Hi all! I’m new to the group and new to BMX. I’m 39, life long skateboarder, but always wanted to try BMX and got my first bike last week. Because of my age, height (6’0”), and needs – mostly just want to cruise around the neighborhood while chasing my son on his balance bike – I decided to go with the Kink Drifter. The Drifter is a larger bike, with 26” wheels and a 22.25" top tube. It’s perfect for my cruising needs, but my question is about learning a few basic tricks. I would like to learn how to do a basic bunny hop, wheelie, manual, just to impress my 5 year old son, if nothing else. What I am wondering is: given the size of the bike, will it prevent me from learning these tricks? Many of the bunny hop tutorials I have watch suggest that the ability to hop is all about proper technique and has little to do with physical strength, bike size/weight, etc., but I would imagine that at some point those things will play some role. I have spent a bit of time trying to bunny hop following the tutorials, but have been having a lot of trouble getting my back wheel off the ground, and I am wondering whether I should stick with it, or if the bike geometry makes this a waste of time. Thank you!
by Secure-Lingonberry29
5 Comments
Will it be a little more difficult to throw around than a 20″? 100%. Will it be infinitely more comfortable on your middle aged back to just cruise around with your kid? 1000000%
Definietly doable. It will limit the height of your hops but it doesn’t really matter for you as you most likely won’t reach that limit anyway. Manuals are a bit harder to pull but mutch easier to hold as the bigger wheels make the bike more stable. Wheelies are *mutch* easier on a bike like this as you don’t have to struggle with pedalling while standing. You can also learn 180’s, pull up bars, g-turns, crankflips etc. basically you can do nearly anything that a beginner can learn on a “20. [Here’s some inspiration](https://youtu.be/O3BMYo3D5Vw?si=hT1LFXwufDiWNilF)
Have confidence that you can learn tricks on 26”. After you flip your fork the correct direction lol
First thing you’ll want to do is put your forks on the right way around, having them backwards is good for nose manuals but not so much for cruising, haha.
A bigger bike might be less nimble than a 20” BMX but it’s all the same techniques to learning tricks, just gotta persevere and you’ll get it!
We are in a nearly identical situation but I got the kink 26 drifter in white for 399.99 and I can do bunny hops all day. Try pointing your toes to the ground and use your jump with your feet griping the pedal. I’m no pro by any means but I taught my 7 year old how to
Do it in 20 mins.