "trick" bmx rather than dirt/trail/racing bmx. Another local shop sells redline, haro and possibly another line, but I haven't checked them out.
So, help an old guy out, please. Was the Fit salesman right with his statement? Would I be looking at inferior, low quality bmx products if I insisted on aluminum? Or do you know of some makes/models that I should check out. Appreciate the help.
I found this statement odd, but I just listened to his superior knowledge regardless. I've been out of bmx for so long.
When I told him about my nephew, I said that he'd be using the bike for riding unpaved trails and for just getting some fresh air in his neighborhood. He wouldn't be riding skate parks with it or doing those amazing and impressive stunts the bigger guys (he's little) perform. I like the idea of an aluminum bmx bike for its lighter weight, since his current steel DB is ungodly heavy. And, despite his desire for a geared bike, a bmx would be less problematic.
Incidentally, I had an aluminum bmx (cycle-pro foiler frame) back in the "old skool" bmx days of the late 70s. It was much lighter than the steel Redlines and Mongooses ridden by my friends. The anodized finish remained almost perfect for years. In contrast to the taunting of friends that insisted "your bike's gonna break," the frame remained absolutely damage free...no dents, cracks, or broken welds...after having ridden the local tracks for over four years and having jumped the bike thousands of times.
So my personal experience with an aluminum bmx was quite positive. No, I didn't do crazy stunts on it, but neither would my young nephew. The particular shop I visited sold Fit; these were all in the 25-lb range. My light touring road bike weighs less! I thought an aluminum bmx in the 17-19-lb range would be ideal, but now I'm doubting they even exist due to the strong market for "trick" bmx rather than dirt/trail/racing bmx. Another local shop sells redline, haro and possibly another line, but I haven't checked them out.
So, help an old guy out, please. Was the Fit salesman right with his statement? Would I be looking at inferior, low quality bmx products if I insisted on aluminum? Or do you know of some makes/models that I should check out. Appreciate the help.