Monday, September 8, 2008

Twenty-Two Twos.


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See anything strange here?


Just another generic street/trails bike, right? How about now?


That's right, boys and girls, it's a 22" BMX bike! Yay! That means we now have every size covered in increments of 2, from 10" right up to 26". A reader e-mailed me the link to this blog, and a quick search revealed the Faction Bike Co. website.

The advantage of a 22", best I can tell, is that it's bigger than a 20" but not as big as a 24". According to the UK's only certified BMX and skateboard coach (huh?), the Faction is "a lovely blend with the handling of a 20" and the stability of a 24"." And on Faction's own website it states "the bike is designed to fill the demand for a freestyle-capable bike that is more ergonomically suited to adult-sized riders. The customers for this bike are older BMXrs or MTB riders who want a cross-over bike between freestyle mountain-biking and BMX."

Skateboarders don't have to put up with this crap.

I've spent a lot of time around BMXers, and I've yet to hear anyone say "man, I wish there was a wheel size between 20" and 24"." I've certainly never thought it myself. Will there be a market for a 22"? Probably. I'm sure some guys who quit riding years ago will say, "hey, it's not a little kid's bike, but it's not a cruiser. Perfect!" Blech. What it is, is a novelty. Neither fish nor fowl, as they say. And unless it catches on in some sort of major way, you won't be able to buy aftermarket forks, rims or tires from any company except Faction (not to be confused with the late, lamented BMX magazine). Clever move, that.

(I reserve my right to change my mind if companies like Odyssey and S&M buy in, or Faction assembles a team of super-tall riders—starting with Neil Harrington and Magilla—or if they send me a bike and I really, really like it.)

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21 comments:

Anonymous said...

You and your obscure hip-hop references... very cool.

anonymous flat rider

P.S. I couldn't see the video, it was blocked b/c I'm at work. Would it happen to be a Jay-Z video, to match the title of the post? Guess I'll find out when I get home.

bk said...

until monkeys fly.

i'd try a 22". i've got a DK cruiser waiting for me come spring as it is.

Anonymous said...

You can say BMXers have it tough with being marketed too many bikes, but think of MTB gravity guys...you need your full downhill rig (8 inches), your mid-sized rig (6 inches), your freeride bike (4 inches), your mountain cross bike (2-3 inches), your mountain cross hardtail, your street hardtail, your cross country bike for training...at $2,000-$4000 (plus) each, you're going to be poor very fast.

With racing BMX (20 and 24), riding street, racing downhill and MTX, etc, I'm up to about NINE fuckin' bikes. I won't be buying a 22" though.

Russ said...

I think a 21" would be the perfect compromise between a 20" and a 22", and a good alternative to my 25" (pat. pend.) urban MTB. Also, my 5-year-old nephew really needs a 15".

Anonymous said...

oh, with wide ass bars for leverage for pedaling full speed, like the racers

ryan said...

Flatland on cruisers feels awesome

Anonymous said...

No, my girlfriend’s boobs feel awesome. Flatland on a huge bike feels awkward, kinda like unexpectedly touching another mans scrotum.

Anonymous said...

I tried to figure out what was strange about that bike but I couldn't tell it was a 22" in the first photo. The thing that kept going through my mind was that the top tube looks like it's larger diameter than the down tube which is messing with my head.

I've had fun riding lot's of different size bikes from 12" to 26" but 20" bikes have been the most fun of all of them for me. I've never tried a 22" and I would if given the opportunity, but for average sized riders like myself, I really don't think the 20" BMX can be topped.

Russ said...

The best 22" ever was the Schwinn Manta Ray.

Anonymous said...

http://www.factionbikeco.com/wsimages/Faction-BMX-22-inch-test-ride1.jpg

whatevs, it still ain't big enough to make this luirch looking freak look normal

Anonymous said...

i'm six foot goddamn five and that doesn't mean anything. 20 inches are great.

Anonymous said...

smaller wheels is the direction to go for bmx trickery. (easyer to barspin and tailwhip etc. Then add solid tyres, no chain and low top tube and your getting closer to the goal or recreating a scooter...ekp

Russ said...

It would be cool if the 22" bike came with 10" rise, 35" wide bars and a 22x3 front tire. EVERYTHING BIGGER THAN EVERYTHING ELSE. Well, except for the slammed/stripped seat, of course.

Anonymous said...

i have thought of this before, and i'd love to borrow one for a week to base my overall decision off. from the pics the chainstays look pretty darn long

btw- im 6'4, all leg

Anonymous said...

I'm gonna be honest, the first thing I saw was the seatpost and the sprocket that wasn't 25t.

Anonymous said...

I've been wanting to build a 22" wheel bmx for years.

It will be sick !!

Everyone seems cool with 16" and 18" wheel bikes for groms.

What's the f-ing difference? It's a bmx for bigger dudes. SIMPLE AS THAT.

Anonymous said...

This ain't mountain biking, so piss off if you are down with 22" wheels.

Anonymous said...

Hang on, let me go get my popcorn this one's a contraversial one!
The sk8 and bike coach your talking bout is the race King in both class's in england, - probably worth listening to IMO unless u're faster?

Anonymous said...

Schwinn manta ray was a 24 inch

Anonymous said...

"The sk8 and bike coach your talking bout is the race King in both class's in england"

No he's not

Anonymous said...

So, it's 2015. S&M did buy in to 22"s.

Have you ridden one yet?