8 of the best complete BMXs and BMX frames you can buy in 2021
Looking to add some small wheeled fun to your collection? These are the best BMXs – both complete set-ups and frames for custom creations – for riding park, street and dirt.
The humble BMX: design icon, passport to freedom, alien transport vehicle; you’ve seen E.T. right? The BMX came to be – as most cool things did – from California. Kids wanted to emulate the dirt track-tearing motocross racers of their locale and needed strong and resilient bikes to withstand the beating they’d throw down.
Bicycle Moto-Cross has evolved somewhat since its inception in the late ‘70s, with there now a standardised design that even your gran could recognise. Close your eyes and you’ll picture the 20” wheels, perfectly nimble and robust for maneuverability; the big bucket-like handlebars for maximum control; and maybe some pegs – just 'pegs'; nobody says stunt pegs anymore.
Indeed the established design is pretty well honed for the job at hand – riding parks, dirt jumps and just about anything else you can lay rubber on. While the ‘90s and early ‘00s demonstrated what over-building a bike to the point of ‘behemoth’ looks like, modern technology can be thanked for the current lighter weight, yet equally strong, builds out there. Indeed, in this day and age, an entry-level complete bike will hold up to some serious punishment, which makes them a great purchase for those who maybe don’t afford too much care to their bike...
How to find the right BMX size for you
While almost every BMX centres around the 20” wheel, dimensions of the frame and handlebars vary quite considerably and can make the difference between wrestling a steel beast into control or sublimely carving your way through a skatepark with an extension of your body.
Top tube length is the big give away. If you’re anything up to 5’6”, a 20.5” or below top tube will be pretty well suited to you. Taller than that and it’s worth looking at something with a 21” top tube. Substantially taller? Go even longer again. You see the pattern here.
How to find the right BMX for your riding style
While BMX bikes and their abilities are really diverse, if you’re looking to specialise in a certain type of riding then it can’t hurt to find a bike more tailored to your needs – if you know what those are. The three main types of design influence you’ll find are: park, street and dirt.
Park bikes tend to be lightweight at all costs, and have rather twitchy handling for very precise riding; they’ll often be fitted with only a back brake, too. A BMX designed for street riding will be similarly twitchy but built to be a little more robust – their frames tend to be shorter and easier to bunnyhop, often have the option to go brakeless (literally having no brakes for simplicity) and a lot of the time will come supplied with pegs for grinding. Dirt-oriented bikes tend to be a little longer in the frame so they’re stable at high speeds, and will usually have a slightly more aggressive tread pattern on their tyres for grip off road.
How to decide whether you should buy a complete BMX or go custom
Die-hard riders will almost always have a custom-built bike. With the standardisation of components, it’s very simple to swap bits and pieces to create your perfect steed. But that shouldn’t deter you from buying a complete bike; completes often form the perfect compromise of team input for a well-rounded bike, allowing you to buy a bike that will be perfectly capable of anything you throw at it, and usually for a reasonable price. Once you’ve found your feet then you may consider upgrading your complete bike with new components, or even building your own bike from the frame up.
Tall Order is owned and run by Bas Keep, a rider who knows a thing or two about big ramp riding. His brand is tailored towards transition riding and the Ramp is a bike that will guide any novice through the basics of the skatepark comfortably. It utilises a sealed cassette, which protects the ratchet mechanism in the rear wheel from dust and grime, meaning the longevity of the bike is prolonged; a feature rarely found on bikes at this price point.
The Tiro has been a staple of the Subrosa brand line-up for a few years, and with good reason; it’s proved its worth as an entry-level bike of choice for many. One of the top-selling points of this bike is the availability of L, XL and XXL versions – geared for those coming to BMX a little later in life. The 20.5” top tube on the regular Tiro or the 21” XL version will provide coverage for most of the market, and both include the same build kit of Subrosa and Rant parts, to form a solid riding platform.
Pro-level complete bikes are a relatively recent revelation in the BMX world, and it completely makes sense. With the rapid progression of riders’ abilities thanks to the world-class sporting facilities popping up left, right and centre, why wouldn’t you buy a bike ready for absolutely everything? The Kink Williams uses a complete Kink build kit with some aftermarket parts from Nathan Williams’ other sponsor, Cinema. That means you’re riding almost the same bike as one of the leading street riders in the world.
Topping out the complete bike list at the more expensive end of the scale is the no-compromises Sunday Soundwave Special. Every single part on this bike is aftermarket spec, with most of the parts split between Sunday and Odyssey; both famed for their shared 41Thermal heat treatment process that carries a reputation of industry-leading strength.
Aimed at the most hardcore street riders out there like Broc Raiford, this bike would survive an atom bomb explosion along with the cockroaches.
While it might seem excessive to spend as much (if not more) on a frame than a complete bike, it often makes sense when planning a completely custom build. Yes, the 187 V3 from Tall Order above might cost as much as the brand's Ramp complete bike featured earlier in this list, but you're buying yourself a pro-level bit of kit that, when built up with similarly specced parts, will leave you with a seriously high-end BMX – rather than being stuck with an entry-level complete bike's frame at the heart of your build.
This silver finish is Kieran Reilly's signature paint job, and the rising star of British BMX uses his 187 to nail all of his biggest tricks. The frame comes pre-drilled to be able to fit a gyro brake system, while a really low standover height gives you even more control and time when attempting tailwhips.
Investing in a BMX frame doesn't always have to mean buying a discipline-specific design. Take Kriss Kyle's signature BSD Freedom frame for example.
The Scottish pro rides all sorts – from park, to street to dirt – and his BSD Freedom is there with him every spin of the way. Designed to perform in all terrains, the frame is both stable and responsive, and its durable investment cast wishbone and seatstay bridge give you added peace of mind if the trick you're attempting doesn't come off first time.
Courage Adams is one of the best street riders on the planet at the moment and his signature Savanna frameset is a testament to his style. A steep steerer tube angle of 75.5 degrees means it’s more friendly to those looking to balance on the front wheel like Courage can.
Don’t mistake this frame for anything but a piece of pro-level kit though; there’s no mounting option for a brake. Instead, frame details take the form of in-built chain tensioners and investment cast dropouts. Rounding out the frame, there’s gusseted top and down tubes, along with an almighty large seat-stay wishbone, providing all the strength required of a high calibre street riding machine.
If you’re looking to build your own bike, this is where things get interesting, as frame geometries really start to specialise. The Credence MOD by legendary US brand S&M is aimed at those who like to go big and is perfect if you’re looking to ride burly jumps or concrete bowls. And, thanks to its more traditional (read: relaxed) geometry that is stable at higher speeds, the USA-made frame is the ideal starting point for a dirt-ready trails rig. Available in black, gloss clear or trans brown.
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