Faction 22" vs 20" racers. is it a fair fight?

[Spen69]

Joe - if there's a christmas meet up this year I'll bring it with me and you can all try it for yourselves and decide what you think. I didn't get a chance last night as it had been put together by Halfords I'd have guessed so it took me half an hour to adjust and tighten everything up on it, so the missus was in full nag-mode by then and I didn't get a chance to ride it any further than to the end of our road and back. It's fast though, and although it feels big, it turns quick. Couldn't quite master 180's on it let along 360's, but I'll give it some grief this weekend and report back

[20to26]

Why is a 22" wheel BMX any less of a BMX than an 18" wheel bike, which is also new to the sport?

Like Mike said, 24" and 26" were around in the 80s & pre-mountain bike. Just like 29" wheels on mountain bikes, and 650B wheels now too, purveyors of these models think they're better for a variety of reasons - some true, some, well, a stretch of the truth maybe. At the end of the day £350 for that Faction is better value than a LOT of 20 inchers on the market from the fashionable brands nowadays and that's maybe why I may buy one (and cos I just can't seem to click with 20" wheels again after years away from BMX, and I don't have the time to really get into it again).

I think Factions biggest battle is going to be simply that we're inherently adverse to change and they don't have someone like Gary Fisher spurting on about how 22" is going to change the way we ride bmx bicycles. It's all about marketing isn't it?

I hope they sell heaps and peeps just ride what they want to.

[bmxmatt1974]

xcuse me chippin in, the faction rider didn't win the first two heats because he's a total newb to racing, the rest of the field were race-fit and experienced, on the best 20" kit money could buy- getting a great result like that in one of your first races in nineteen years says a lot about why 22" bikes are so damn good- that massive lead makes them old 20's look pretty 'broke' to me.

as someone else mentioned the guy racing would have done just as good on a 20" as he was good rider.
as for rest of field being race fit? my only exercise involves walking from lounge to kitchen to get another beer and the comment about best bikes money can buy??? mine is a second hand 3 year old pk ripper with normal parts,no carbon or titanium 

[dialledbikes]

xcuse me chippin in, the faction rider didn't win the first two heats because he's a total newb to racing, the rest of the field were race-fit and experienced, on the best 20" kit money could buy- getting a great result like that in one of your first races in nineteen years says a lot about why 22" bikes are so damn good- that massive lead makes them old 20's look pretty 'broke' to me.

From a marketing perspective, bold statements and hype usually carry more credibility when they come unsolicited from the general public, not folk who are buddied up or work for said company 

Nobody is necessarily saying the product is crap, just debating its purpose and place in BMX.

It's taken about 30 years of BMX for 22" wheels to make this great entrance.  Why is that if, as you make out, it's the two wheeled equivalent of the Messiah?

It might catch on, it might not.  But given it's taken 30 years to arrive, I don't see it catching on for quite a while.

Good luck with it though.  Anyone who has a dream and pursues it deserves good wishes.

[boofy44]

22 inch wheels were being talked about back in the early 80's when the US pro's were debating the future of
the pro class in bmx.i'm pretty sure that some wanted 18 inch whels as well.

[pandyr]

just had a look on bcf. under 221/2" diameter including tyre is classed as 20". 221/2" and above is allowed to race cruiser class, so it depends what the overall diameter is to what class its in. If mountain bikes with gears are allowed  :-\surly this is way more bmx than them
Andy

[b45t4rd]

Cool, my idea to have a 19 inch front to stop nose bonks & 18 inch rear to stop casing is a go-er then....

[Spen69]

just had a look on bcf. under 221/2" diameter including tyre is classed as 20". 221/2" and above is allowed to race cruiser class, so it depends what the overall diameter is to what class its in. If mountain bikes with gears are allowed  :-\surly this is way more bmx than them
Andy

Just measured mine, and it is exactly 22" from tread to tread

Looks like it can race then    

Oh my god, it's a can of worms........



So, here it is then. I'll light the blue touch paper and stand back, but what do you guys think of it? I still haven't had a chance to rip round a track on it or drop into anything on it, but the thing flies straight as an arrow off the skateboard ramp in my local park here in Sheffield.

Old vs new - let the fight begin........








Oh, and here's my next project...... so I've not gone to the dark side totally



Come on then, what do you think?

[DIRTBIKER250F]

Well i think first off it looks lovely, not sure of the benefits of 22" in race but will be interesting to find out.....Dr Spen comence the experiment 

[JT71]

looks like it could use a thinner tyre on the back, or am i just being picky?

probably hardly affects the ride, just the look.


but i like it.

[Spen69]

looks like it could use a thinner tyre on the back

Mmm, I think they only make one size at the moment Joe

Sun's just come out, might try and go for a spin if the nipper will doze off for her afternoon nap

[seanrx]

Spen 69. hi. how long does faction feel compared to a 20"? I want one too, but looking at the geometry on their website its just like a 20"

Thing is, if you have a bmx with a 14.6 chainstay and a 39" wheelbase the toptube will be about 22.75" long. Your bike feel that long? You can get cruisers shorter than that!

For comparison i was on S&Ms bike geo page.

[subversion]

D'ya think they are playing safe putting 48's on it??

[Rooonga]

According to british cycling:

10.2.2. With the exception set forth herein below,
all bicycles used in the standard 20“ type
must be equipped with matching wheels
that are nominally 20“ in diameter. The
total diameter of the wheels, inflated tires
included, shall not exceed 22 1/2“ (57 cm).


They seem to keep the rules deliberately vague so anything can race. (Like the fact that anything can ride in cruiser class)

I love the look of the 22" and recon it'd be more suitable than a 20" as a daily rider, I'd deffo have one.

[Rooonga]

Oops - just realised someone posted almost same as me but worded differently.

[Spen69]

Spen 69. hi. how long does faction feel compared to a 20"? I want one too, but looking at the geometry on their website its just like a 20"Thing is, if you have a bmx with a 14.6 chainstay and a 39" wheelbase the toptube will be about 22.75" long. Your bike feel that long? You can get cruisers shorter than that!

Sean - 21" dead from centre of steerer tube to centre of seatpost tube along the centre of the top tube mate, but it's 16" from the centre of the crank to the centre of the rear wheel, not 14.6" - that must be the length of the rear tube, not a centre to centre measurement. Don't forget the forks are a little longer to throw the overall length a little bigger..... it feels big to me as I've never ridden a NS bike before - I just checked all my other bikes and my Gen1 (cough!) is only 17.5", my daily rider Team Mongoose is only 18.5" and so is my Pro-Class. So it feels like a long bike to me, but to you guys it probably won't. I'm just building a Haro Sport which is measuring 19.5" so I'm looking forward to riding that to see in comparison

D'ya think they are playing safe putting 48's on it??

Sorry fella, I don't get the question. Are 48 spoke wheels not normal on a NS or do you have more spokes now? Bear in mind all my stuff is only 36 spoke, so this looks like a lot of spokes to me!

I love the look of the 22" and recon it'd be more suitable than a 20" as a daily rider, I'd deffo have one.

Roonga, be at the xmas bash wherever it is and you can try it out fella. It is definitely a daily rider for me as my other stuff is getting to be worth too much with every upgrade

Next question guys?

Spen

[HEYWOOD BMX]

  Bike looks good.48s are more of a freestyle wheel,not too common/fashionable these days,prob cos all the youngsters are weight weenies?

[subversion]

D'ya think they are playing safe putting 48's on it??

Sorry fella, I don't get the question. Are 48 spoke wheels not normal on a NS or do you have more spokes now? Bear in mind all my stuff is only 36 spoke, so this looks like a lot of spokes to me!

My thinking was that they would be a stronger wheel & should last longer which could mean less people looking for replacement rims which may be a bit hard to come by...?

Or maybe that was what was more readily available to Faction at the time??

The bike does look nice in all black Spen

[Spen69]

Yeah, gotta admit it looks pretty damn good. If I can get used to it and start riding it regularly then I'm gonna buy a spare rim and a few tyres just in case they don't take off and 22" dies a death at this bike only. At least I'll have a spare then for that dark day I do something else daft and bust one