Top BMX Racing Frames For Adults 5’11 And Taller

There’s a big misconception that 20″ BMX bikes are just for kids or they’re too small for adults. That’s just simply not true. There are plenty sizes available for taller riders and below is the top BMX racing frames out there!

What determines the size of a BMX bike is the top tube length and the chain stay length. Of course there are other factors like the wheel size, handlebar rise, stem length and seat tube height but the chain stay and top tube are the major factors in my opinion.

As you know, over the years BMX evolved into all these sub categories like street, park, vert, flatland, trails and of course its original category, racing. And each category required frame designs with geometry made specifically them. Some required a shorter top tube and chain stay length to execute tricks more efficiently like in flatland, street and park. Others categories required a longer top tube and chain stay length for stability, high speeds, and jumps like in racing and trail riding.

The longest average top tube length for a street bike is 21 inches and the average chain stay length is 13.5 inches. This is a good size for taller BMX Freestyle riders who are interested and doing tricks and high bunny hops. But technically it’s pretty small for them.

Now If you follow the BMX racing scene you’ll see that there are a ton of frame makers that have multiple size options for taller riders. If you race you want a bike that’s stable at high speeds and over jumps. You also want a bike that won’t be prone to looping out over rollers and jumps. For those that don’t know, looping out is when you pull up your front wheel higher than you expect and your back wheel rolls forward making you flip off the back of the bike. A longer frame, meaning a frame with a longer top tube and chain stay, keeps you from looping out.

These longer frame sizes are also great for taller, adult BMX cyclist who still want to ride a 20″ but don’t want to feel crammed up while cruising around on one. The top tube on these bikes range from 21.25″ up to 23+ inches” and the chain stay’s range from 14.3 up to as long as 17inches”. All of these bigger sizes are considered Pro sizes. So not only are you getting a bigger frame your also getting a pro quality frame.

The reason why most people don’t know about these bigger BMX race frames sizes is because BMX racing isn’t as popular as the other aspects of the sport. Also most bike shops don’t support the BMX racing scene so you won’t be able to walk into a bike shop and see one. Most of the time when I go to a bike shop, they have no clue about BMX race bikes or frames. These days you’ll see the 26-29inch wheel size BMX bikes in the shops but that’s only because of the rise of its popularity. Before that most shops wouldn’t carry BMX bikes at all. I can go on for days about the misconceptions, lack of awareness and the evolutions of 20″ BMX racing bikes but I’ll save it for future articles. Now lets get into this list. It’s a long one.

The List

The frames listed below are technically just “BMX racing” frames but they are just as capable of doing casual, trail, commuter and even some trick riding. A few of the brands also offer these bigger size frames as complete bikes

All these frames are well built and awesome so it just boils down to the style, design, geometry and the finer details that set them apart. Most of the frames on the list also come in micro, mini, jr, expert, pro and cruiser sizes.

Let me know if there are any currently active brands that I missed. What are your thoughts about these frames, I’d love to get your feedback on this article in the comments below.

Aluminum BMX Frames

Steel Frames:

Carbon Frames:

Titanium Frames: