Trailriding, real trail riding question

PB Forum :: BMX (20")
Trailriding, real trail riding question
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flag storey618
Posted: Oct 29, 2015 at 15:49 Quote
this past year i spent a few days with my dad out at a local place called fort custer. we rode dirt trails, when i say we rode trails i dont mean we were out there at some place with jumps just hanging out in one area. we were actually riding around 8-12 miles on dirt trails. im trying to specify this only because im one of very few people apparently to ride trails on a bmx. i ride a 98 mongoose expert comp, it was given to me by my dad. he bought it back in 98. now my question is is there anything anyone would change for what im doing. im not going to buy a new frame as this one has sentimental value. im more curious about what you would put on the bike, or swap

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flag O-7plymaple-O
Posted: Oct 30, 2015 at 1:38 Quote
Nice Bike!

I used to love doing real trail rides on my BMX too. I found getting the fattest front tire I could get helped. Ran it pretty soft so it would roll over rocks and roots much easier. I found a fat one that was made for a 20" mountain bike for kids that still rolled fast when it was pretty soft. Got it for the super aggressive tread. I needed that tread for mud and snow. Combined with front brakes it made going down steep hills much more controllable. You can score a front fork from a haro with front brake bosses on it. Heavy but cheap. The extra weight of the fork and tire were worth it for the ride and control to me. And then I would go down a couple teeth on my front chainring for hilly or technical trails.

I don't ride BMX right now due to a bad back. But the only BMX I kept was my old heavy Haro with front and rear brakes. Because it's just a matter of a tire change to do jumps or trails.
flag storey618
Posted: Oct 30, 2015 at 15:02 Quote
O-7plymaple-O wrote:
Nice Bike!

I used to love doing real trail rides on my BMX too. I found getting the fattest front tire I could get helped. Ran it pretty soft so it would roll over rocks and roots much easier. I found a fat one that was made for a 20" mountain bike for kids that still rolled fast when it was pretty soft. Got it for the super aggressive tread. I needed that tread for mud and snow. Combined with front brakes it made going down steep hills much more controllable. You can score a front fork from a haro with front brake bosses on it. Heavy but cheap. The extra weight of the fork and tire were worth it for the ride and control to me. And then I would go down a couple teeth on my front chainring for hilly or technical trails.

I don't ride BMX right now due to a bad back. But the only BMX I kept was my old heavy Haro with front and rear brakes. Because it's just a matter of a tire change to do jumps or trails.

really appreciate the response. the hills do get pretty crazy on the trails. we ride the "hardest trail" since it actually gets your blood pumping haha i have a front brake but it just never worked so i pulled it off. ive been looking into the odyssey f25 front forks with brake mounts, odyssey highway bars, and a headset. any opinions on this stuff/ reccomendations. all this stuff needs to be able to take a beating.
flag O-7plymaple-O
Posted: Oct 31, 2015 at 13:09 Quote
Oh ya those odyssey forks look nice! You got me thinking I should get those, some cranks and wheels to lighten up my haro for when I'm good to ride again.

Oh ya if you get a smaller front chain ring get a couple chains with quick links. Then you have a chain the right length for each ring and the option for a quick swap depending on where you ride.
flag SLAUGHTERBACK
Posted: Oct 31, 2015 at 14:46 Quote
I know zilch about actual trail riding on a bmx but that is a beautiful bike. Odd seeing a race bike from my day with fat street tires. If you want to swap the fork it will take some work, those used a 1" threaded steerer and headset most likely and definitely unsealed bearings for sure, and of course new stuff is all 1 1/8 threadless integrated compatible. If you are lucky it will be 1 1/8 threaded then all you need is a standard to integrated headset, threadless stem, and your fork of choice.
flag O-7plymaple-O
Posted: Oct 31, 2015 at 19:21 Quote
Dang that's right. Steer tube will be an issue. If I were you I would keep that beauty the way it is and build up another bike for the trails. If you're going to be getting it muddy sealed bottom bracket and headset would take less maintenance for a dedicated dirt bike. You would have more options for gearing with a more modern drive train too. But a BMX is a BMX. They can do anything so what ever feels right is right.

This thread made me pull my bike down off the hook. Damn it's heavy! Doesn't feel right lol.
flag human-after-all
Posted: Oct 31, 2015 at 19:59 Quote
Sweet rig mate, looks almost identical to my first real bmx; a mongoose sniper. If it were me I would get some taller chrome bars as well. The comment regarding the fork is correct, you won't be able to find a compatible fork made within the last 18 years.

As the threaded fork and wedge stem combo will be the weakest link on this bike there is no reason to add any extra strength anywhere else, if anything it would be a good idea to lighten up other aspects of the bike to deal with stress more evenly. A 19mm profile crank have a good bounce to them as well as wider non heat treated handlebars.
flag storey618
Posted: Nov 4, 2015 at 17:01 Quote
really appreciate the feedback guys, also happy you guys enjoy the bike. i am quite proud to be the owner! i do believe i will be buying new handlebars for the bike. do you guys have any suggestions? i was looking at odyssey ones but thats only because its a name i know well lol also i believe the fork is 1" threaded so is there anyway to convert to 1 1/8"?
flag storey618
Posted: Nov 5, 2015 at 11:38 Quote
Went over to my parents today and pulled some parts off spare bikes. Both 1 1/8" one from mongoose ace and the other from a diamondback. Gonna mess with them tonight to see if the fit at all and if I can make them work. If they work they will get fresh paint!

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flag storey618
Posted: Nov 6, 2015 at 17:01 Quote
so just in case anyone is curious it is possible to put a 1 1/8" threadless fork on an oldschool 1" threaded head. you use your regular 1" cups and the bearings, seats, and rubber seals from a 1 1/8" headset. this fork is only temporary, i just wanted to see if it was possible before i bought a good fork. my apologies for the horrible picture

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flag ricar
Posted: Nov 7, 2015 at 19:01 Quote
It is possible but you are using the wrong bearings and they will wear out quickly. I don't know if that will damage anything but the head set but.... I wouldn't worry about taller bars, that's the "new" thing that's not actually "new". Just like when we all rode really wide bars then went to really narrow bars and now surprise!! wide bars are back. If you like them, ride them. There is nothing wrong with the bike as it sits, obviously you can ride your trails so nothing NEEDS to be changed, the gyro may be an issue as it can make setting up the brakes more tricky and you can just pull it off and sit it in the corner, then it can go back on in a few minutes if you so desire. There are old 4130 forks to be had on E-bay or other bike shops, i'd bet money I could have one tomorrow from a shop owner I know. Front brakes were more prevalent back in the day, DMC was king and always rode a front brake. Also, for that type of riding I'd consider swapping the canti for a Vee just because they are much more efficient and can easily be swapped back.

WOW mint looking bike!
flag O-7plymaple-O
Posted: Nov 8, 2015 at 20:10 Quote
storey618 wrote:
so just in case anyone is curious it is possible to put a 1 1/8" threadless fork on an oldschool 1" threaded head. you use your regular 1" cups and the bearings, seats, and rubber seals from a 1 1/8" headset. this fork is only temporary, i just wanted to see if it was possible before i bought a good fork. my apologies for the horrible picture

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Glad to see you got it together! I dont know what the bearings look like for your headset. But there might be a conversion kit out there that might make it fit properly.

Hey ricar do you know if they make V brakes that work with the same brake bosses? Makes good sense to go with them. If they are the same I'm going to try it out.
flag storey618
Posted: Nov 9, 2015 at 18:38 Quote
ricar wrote:
It is possible but you are using the wrong bearings and they will wear out quickly. I don't know if that will damage anything but the head set but.... I wouldn't worry about taller bars, that's the "new" thing that's not actually "new". Just like when we all rode really wide bars then went to really narrow bars and now surprise!! wide bars are back. If you like them, ride them. There is nothing wrong with the bike as it sits, obviously you can ride your trails so nothing NEEDS to be changed, the gyro may be an issue as it can make setting up the brakes more tricky and you can just pull it off and sit it in the corner, then it can go back on in a few minutes if you so desire. There are old 4130 forks to be had on E-bay or other bike shops, i'd bet money I could have one tomorrow from a shop owner I know. Front brakes were more prevalent back in the day, DMC was king and always rode a front brake. Also, for that type of riding I'd consider swapping the canti for a Vee just because they are much more efficient and can easily be swapped back.

WOW mint looking bike!

what do you mean by wrong bearings? what ones should i be using? and thanks!
flag ricar
Posted: Nov 9, 2015 at 20:16 Quote
Not the wrong bearings exactly, just the wrong size bearings. The bearings should have the same radius of the cup and race but you are using mismatched races and one of them will most likely be wrong. I suppose it may be possible to end up with matching races but that would be a matter of chance. I would bet it's possible to get head sets using the same size balls now that I think about it..... You would just have to use fewer balls. You would probably end up with a larger gap when done but that shouldn't be too big a deal.... I guess you you really look into it you could come out with a head set that could last as long as a stock one but this is just me sitting at a keyboard not actually looking at cups and races. I have some kicking around, now you have me interested.


You can sit a ball on the races and see how close it is, the closer the curves are the longer it should last. The bearings may last quite a while or you may crush them in a month depending on how close they are, they may last years (the bearings or races may get damaged) . Back in the day I ran some pretty chewed head sets, the only thing that was damaged was the head set so no real loss but keep it snug (not tight) if there's play you can crack the frame.
flag ricar
Posted: Nov 9, 2015 at 20:27 Quote
As far as the cantis and Vees use the same posts but different perches for the levers.
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