# 24'' vs 20'' bmx



## brody_frdh (Jan 8, 2008)

ok so here's the deal i'm sure this has been posted a thousand times before but i couldn't find it... i'm debating getting a cruiser... here's the deal. i rode bmx a long time ago like 6 yrs ago and i was looking to get back into it. for the past 4 years i've been doing alot of mountain biking. well i went a few weeks ago to ride my old bmx bike and it just feel really uncomfortable. i'm 6'1'' now and i'm all arms and legs. my old frame is a 19.5tt. i kno its to small but i was wondering on your opinions on me getting a cruiser instead of a long 20inch frame. i'll be doing a mix of dirt/park/street stuff. all help will be greatly appreciated


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## joelalamo45 (Aug 3, 2006)

I'd go 20 for a couple of really good reasons. I quit riding for about 10 years and got back into it also. The new 20's are soooo much better than what you were riding 6 years ago. You can get a bmx with a 22" TT now and big rise bars and be just fine. Plus, your options with getting a 20 are way better than that of a cruiser. Plus, once you get used to a 20 again, you'll love it.


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## brody_frdh (Jan 8, 2008)

ok yea thats what i've been told on a couple other forums... guess i'll go with a big 20


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## Formerbmx37 (Apr 7, 2007)

DK R/T and the Macneil Duece Duece both have 22in TT if thats what youd be looking for


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## jtmartin57 (Jul 11, 2006)

I started racing BMX in 2006 after a 21yr hiatus. I went w/ a cruiser thinking that would be the most natural transition back into the sport after spending the last 15+ years riding/racing road & mt. bikes. About a year later I bought a 20 w/ a 21" TT (I'm 5'10") and now I don't even like to ride the cruiser anymore... the 20 is just SO much more fun to ride!

So, my vote's for the 20 :thumbsup:


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

20" wheels are quite a bit stronger too.... You can blow spin tricks without completely destroying your sh*t.


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## dh_drew (Sep 9, 2008)

I enjoy both, but prefer jumping 24.


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

man, i gotta take the other side.... i rode 20" bmx forever, including a lot of flatland, plus street and park.... but if you've been away from 20"s and been on a 26" and basically just want to jump again.... i say trade in your 26" xc bike and get a mtbmx/Dirt Jumper 26". you get the feeling of a cruiser, only with some shock, so you can still hit xc trails.

..... if you have a nearby skatepark, different story, yes, get a 20".... but if dirt is still your main deal....everyone is doing the same **** on 26" DJ bikes on dirt as on 20"s (almost ) and it's WAAAAAY more comfortable when you're 6'1"..... Check out the Eastern Thunderbird and Easter Nighttrain, Blackmarket 357, Giant STP singlespeed. 

i have a Macneil Deuce Deuce 22"tt bmx and i basically never use it (anyone want to buy it??? PM ME) because my Blackmarket MOB is just so perfect on dirt, there's no reason to run small wheels....for me at least. i'm in to flowing....and 26" does it.

now . . . .as to 24" bmx cruiser as an alternative... this is trickier... if you're strictly dirt jumps and trails, the judgement call is do you like a stiff ride with a clear pop off lips or are you okay with the riding-on-a-cloud feeling.... if you want to go with some cush, then once again, go with the 26" or 24"mtbmx. if you want a stiff ride and want to ride park do grinds, lip tricks etc. then just go with a 20". currently, none of the 24"bmx cruiser options are really that great for park. bikes like the DK General Lee 24" have basic problems like the bottom bracket hitting the coping during a normal peg stall.


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## The Agency (Jun 28, 2005)

I always have both...I like the ride of a 26" on dirt and like the ability to pull trials moves on street.

In the skatepark I have to go with the 20. 22"tt is big! At your height a 21" would work.

I have ridden a lot of 24's but nothing so far can replace the 20 in the Park or the 26 everywhere else for me.


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## dhallilama (Oct 10, 2006)

i know geometry wasn't really part of the original question, but it means a lot to me when finding the right bike.

modern geometry on a lot of 20s is pretty good... i'm 5'11, in my mid 30s and have tons of old injuries... but a 21" top tube on a bmx, with 8" bars... feels good. major plus for the BMX: LOTS OF CHOICES! can pick up a used Fit or Kink pretty cheaply and have a blast.

i rode a 26" dirt jump bike for a couple years (until it got swiped last week)... it always felt too big for street, didn't like it in the park, but was nice on jumps and on trails. tried out other 26" bikes, all with the same feel of "too big" all around.

i rode a mid 80s redline 24" cruiser... most of it felt so right, but the chainstay was too long (15.7" slammed). 
my ideal would be finding a modern, all molly, 24" cruiser with a 14.5" stay and 21" top tube that wasn't a mtbmx (as in, not setup for a suspension fork). i've searched, searched and searched. there are none. DK General Lee (and whatever the new one is), Eastern traildigger, Shadow cruiser, WTP unified... all have at least a 15.25" stay... seem to only be available as a complete... 
the only choice to get just what i'm looking for (that traditional cruiser geo, but with short stays) is custom built. Standard BMX and a few other companies can do a pretty nice one, for surprisingly less than i initially thought. that looks like it might be my next bike: custom built frame.

but in the meantime.... 20" is readily available, reasonably cheap, and a blast. my opinion anyway, FWIW

i'd say flag down some kid on a 20" and see if he'll let you scoot around on it... see how it feels. in the end it's all personal preference, whatever other people say might not be at all true for you...


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## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

dhallilama said:


> my ideal would be finding a modern, all molly, 24" cruiser with a 14.5" stay and 21" top tube that wasn't a mtbmx (as in, not setup for a suspension fork). i've searched, searched and searched. there are none. ...


there are other people thinking the same way as you. one guy has a prototype out (MELMS) and another is considering building a new school cruiser.

have a look at these 2 threads:

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=196889&highlight=melms

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208908


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## dhallilama (Oct 10, 2006)

MELMS' bikes are f'ing awesome... i've been looking at them for a while... enough so that i'd thought about going back to making my own frames since nobody else seems to.

would be so damned happy if i could just buy one... put the components i want on it, and start thrashing. i've been waiting for a modern 24" to come out for a couple years... since my 26" was stolen last week, i've been hell bent on finding the right 24" cruiser


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