I've been working on a bike project that started several months ago. To give you a little background, I started BMX racing about a year ago here in Austin. My bike was a "Free Agent Limo 24" which is one of the biggest BMX Cruisers on the market. Being 6'3" and 235lbs, this bike still felt too small for me. I could lean over the handlebars and lift the rear tire off the ground. I checked all of the big bike companies products and there wasn't anything bigger out there. ABA rules for Cruiser class are "no less than 24 inch wheels" with no upper limit on bike size.I heard about this small company, Gack BMX , that was selling 26" Dirt Jumping frames. His "Trail Mod" frame looked like it would work as a BMX race although it was somewhat heavier than your typical race frame. After a lot of research and few E-mails with Kris Gack, I took the plunge into the "Battle Cruiser" project.
Building a bike from parts is a lot of fun, but it is also a huge challenge. Figuring out what fits and what doesn't is half the battle. So 2 months and $1200 later I show up at the track with the biggest BMX Cruiser known to mankind. Here's some of the specs:
23.75" Top Tube, 34 lbs
43" Wheelbase, 69" Overall
Profile 190mm Chromoly Crankset, AtomLab Aircorp platform pedals
26" Sun Big Fat Mammoth Rims, Maxxis 26x1.95 Kraken/Calibos Tires
ACS Fat Claws (16T), Profile Blackjack Sprocket (39T, 3/16), KMC 415H
At the track, the most common response was "Are you nuts? Can I take it for a ride?" The early problems were related to the chain. The combination of big wheels, small sprockets, and long crank arms was putting a lot of stress on the chain. After adding chain tensioners to keep the axle from slipping and the fat chain and sprockets (the 3/32 chain would stretch and come off the sprockets) the bike is pretty stable now.
Overall the bike feels much smoother and more stable than the 24". It is much more forgiving if I come down too hard on the front wheel. It seems to make me faster too. My gates are very good and I have picked up about 4 bike-lengths at the finish line. The long frame seems to develop a bigger push when pumping off the backsides. I think most of the gain is because the bike fits me better. I don't think it would work as well for someone 5ft tall. I've heard that Kris has re-designed the Trail Mod frame and gotten it down to 5 lbs now.
My point here is that there is a real advantage for larger BMX riders to move up to a larger bike than what is currently available from the big bike manufacturers. If any else is interested, I would be happy to share what I have learned. And if I see you at the track, you're welcome to take the "Battle Cruiser" for a ride around the track.
Posted by Tom Williams a 48 year old Racer riding a Gack Trail Mod from Austin, TX on 06/24/01
