BMX Bike Wheels Guide

by Jack Johnson

The standard and efficiency of your BMX bike can be seen on the wheels you are using. BMX wheels are usually made to be only effective on one or more platform. So, choosing a right wheel requires that you give importance on where you should use it.

Bike wheels usually contain 6 parts: tire, inner tube, rim, spoke, hub and axle. The tires that are fasten on the rim of the wheel and hold the inner tube inside of it. For the rim, you can use the chrome type because it provides better braking surface for your brake pads. Rims are usually held in place by a spoke. The wires found on the wheel are called the spokes, while the hub is the part of a wheel that is found at the center. It can come with sealed or unsealed bearing. The center of the hub is known as axle.

BMX bike wheels come in many types. Bikes usually come in different sized axles on front and back wheel. The common size of axles is 3/8 inch or 14mm. Also, bikes have different spoke counts. But remember that the strength of the wheel does not depend on the number of the spokes. Some box-store bikes with lots of spokes are even useless.

Tires have different specifications. Some tires like knobbier tires work on dirt ground while other tires with smoother patterns work on asphalt or wood. But some tires can also work on both dirt and pavement. At the time of your purchase, some shops usually agreed on swapping your tires for free. After your purchase, your wheels can be upgraded and this will usually cost more than $40 per wheel.

Putting wheels on your BMX bike seems easy. But it can be tricky to keep your wheels properly maintained. If there is a clicking noise on your bike, then you have loose spokes. To adjust the tightness of the spoke, turn the spoke to the left using a wrench. But if the wheels of your BMX bike don’t spin very well, then the bearings of the wheels are too tight. Tightening your bearings might take a while and even can be frustrating. Hence, you might want to use the sealed bearings. Sealed bearings are stronger, more reliable and easier to work on. Compared to other bearings, sealed bearings last long.

You can find the best selling wheels on chainreactioncycles.com. These are Blank Supra Dome 9T Cassette Rear Wheel with 14mm heat treated axle and 36h rim, Stolen Roulette 9T Cassette Rear Wheel with 1 piece chromoly driver and 4 pawls with sealed bearings, Stolen Roulette 10mm Front Wheel with 36h rim and weighs 0.92kg, Kore Speed Hoop BMX Wheelset with 14mm axles with track nuts, Halo Tornado MX Front Wheel with Halo 32mm Tornado rims with eyelets, Blank Supra-G Flip Flop 14mm Rear Wheel with 14mm Axle and 48h for maximum strength, Blank Supra Dome 10mm Front Wheel with 10mm axle and 36h, and KHE Astral Front Wheel with 14mm axle and 36h.

These bike wheels are manufactured with different features. They come on different size of axle, spoke count, weight, color, bearing etc. Among these bikes, Kore Speed Hoop BMX Wheelset is considered to be the most expensive with a price of 199.99. And the Black Supra-G Flip Flop 14mm Rear Wheel is the cheapest with a price of 63.99.

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Looking to for bmx bike wheels for sale? Check out bmxbikewheels.info for everything and anything you need for wheels for you bmx bike.
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July 20 2009 | bikes | No Comments »

A Breif History Of BMX Bikes

by Barry Johnson

It started in the early 1970s, Bicycle motocross or popularly known as BMX bikes have been used in races and in performing stunts all over the world.

Organizations have been formed to support this type of interest of some people. The National Bicycle League which was formed in 1974 was a non-profit bicycle motocross organization founded by George E. Esser in Florida. In 1977, the ABA (American Bicycle Association) was created to further support the growing sport. Then in 1981, the International BMX Federation was formed wherein they held their very first competition in 1982. Just this 2008, the very first BMX category joined the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing with two categories: one for Male and one for Female. And the very first to won the gold medals were from Latvia and France.

These BMX bikes are a sport for some, but for the rest they just ride them for fun. As a sport, BMX bikes can be expensive since the riders may invest a lot to make their bikes better. A unit can range from $150 to more than $3,000. There are also a few companies who have been manufacturing BMX bikes. To mention a few, we have Schwinn, GT, Haro and the more known to plenty, YAMAHA.

BMX bikes quiet differ from the normal bicycles. They are smaller in built but their wheels are bigger which are better for the riders to use when driving them in bumpy and rough roads. Some companies also manufacture specially designed BMX bikes to cater their customers’ needs.

When showing of stunts, BMX bike riders usually follow what the skateboarders do except they are using these much bigger units compared to the skateboards. BMX bikes are much harder to control since they are heavier as to the skateboards. Practice is a huge part so that there are stunts are delivered perfectly. Others are even getting paid to this. Some compete where they earn recognition in different sectors. For the more professional, they get to hop from cities to cities, to other countries to display their talents.

The more common term to this stunt showcase is called Freestyle riding where riders are allowed to show off their unique talents in riding their BMX bikes up in the air and on the ground illustrating different moves and stunts. Crowds usually are wowed by the excitement being shown by the riders.

BMX bikes can give us the speed, the power and the excitement however we should be aware of the safety measures to be considered. So start joining the thrill of this sport but always be cautious.

About the Author:
Looking for a good place to buy very cheap bmx bikes? Check out cheapbmxbikes.info for all the lateset deals!
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July 20 2009 | cycling | No Comments »