What type of bmx bike is best for beginner bmx'er12 year old who wants to ride for exercise...?

First off you shouldn't look to get into bmx just for exercise...it is exercise but you should get into it because you want to shred and have fun. Secondly,what kind of bmx do your boys want to do? Freestyle: Street Park/Vert Dirt Jump/Trails Flatland or Racing? Street and Park/Vert bmx frames all have a very similar geometry with long wheelbase,and toptube lengths from 20" to 20.8",chainstays usually around 13.5" to 14.5". Dirt Jump/Trail bmx frames have a longer but similar geometry to street and park/vert frames,longest wheelbase of all bmx types,longest toptubes ranging from 21" to 21.75",longest chainstays from 13.5" to 14.75". You can ride street on a park/vert bike...you can ride park/vert on a street bike....you can ride dirt jump/trails on a street or park/vert bike....you can ride street or park/vert on a dirt jump/trails bike. Flatland bmx frames have a geometry all their own with the shortes wheelbase and toptube and chainstay lengths.Toptubes around 18" to 19" with some companies offering 19.25" to 19.75" toptubes for the taller guys.Chainstays around 12.5" to 13.25",lower slung toptubes to make stepping over the frame in tricks like whiplashes easier,steeper head tube angles to make whipping the frame a little easier,more clearance for your feet between the downtube and front wheel to make scuffing tricks like squeakers a little easier. The trend in flatland bikes is lighter frames and parts then most street,park or dirt jump/trails parts and they are not designed/made to deal with the constant abuse street and park or dirt jump/trail frames are designed to take.If you ride anything other then flatland on a flatland specific frame (and flatland specific parts) then you will break or damage the frame and parts.If you want to ride mainly flatland with just a little light street or park,I'd buy a frame like the 2009 or 2010 Hoffman Strowler,a flatland specific frame but designed with a little light street/park in mind too and build it up with stronger heavier street/park parts (depending on your height the 19.75" Strowler might be better then the 18.75" strowler for flatland and light street/park due to the extra length in the toptube and wheelbase)....but buying a frame and building a custom complete is expensive and usually runs $800 to $1500+ Street riding includes doing tricks like grinds on ledges/curbs,hand rails,hucking/jumping down sets of stairs or riding whatever obstacle looks rideable....here's a link to a vid of street bmx https://www.danscomp.com/products.php?cat=FRAMESFSD Park/Vert riding is riding ramps like quarter pipes,halfpipes/vert,mini-ramps,airing out of and back into them,jumping over pyramids or fun boxes,grinding rails or the coping on the ramps...here is a link to park/vert bmx riding Flatland riding is the hardest and most disciplined style of freestyle riding.It is nothing more then a buch of balancing on one wheel or both wheels while rolling forwards or backwards or stationary...it can take many years just to learn the basics but it is oh so rewarding when you learn a new trick or link/combo.Here is a link to flatland bmx riding Racing is nothing more then a bunch of people racing around a dirt track with some small jumps and obstacles along the way...here's a link to racing bmx video Dirt Jump/Trails bmx is riders riding a dirt trail with a series of dirt jumps (small and big) and rhythm sections...here's alink to dirt jump/trail bmx riding I suggest you sit down with your four boys and read this answer together and then read the description of each style of bmx bike and how it's ridden and the watch the videos of each style together so that you can make a choice on what style of bmx to buy. For a great flatland beginner bike the DK Opsis for the money can't be beat and retails at danscomp.com for $329.99 before shipping and $354.94 shipped but using promocode 41da at checkout will get the DK Opsis for $305.54 a $49.50 savings. If they don't want to do flatland then don't get them a flatland bike...period. If you can't decide what would be a good bike for them then call up danscomp.com and ask them,they'll steer you in the right direction (no pun intended). DK bikes offer good bikes for the price,check them out too.For street,park/vert or dirt the DK Cygnus,DK Helio,and DK Kvant bikes are hard to beat since they're offered for such a good price. Shop around at danscomp.com,checkout bikes and use promocode 41da at checkout to see how much you can save...who knows,since you're buying for four boys they may give you an even bigger bulk like savings.

GT, Red Line tend to have smaller/lighter frames, sharper turn angles. This may make them easier to do some tricks, and may be a better choice for riders with smaller stature. Mongoose, Diamond Back tend to make longer BMX frames w/ longer wheelbase. They're more comfortable for cruising, and may be a better choice for taller/longer-legged riders. Depending on what type of riding you want to do, you'll want to look into your gearing ratios. For "freestyle" trick riding.. I'd recommend a Lower gearing for more low speed control. Leave the 16-tooth free-wheel on the back, but drop down to a 36 to 39-tooth chain ring in the front. You'll lose top-end speed, but the extra control for doing low-speed tricks is worth it. For BMX racing, long-distance flat-land cruising, or if the rider has Very strong legs.. then I'd recommend moving to Higher gearing for more top-end speed. Consider a 39 to 44-tooth chain ring in the front. Rear can be freewheel or coaster brake depending on preference. For freestyle trick riding.. you'll need to setup the bike with the proper hardware, you'll need..: -freewheel gear on back wheel ..allows you to pedal backwards w/out braking. -pegs on front & rear axles ..for standing on -handlebar rotor system to make rotor free-spinning ..ie SST, or Odyssey Gyro, etc. -aluminum frames may be lighter for the pros.. but chrome-moly tubing frames will put up with crashes better for beginners. -titanium & carbon fiber frames will be the costliest. -wheels ..to taste; 5-spoke mags will be heavier but won't bend as easy as spoked-wheels. Perrigrine 48-spoked wheels are strong yet light. -good quality brakes front & rear for better stopping power >> For great online prices on BMX parts upgrades, frames, etc >> * Dan's Comp shop http://www. danscomp .com/ * Crupi BMX Parts http://www. crupibmx .com/ >> To brush up on learning New Tricks >> * Ugo - Extreme Sports How-To Trick Guide.. http://www. ugo .com/channels/sports/features/trickguide... default_lite .asp?subdir=streetriding * BMX Trick Descriptions/Glossar.. http://www. angelfire .com/ak3/baja/ tricks .html * Getting started in BMX Racing.. http://www. bmxbasics .org/new/ howto .html#go * Buyer's Guide to BMX Bikes & Glossary of Parts http:// silvercometdepot .com/ page .cfm?pageID=57 * BMX Bike Buying Guide http:// products.howstuffworks .com/ bmx-bike-buying-guide .htm Anyways, good luck on the bike shopping, ride safe, and have FUN! :o)

i have owned 12 pro bmx bikes in my day. i started with a schwinn whent to a gt. had a few mongoose bikes. had a royce unuion. diomond back and back to an aluminum frame schwinn. the mongoose wasent built well. it had a weak frame. but it was an easy one to ride. the diomond back i hated. it was like made out of lead or sumthing. LOL! the gt was very strong but it was unstable. everytime i landed nose first with that bike i got thrown off to the side. almost ever time. i won a jump comp. with my first schwinn. no tricks just hight and distance. the schwinn was always my favorite. it was strong. it was light. it was stable. you could jump it off of a 7 foot ramp onto flat ground and would wouldng hardly feel the landing. even thogh walmart owns them now they are still made by the same people. i only owed two of them. but both of them were the very best of the bounch. out of all the ones i ever owened. and you can get one new less than 100 bucks. price vs. quality and performance? you can beat it.