BMX bikes are good for commuting in cities and sub-urban environments. Growing up in a city, you’ll find that you’re always bogged down by traffic, although using a BMX can solve this.
BMX’s are awesome for travelling for short commutes, preferentially with not huge gradients either. Commuting outdoors on your BMX can be very beneficial for your mental health.
Moreover, by choosing to use a BMX to commute instead of a car or public transport you start to get fitter and reduce your impact on the environment.
In this article I will discuss how easy it can be to implement your BMX for your daily commute. This includes easy modifications that can be done to your bike to improve convenience.
BMX bikes are good for commuting on the daily basis in-comparison to other bikes as they have a simple, but a high strength design which can take a lot of abuse, with little maintenance.
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Should I Commute On My BMX Bike?
If you’re a bicycle enthusiast who has many other bike types, such as a mountain, folding and a cruiser bicycle, then we recommend that you use the other bicycles.
Although saying that, if you only own a BMX we highly advise that you try commuting on it for at least a week and notice how much fitter you become because of it.
Although if you have a long journey, say in excess of 10 miles, then we recommend that you avoid using your BMX for your commute. This is because you may struggle when attempting to tackle multiple hills with a single gear and low seat BMX.
However you can make a few modifications that will make your commute on your BMX much more comfortable and suitable.
One huge benefit of using your BMX for commuting is that due to its smaller size, it can be much easy to manoeuvre on roads than other road bicycles. It’s smaller frame size and rear end can be really useful when corning in the streets at a fast pace.
Different Types Of BMX Bikes For Commuting
BMX bikes are versatile and practical forms of transport, which can be used for various types of riding styles. This means they have certain features that may alter them to be better for that style.
For instance, freestyle and street BMX bikes will have wide, slick tires and have a low seat. You may also find that a dirt jump style BMX will look similar although will have more defined and wider tires, so they get grip on trails. You may notice that flatland BMX bikes have 4 pegs and special pedals.
Ultimately we would recommend to use freestyle or street BMX bikes for commuting over race or flatland ones are they’re designed for more flexible travel conditions. Racing and flatland BMX’s are strictly designed for their riding style, so adopting them as an alternative commute bicycle will be more difficult.
How To Make Your BMX Bike Better For Commuting
There are many modifications that you can make to your BMX bike to make it more comfortable for commuting. The first would be to adjust or change the BMX seat. Simply put, because typically BMX seats are so low, it forces you to remain standing up whilst riding. However if you raise your seat it can become comfortable to sit on whilst riding, which makes a big difference in suitability for your commute.
Setting Your Seat Post At A Comfortable Height
You should aim to raise the seat to ideally your waist height as recommended by a lot of reputable sources. However it can become obvious that a lot of BMX seat posts are not long enough to reach these heights. If this is the case, just raise it as high and suitable as possible.
Next as they’re easy and cheap to change, check how well padded your BMX seat is as you’ll want a padded and comfortable seat for your daily commute, as you’ll want to avoid aches.
Fitting Brakes To Your BMX Bike
Next you should think about your brakes. This is because many BMX riders tend to ride brakeless, which means that they do not have a BMX braking system fitted.
Riding your BMX brakeless on your commute can be very dangerous, this is why we recommend that you fit some rear brakes to your BMX in order to help you stopping safely.
How To Make BMX Bikes Safer For Your Commute
Safety should always be your priority when considering if BMX bikes are good for commuting or whether you ride in parks. Although to focus on the task at hand, making your BMX bike safe for commuting can be easy. These safety measures can be easy to implement and relatively cheap too.
Wearing A Helmet On Your Commute
Wearing your helmet on your commute is an essential rule you should follow. This is because riding on the roads can be risky and dangerous, similar to riding at the skate park or on the track. This is because there are other cars and road users that can accidently bump into you.
In an event of a collision or a fall whilst riding on the road, you 100% would want to be wearing a helmet. This will protect your head massively from any head tremors or other serious injuries.
When searching for a helmet to use whilst riding your BMX bike for commuting, you should ensure its been safety certified. Things to look out for are safety certifications such as CSPC or ASTM certification.
Make Sure Your Service Your BMX Bike
Next you’ll want to keep your BMX bike in the best condition possible for commuting. This means bi-annually you should service it and do these checks:
- Tighten all bolts with a set of Allen keys to ensure nothing is loose.
- Spray WD-40 on the chain to protect it from rust and keep it lubricated.
- Check tire PSI levels and tread measurements.
- Tighten your stem to your forks.
- Tighten bars to your stem, using the ‘X’ shape pattern.
Remain Visible On Your Commute
Finally, you should remain visible on your BMX bike on your commute. This becomes important especially in the winter months where days become shorter and nights longer.
Conclusion
Overall we think that BMX bikes are good for commuting, as there are so many benefits to your health and life that come with it. If you prepare yourself and your bike accordingly, it can reduce your commute journey and you can easily do it safely. We do however recommend sticking to the under five mile rule, if its any longer we recommend using another form of transport or other type of bicycle.
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