Honestly it all depends on your style of riding and what tricks you want to make easier/harder
Mychipsareahoy on
For almost twenty years the shortest chain stay I’d ever had was 13.5, then about a month ago a buddy hooked me up with a BSD Safari (older one with the 13” rear instead of 12.8). I gotta say, the short rear end is a lot nicer to flick around in my old age.
Alvinthf on
Sub 13” is ridiculous, but each to their own. Where I get annoyed is brands trying to outdo each other on the shortest rear for no actual benefit. What next an 18” rear to get the rear even shorter ?!
mndsm79 on
I’ve got a 12.7 and a 13.5.
I prefer the 13.5.
lskesm on
I bought a 12.9 frame after riding a 13.5 for years, I tried it slammed but I hate bashing my dropouts when grinding so I ended up pulling it back to around 13.25 and it’s perfect.
I find the steeper head tube angle to make more difference than the cs length. Twitchy at first, nice and snappy once you get used to it.
raymondmarble2 on
Like many trends in bmx, I think we are at the point where cs have gone too far with the shortness and eventually we will see less frames doing it. Much like for a while every kid wanted 30 inch wide, 10 inch tall bars, but lately people seem to have backed it down a bit with that stuff in general. From me personally, anything shorter than 13.25 seems like more negative than positive. Much how I hated 13 offset forks, just too touchy. I say this as someone that does a lot of tech grind stuff, too… whic I think is often the target audience for these things.
GoldAd9127 on
13.75 is perfection.
Awkward_Importance49 on
The shortest rear end I ever had was a Kink Whip. If forget what the CS length was but I bought it because I wanted to experience a short CS.
I really didn’t enjoy riding that bike, and I sold it on quickly.
I’m an older rider (early-mid fifties) and I much prefer a longer rear end, for whatever reason.
I mostly ride park the same way an old surfer rides waves. Nothing fancy, just air. And I do the mildest, most basic level of street.
My response tines and instincts are slower than younger me, and my bones more snappy and than they were. So I can’t afford to get too technical and too ambitious. I’m mostly just staying connected to BMX at the mildest level possible. A longer CS just suits my level and feels more pleasant to ride.
😁
LopsidedDeparture564 on
I have 13.4 on my stranger frame, but 175mm cranks and the back of my shoe sometimes hits my back pegs which I find really annoying. Going to buy some shorter cranks soon, probably 165mm.
9 Comments
Honestly it all depends on your style of riding and what tricks you want to make easier/harder
For almost twenty years the shortest chain stay I’d ever had was 13.5, then about a month ago a buddy hooked me up with a BSD Safari (older one with the 13” rear instead of 12.8). I gotta say, the short rear end is a lot nicer to flick around in my old age.
Sub 13” is ridiculous, but each to their own. Where I get annoyed is brands trying to outdo each other on the shortest rear for no actual benefit. What next an 18” rear to get the rear even shorter ?!
I’ve got a 12.7 and a 13.5.
I prefer the 13.5.
I bought a 12.9 frame after riding a 13.5 for years, I tried it slammed but I hate bashing my dropouts when grinding so I ended up pulling it back to around 13.25 and it’s perfect.
I find the steeper head tube angle to make more difference than the cs length. Twitchy at first, nice and snappy once you get used to it.
Like many trends in bmx, I think we are at the point where cs have gone too far with the shortness and eventually we will see less frames doing it. Much like for a while every kid wanted 30 inch wide, 10 inch tall bars, but lately people seem to have backed it down a bit with that stuff in general. From me personally, anything shorter than 13.25 seems like more negative than positive. Much how I hated 13 offset forks, just too touchy. I say this as someone that does a lot of tech grind stuff, too… whic I think is often the target audience for these things.
13.75 is perfection.
The shortest rear end I ever had was a Kink Whip. If forget what the CS length was but I bought it because I wanted to experience a short CS.
I really didn’t enjoy riding that bike, and I sold it on quickly.
I’m an older rider (early-mid fifties) and I much prefer a longer rear end, for whatever reason.
I mostly ride park the same way an old surfer rides waves. Nothing fancy, just air. And I do the mildest, most basic level of street.
My response tines and instincts are slower than younger me, and my bones more snappy and than they were. So I can’t afford to get too technical and too ambitious. I’m mostly just staying connected to BMX at the mildest level possible. A longer CS just suits my level and feels more pleasant to ride.
😁
I have 13.4 on my stranger frame, but 175mm cranks and the back of my shoe sometimes hits my back pegs which I find really annoying. Going to buy some shorter cranks soon, probably 165mm.