It is unlikely that the progenitors of the bicycle could have imagined how multifunctional and many-sided their brainchild would become in just a couple of hundred years. From among the most simple means human movement, the bicycle has turned into an important attribute of extreme sports, active rest and sports life.

Some thirty years ago, all bicycles were divided into men's, women's and children's, as well as sports and road bikes. The lineup has undergone significant evolution, and at the same time the classification of bicycles has been modernized, and three types of bikes have taken an important place in it: mountain and road bikes, BMX bikes. Let's get to know them better!

For quick descents from hills and mountains and for moving over rough terrain, mountain bikes are perfect. The desire of people to conquer "piste" with a very difficult terrain at a very high speed, makes mountain bike manufacturers to be extremely attentive and demanding to their product.

All details of the bike, and the whole structure mountain bike must be rational, because extreme sports are inevitably associated with a risk to the life and health of the athlete. Much attention is paid to the rigidity of the frame, shock absorbers, which guarantee the free movement of the front and rear wheels, the stability and maneuverability of the bike, the braking system, and the reliability of fastening all parts and assemblies. Since a heavier bike holds better on the ground, which in some way helps to make the descent more precise and confident, manufacturers often do not try to minimize the mass of mountain bikes.

Traditional examples of mountain bikes are the K1 bike, Wheeler bike, Stels bikes, Upland bike, Trek bike, Kellys bike, Stark bike, Scott bike, Gary Fisher bike, Panther bike, and others.

For high-speed movement on smooth smooth asphalt, a road bike is suitable. Here the main goal of the cyclist and apparatus is to develop top speed. For professional road bikes, product weight is extremely important. Thanks to the use of the most modern carbon technologies and magnesium and aluminum alloys in the production of road bikes, the weight of the product is minimized to 7-10 kilograms (which will certainly affect the price of the bike!). The frames of this type of bicycles are extremely rigid. Road bike wheels offer an impressive diameter (about 28 inches). Thin tires are used to reduce rolling friction. Road bikes simply don't have shock absorbers. Handlebar and saddle alignment is key. The driver needs to be as level as possible to minimize air resistance. To do this, the seat rises as much as possible, and the steering wheel is made as low as possible.

IN professional sports The KHS bike, Trek road bikes, Felt bike, Sprint bike, Specialized bike, Jaguar bike, and a number of models from other manufacturers have proven themselves successfully.

Bicycles BMX (BikeMotorCross) are, one might say, the youngest, but perhaps the most popular category, including among the "progressive" youth. BMX models owe their appearance to velomotocross - off-road cycling or special looped tracks with countless natural obstacles and all kinds of artificially created jumps.

The type of extreme BMX riding will require considerable skill on the part of the rider, and the "agility" of the bike. BMX can boast of having a functional rotor that guarantees a simple rotation of the front wheel around its axis, small dimensions, often the absence of a front brake, a rigid front fork, a fairly low frame made of reliable alloy steel or chromium-molybdenum alloy.

Haro bikes, Specialized bikes,

Extreme sports are not only parkour, mountaineering or skydiving. They also include bike tricks. There is even a special kind of them, modified specifically to perform all kinds of jumps, jumps, coups, flights and similar actions. All this can be done if you saddle What kind of miracle horse is this? To answer this question, you need to consider what is the BMX exterior characteristic, what it is capable of, structural features and its difference from a track or, for example, road two-wheeler.

What is BMX?

First of all, this is a bicycle, but not an ordinary one. In its structure, it differs from others, so it was assigned to a separate class. Its purpose is trick elements. That is why, when creating it, the designers made certain amendments, which were designed to increase the durability and reliability of the structure.

BMX: bike characteristics and distinctive features

Unlike their mountain "colleagues", these bikes do not have shock absorbers at all. They do not install a suspension, because they do not need it, and besides, it weighs a lot. When jumping, the shock absorber can interfere with the trick. So we decided to just remove it.

You can also immediately see that BMX is single speed. This means that it only has one speed, and not several, like, say, mountain bikes. Again, all this is removed as completely useless. Such a transmission will only increase the weight, which will negatively affect maneuverability. By the way, it should be noted that the rear and front sprockets do not have a specific standard. They can be different sizes. The size of the star depends on the number of teeth located on it. The owner can change them if he needs the BMX bike to develop one or another speed. Everyone can adjust it to certain parameters.

Of course, one of the main indicators is weight. You can draw a parallel with mountain bikes. A standard BMX, whose mass characteristic is positioned as average, weighs approximately ten to eleven kilograms. Whereas a similar "gornik" can be one and a half, or even two times heavier. The result is obvious: the less the BMX weighs, the easier it is to perform any tricks and jumps. Therefore, there is nothing superfluous in the design of this bike.

reinforced frame

This part is one of the most important in BMX construction. Its characteristic meets all the requirements that are important for this type of durable and comfortable. The shape of the frame is based on the type of two triangles with a common base. This design is considered very strong and reliable. Large loads are smoothly distributed. Regarding metal, we can say that the cheapest models are made from the most ordinary steel. Such material is very heavy, but relatively inexpensive. That is why it is used in low-budget models. More expensive ones are made of titanium, aluminum alloy or special steel, which includes chromium and molybdenum. Also, a special technique is used in the manufacture, which makes the frame more powerful: in places where the load is greatest, the thickness of the metal is increased. All this together makes the BMX construction strong and light.

Controllability

The steering wheel is one of the most important. As a rule, the most common two-element is installed on BMX. This design is made of two bent metal pipes. There are also four-element ones, but they are not so common. You may notice that many rudders have crossbars. This element is called a crossbar. It makes the structure more resistant to impact loads. There must be grips at the ends of the handles. These are rubber pads that serve to better grip the hands with the surface, as well as to protect the rider from injury. Since falls are inevitable, the plugs on the grips will not allow scratching any part of the body on the handlebars. This element is connected to the plug using the extension. As a rule, it is made from a single piece of metal, which increases its reliability.

Pegi

Another element that distinguishes BMX from other bicycles is pegs. What it is? These paired elements are installed on the front and rear wheel hubs. They look like ordinary oblong tubes. Use them to slide through pipes or as an additional support. To put them or not - the owner decides.

BMX reviews

These bikes are not as simple as it seems at first glance. They are made for tricks. and BMXs are good at that. Riding long distances on them, of course, is not very comfortable, but there are other types of bicycles for this. Many owners who do tricks and jumps are very happy with their BMXs. The most important thing is to choose the right and high-quality bike.

A little about prices

It can be immediately noted that this is not such a cheap pleasure - BMX. Prices vary, of course. You can also buy a cheap one, with a steel frame and not very high-quality parts. True, learning something on a bad bike will be difficult. Therefore, you should immediately choose a normal BMX. Prices for such products can start from 20 thousand rubles. But when buying, you can not doubt the quality and reliability of the product.

BMX repair

With the development and operation of the bike, some breakdowns will occur. Especially they will appear with constant loads - performing tricks and jumps. Therefore, you will sometimes have to buy spare parts for BMX. Luckily, it's pretty easy to find any item now. Spare parts are sold in specialized stores, on the market or online. Therefore, some simple repairs can easily be carried out at home: the simplicity of the design greatly contributes to this.

b) Health - choosing the wrong size BMX, it is easy to get scoliosis

BMX bike frame size selection table by height

Bearings

Having decided on the size, we move on to the details. First up are the bearings. While riding BMX, they are subjected to tough loads, so it is important to pick up good ones in advance. Bearings in BMX bikes are:

• Industrial(promy / sealed bearings / sealed bearings) - a non-separable assembly of two rings, between which balls roll. Industrial bearings are pressed into their seat and change if necessary. Such bearings last longer, as they are less polluted, but they also cost more. If possible, it is better to take BMX on them.

• Bulk(loose balls) - open type bearings. They look like a set of balls rolling on a bearing cup. Their service life is shorter, tk. they get clogged up faster. And when parsing a part on bulk bearings, the balls scatter cheerfully all over the floor.

materials

In BMX, there are basically two materials that are used separately or combined:

• Cr-Mo(chromoly steel, chromoly): light, durable and, because of this, a more expensive material;
• Hi-ten(Regular Steel): inferior to Cr-Mo in strength and weight, but cheaper;

Usually, in BMX, everyone is chasing only chromoly, motivating this with low weight. In fact, as practice shows, in the end, nothing remains of the purchased complete - everything is replaced by individual spare parts as they wear out. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with starting with BMX with steel parts.

By the way, here's a video about it:

• Rims. There are double and single. Double rims are stronger, which means better. Single less durable, but cheap. Sometimes BMX manufacturers put a single rim on the front wheel and a double rim on the rear. For starters, you can choose single ones - they are enough to learn basic tricks.
• Pedals. Most often, plastic pedals are put on BMX. Modern plastic pedals withstand loads no worse than metal ones, but weigh much less;
• brakes. Brakes usually come with a BMX bike and are installed on it from the factory. It is better for a novice rider not to take them off - the ability to brake without a brake comes only with experience.
• connecting rods. Usually, 3-piece tubular cranks are installed on BMX bikes, but there are also models with the so-called poker (single-element cranks, 1pc crank). Both types have the right to exist, but single-element connecting rods due to low strength and heavy weight are acceptable only on children's BMXs and on very entry-level bikes.

Budget

BMX More expensive doesn't always mean better. Take a closer look, maybe the difference between a bike for 25 and 30 thousand is not so fundamental, and it’s better to buy a cheaper bike, and spend the rest on good custom parts or protection.

This is where the main features end, then the nuances begin, but about them in other BMX articles. Any questions you can ask in our group

How to choose the right bike? What should you pay attention to when making a purchase decision? What are the types of bicycles? In order to answer these questions and not get confused in a huge range of bicycle equipment, it is necessary to understand the general structure of a bicycle and pay attention to the factors that make up its price. We offer you a few consistent tips and we hope that they will help you choose exactly the model you dream of.

1. Choose the type of bike (mountain, road, BMX, children, etc.)

   Depending on where, how, how often and how extreme you are going to ride, you need a certain type of bike. By clicking on the link below, you can familiarize yourself with the different types of bicycles and find the best one for you:

   Usually novice cyclists do not think long about how to choose a bike and buy comfortable hardtails or amateur-level models. These are versatile bikes, riding which allows you to understand what exactly attracts you the most: speed, off-road conquest, fast descents, jumps or a calm ride without “bells and whistles”. After that, you can already attend to the acquisition of a more expensive and specialized model.

   When choosing a bike, it is very important to choose the right size, i.e. Frame size is optimal for the height of the rider. Each model of a bicycle is produced in several sizes, just as clothes are sewn in several sizes. Riding a bike, the size of which is small or large, is not only inconvenient, but also dangerous. Knowing the height of the cyclist, it will not be difficult for you to choose the right size: just check the table in the tips on our website or consult our salespeople.

2. Depending on the gender and age of the rider, we choose the optimal model

   Are you looking for a bike for an adult male? Looking for a female model? Or maybe you need a bike for a teenager or a toddler? Depending on gender and age, there are different recommendations on how to choose a bike. We bring to your attention thematic articles-tips:

   Each bike can be conditionally divided into two components: a frame and attachments (wheels, fork, pedals, chains, gear shifters, etc.). The level of quality and price of the frame depends on the materials from which it is made (steel, high-drawn steel, chromium molybdenum, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, carbon), as well as strength, weight and other performance characteristics. The price of attachments is usually two to three times the price of the frame.

   Don't forget to buy everything you need