Are BMX Bikes Good for Long Distance? An Honest Answer
You’ve recently invested in a BMX bike, and so far, you’re quite pleased with your purchase. Lately, you’ve begun thinking of using the BMX bike like a road bike and taking it long distances. Are BMX bikes good for long distance riding?
The Short Answer is no, BMX bikes are not designed for long-distance riding, but rather, doing stunts, off-roading, and short racing. You’re supposed to stand and use a BMX bike, which doesn’t exactly make them conducive to your morning commute!
Just because a BMX bike isn’t suitable for your endeavors of long-distance riding doesn’t mean that other bikes out there wouldn’t fit the bill.
In today’s guide, I’ll first go over all the reasons why you shouldn’t ride a BMX bike long distances and then share some recommendations of bikes that are better for this job.
This Is Why BMX Bikes Are Ill-Suited for Long-Distance Riding
BMX bikes are designed for off-roading and tough terrain. If you have a particularly harrowing commute, then one of these bikes seems like the perfect solution for getting from Point A to Point B.
Just because it sounds good on paper though doesn’t mean it works in real life.
You could always try riding a BMX bike for more than a couple of minutes to see what I mean.
What you’ll realize is that a myriad of issues become apparent that prohibit a BMX bike from being a truly good candidate for an everyday long-distance commuter bike.
Here’s an overview of those issues.
Aren’t Meant for Sitting
Do BMX bikes have seats? Well, of course, they do. They’re bicycles, after all, not torture traps.
However, just because the seat is there doesn’t mean it’s designed for long-term use. It’s really only barely made for short-term use.
The purpose of the seat is to temporarily give you a place to sit in between doing stunts. The seat of a BMX bike is thus not made to support your entire body weight, only the weight of your sit bones.
After all, no one really does stunts on a BMX bike when in a seated position, and that’s no way to win a race either.
The shape of a BMX bike seat isn’t particularly comfy, either.
Unlike your traditional bike seat, a BMX bike seat is a lot skinnier and more narrowly shaped.
The purpose of this is so a BMX biker can move their legs and lower half as much as needed when riding the bike.
Even though a BMX bike seat is adjustable, that’s usually just the height and angle.
No matter how you set those features, nothing is going to make the seat more comfortable. The seat also won’t be able to support your full weight like a traditional bike seat can.
If you ride a BMX bike for more than 10 or 20 minutes, you might experience lower-body aches, pains, and possibly numbness as well.
You’ll reach your destination, sure, but you’ll be in great pain the entire day. You’ll dread having to hop back on the BMX bike and ride home again.
Can’t Handle Hills Well
Here’s a fun fact: BMX bikes often don’t have gears.
You can only push yourself so much physically when riding a bike and achieve so much momentum.
If that’s not enough momentum to get you up a tall hill, then you’d risk sliding back down the hill and probably falling off your bike in the process.
That’s why you can usually adjust gears on the fly, converting more of your physical effort into a degree of output that will help propel you up that hill. Once you reach the precipice, you can switch your gears back.
Well, when your bike lacks gears in the first place, whether you get up a hill or not is exclusively reliant on your physical ability.
When you consider the fact that BMX bikes don’t allow you to comfortably sit, and that there are other obstacles I have yet to discuss that further impede your comfort, you might not be able to pedal to your full extent on one of these bikes.
So what happens?
Well, it’s like I said before. You might get midway up the hill before you begin rolling down backwards.
The lack of control makes it very easy to take a rough tumble from your bike. You could end up with lacerations, bruises, or even fractures or broken bones for your efforts.
The alternative is that you succeed to make it up the hill, but you’re so physically exhausted that you wonder how you’ll get through the rest of your trip.
You might be bathed in sweat by the time you reach your destination. It doesn’t matter if you’re going grocery shopping, meeting your friends for dinner, or going to work, you don’t want to be a sweaty, drenched mess.
You’ll look unkempt and smell terrible to boot.
Might Lack Brakes
When commuting on a bike, another consideration is stopping and how you’ll do it.
After all, you’ll have to stop all the time on your commute.
You’re beholden to the same duties and rights as a motorist in a car or truck in many states, and that means stopping whenever you see a stop sign or a red light.
There’s only one problem with that when riding a BMX bike. They don’t have traditional brakes.
The brakes are usually only around the back, but some BMX bikes feature front brakes exclusively.
Some BMX bikes have a combination of front and back brakes, which is the most comprehensive stopping solution.
Oh, and certain subsets of BMX riders will simply remove the brakes altogether, as the brakes can sometimes get in the way of being able to perform stunts.
Even if your BMX bike has brakes (or at least, to the best of your knowledge, it does), that doesn’t mean that using the brakes is as innately familiar as braking on a traditional bike.
You have to know where your brakes are (front or back or front and back) and how to activate them.
The most common types of brakes seen in BMX bikes are linear-pull brakes and U-brakes, both of which may be foreign to you.
U-brakes offer a higher degree of control while it’s easier to grip linear-pull brakes.
If your bike doesn’t have brakes at all, then you have to apply pressure to the rear wheel–typically with your foot–to stop the wheel and your bike.
If that sounds inconvenient and a little dangerous, that’s because it’s both.
It’s also impossible to stop on a dime or anywhere near on a dime if your BMX bike doesn’t have brakes.
Likewise, it will take time to adjust to U-brakes and linear-pull brakes.
If you can’t stop when you want to, then you’re at risk of crashing into other motorists (be those cyclists or car or truck drivers) as well as pedestrians, buildings, trees, and other obstacles.
Bike crashes are in some ways not as catastrophic as car accidents and in other ways are even more so.
You have less to shield you in a crash, which is the most dangerous part.
If you’re flung from your bike and all you’re wearing is a helmet (provided you’re even wearing that), then you could experience serious injuries.
Besides broken bones, fractures, and lacerations, you could also risk a traumatic brain injury such as a concussion, brain swelling, and spinal injuries as well.
Small Frames Aren’t Comfortable
If you aren’t totally convinced not to ride a BMX bike long distances yet, I have one more reason that should hopefully dissuade you from doing it.
The size of a BMX bike frame is awfully small.
The frame is designed intentionally to allow you to pedal when standing.
If you try to sit on a small BMX bike, your knees might knock into the handlebars, or even the frame of the bike, and you might trip yourself up.
Even if you found that you’re able to ride easily enough, the small frame just isn’t comfortable.
Neither is prolonged standing, but you already know how you can’t rely on the seat of a BMX bike for much comfort at all. The seat is not even designed to support your whole weight.
Altogether, riding a BMX bike long distances is maybe possible, but it’d be a completely miserable experience. Why would you want to put yourself through it if you don’t have to?
What Types of Bikes Should You Ride Over Long Distances Instead?
Whether you’re looking for a commuter bike to get you to and from work or you’re interested in going on long biking treks, I hope I’ve made it exceptionally clear that a BMX bike is not the bike for the job.
Here are some bikes that are designed for long-distance riding.
Touring Bike
As the name implies, a touring bike is built for hours upon hours of continuous cycling, aka touring.
There are several subtypes of touring bikes, but I think for your purposes, a road touring bike would be the best pick.
A road touring bike has a stable frame geometry that promotes comfort with every push of the pedal.
Even if you’re carrying a backpack or some grocery bags, road touring bikes don’t change their handling.
That might not be the case if your load is too heavy though, so be conscious of what you’re carrying on the bike.
Touring bicycles do make it easier to carry cargo with you as they feature mounting points for connecting panniers or carrier racks.
Drop handlebars, improved steering geometry, and a lengthy wheelbase are other standout features, as are durable wheels, derailleur gears, and sturdy brakes.
The brakes will be either cantilever or linear-pull style, and some new touring bikes have disc brakes for stopping in muddy, wet conditions.
City Bike
Known as an urban bike or commuter bike, a city bike is a much better solution for your traveling needs than a BMX bike.
City bikes take a little from cruiser bikes–which I’ll talk more about in just a moment–and hybrid bikes, which have some elements of mountain bikes and other elements of traditional bikes.
A city bike features sizable wheels and puts the rider in an upright position. I know what that sounds like, but don’t worry. You don’t have to stand when using a city bike, which I’m sure is very much a relief.
Some city bikes feature rear-wheel skirt guards, but this is by no means a mandatory feature.
You are likelier to see chain guards and distinct fenders in a city bike. Some have generators built in so that the bike will illuminate if you’re pedaling after sunset.
Other city bikes feature a geared rear hub.
Cruiser Bike
The next type of long-distance bike I’d recommend is a cruiser bike, which is sometimes called a beach cruiser.
Although cruiser bikes were believed to have their heyday, they’ve recently come back to the forefront thanks to their affordable price tag (especially considering how expensive bikes today can be) and their timeless style.
Cyclists also appreciate a good cruiser bike for its comfort, something that the cruiser has in spades over a BMX bike.
Built for everyday riding conditions, including short-distance and long-distance rides alike, a cruiser bike has upright handlebars and balloon tires. That simply means the tires are wide.
Some cruiser bikes have handlebars that, in addition to being upright, angle back, at least more so than your average hybrid bike.
A cruiser bike might offer only one speed setting or you might be able to adjust between three speed differentials so you can ride casually, in a more rushed manner, or as fast as the bike can take you.
As a testament to the old-school style of cruiser bikes, some will have coaster brakes. This requires you to switch your forward pedaling momentum and pedal backward to come to a stop.
If that seems inconvenient, know that coaster brakes are far from the only braking option for a cruiser bike.
Road Bike
The last type of bike that I’d suggest for long rides is the sturdy road bike.
A road bike, as you might have guessed from the name, is designed for riding on paved surfaces like concrete, asphalt, or sidewalks.
This bike too features drop handlebars for easy grip and good posture when sitting on the seat.
The tires of a road bike are very skinny, and certainly when compared to the tires of a cruiser bike. Despite that, if you found yourself in racing conditions, a road bike could handle it.
Road bikes weigh less compared to many other bike types, which makes them commuter-friendly as well.
Although road bikes are best suited for paved riding, you can take them on unpaved terrain. The ride just becomes a lot bumpier and more uncomfortable, so try to limit doing that if you can.
Know also that you can’t carry the heaviest load when on a road bike due to the aforementioned lightweight quality, so maybe save this one for pedaling to and from work rather than the grocery store.
Conclusion
BMX bikes have a lot of uses, but long-distance riding is not one of them.
Before you potentially get hurt using a BMX bike outside of its intended purposes, try a different type of bike that’s suitable for long treks instead. Your body will thank you!