There is no common agreement as to sizing “Pro XL” from one company might be “Pro” or “Pro XXL” at another. Most racers south of middle age will want a twenty-inch wheel. Most riders will want a “dirt” or “park” bike, but children under twelve who have racing in mind should choose a ride specific to that task, lest they find themselves a long way behind the rest of even novice-level competition. Last but certainly not least, “BikeLife” is a whole new approach to BMX born from avant-garde street riders in Harlem, Philadelphia, Oakland, and elsewhere. Middle-aged riders looking to recapture some of their youth without cracking their kneecaps will be interested in a flock of new “retro” bikes which repeat the styles of the ’80s and ’90s forebears with more rider room and more durable materials. (Supercross, one of the most popular race-oriented brands, stocks 12 frame sizes for the 20-inch wheel and six frame sizes for “cruiser” races, using a 24-inch wheel.) Dirt, park, and street bikes all share the same rugged construction and steel-frame aesthetic, but they are each subtly optimized for a particular venue.
Race bikes are optimized for competition, with stiff frames and extremely specific sizing. Most BMX bikes fall into one of six categories. That specialization means that, as with the mountain-bike cousins, you will give up performance in one area to gain it elsewhere-but the diversity of adult-sized BMX bikes is not nearly as outrageous as is it on the mountain, and it’s possible to race on your skatepark bike or vice versa. Starting in 1969 with repurposed Schwinns, the sport quickly refined and expanded its riding options to include everything from 12-pound terrors for six-year-old Expert-category riders to the 29-inch “bike life” cruisers beloved of the Brooklyn wheelie crowd. BMX is arguably the most diverse and inclusive form of cycling out there, encompassing coastal cultures, urban stunt riding, and hard-nosed rural competition in a single, loosely drawn concept.
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