Whatever happened to small BMXs?

[Arran]

Some parents recently told me about the difficulty they had finding a small BMX with 16 inch wheels for one of their kids. They were either heavy low quality department store tat or overengineered machines from high end BMX companies that cost in the region of £250 to £400. They couldn't seem to find anything on the market that was mid-range quality at an affordable price and popular like the Raleigh Mini Burner of the 1980s. They even considered buying a Mini Burner until they found that they sell for silly money. They ended up buying a Cuda Dirt Squirt.

http://cudabikes.co.uk/bikes/dirt-squirt-16-bmx-bike/

The question is, whatever happened to small BMXs and why are they no longer popular? Am I right in saying that it was very difficult to buy a boys bike with 16 inch wheels during most of the 1980s that wasn't a BMX until mountain bikes appeared at the end of the decade?

[big kid]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

i suppose they just aren't as popular with kids as they once were. most of the bikes you see are mountain bikes for kids. i offered to give my nephew a 2008 re-issue raleigh mag burner, but he didn't want it as it wasn't cool enough.

[Arran]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

I was expecting with the rise in popularity of BMXs with 20 inch wheels since the late 1990s then manufacturers would have followed suit with 16 inch wheels. Most kids bikes with 16 inch wheels are either mountain bikes or gimmicky tat from Halfords and toy stores. The Islabikes Cnoc 16 resembles a BMX, and the parents in #1 even considered it, but it hasn't inspired any manufacturers to start making more small BMXs.

What is strange is that the 20 inch BMX market is completely saturated with products and sales are now very sluggish. I'm wondering whether the manufacturers are missing an opportunity. I have found out that Cuda no longer makes 20 inch BMXs and only sells a 16 inch and an 18 inch BMX.

[Twocky61]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

I haven't seen any kids riding BMX's nowadays

[big kid]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

I haven't seen any kids riding BMX's nowadays

there's a few got them near where i live twocky. there's also a bmx / skate park located in town and it gets quite busy.

[Arran]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

I haven't seen any kids riding BMX's nowadays

Lots of kids round my way ride BMXs with 20 inch wheels. BMXs with 16 inch wheels are a rare sight. There are some BMX / skate parks.

[Mulletino]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

I guess the 16" version of my dream BMX (as a kid and still) would class as the top end.

http://www.sebikes.com/bikes/cat/rad.../lil-ripper-16

[Twocky61]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

Lots of kids round my way ride BMXs with 20 inch wheels. BMXs with 16 inch wheels are a rare sight. There are some BMX / skate parks.

I love them but being in my fifties I would look weird riding one lol

[Arran]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

I guess the 16" version of my dream BMX (as a kid and still) would class as the top end.

http://www.sebikes.com/bikes/cat/rad.../lil-ripper-16

The kid in #1 would love that but at a price higher than an Islabike then there is no way his parents would buy it. I am wondering what sort of parents buy them. Islabikes are expensive but they have a good name and are backed up by the adult cycling and parents who want to spoil their kids communities, but the market for BMXs with 16 inch wheels over £200 must be a small one and over £300 miniscule.

[Twocky61]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

Here in Christchurch UK we have a furniture recycling charity

We accept donations of white goods, furniture & electrical goods such as TV's etc. which we sell on cheaply to people who can't afford to buy new

Our Christchurch depot is bulk waste. We have showrooms in Bournemouth, Dorchester & Poole where people can come in & browse & buy

Some of the things donated to us for resale has included BMX & other bicycles

[Arran]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

I have never seen any decent BMXs with 16 inch wheels on sale secondhand in the real world over the past 10 or so years. Plenty of gimmicky low quality department store kids bikes though. Even most of the full size BMXs are low end or mediocre models. I suspect that when decent stuff appears it's snapped up very quickly.

[Richard1978]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

At one time you could get a BMX for little money second hand when everyone wanted mountain bikes.

My Brother's Viceroy went for a small about at a school car boot sale.

[Arran]

Re: Whatever happened to small BMXs?

At one time you could get a BMX for little money second hand when everyone wanted mountain bikes.

My Brother's Viceroy went for a small about at a school car boot sale.

That was back in the early to mid 1990s. There were some kids at my primary school who had Raleigh Mini Burners or other old school BMXs with 16 inch wheels but they were mostly hand me downs or they had them because their parents couldn't afford new bikes for them rather than through choice. Even so they were probably better quality than some of the new gimmick tat nowadays that come in boxes and parents have to assemble themselves. As I previously stated in the OP Raleigh Mini Burners sell for silly money nowadays.