We’ve put together this detailed article comparing some of our favourite 12 inch bikes. Since there are both Balance bike and regular BMX options available we’ve picked a few of both for this guide.
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PRICING
We all want to get value for money so being able to compare price vs what you get for it is just as valuable as the savings you can get.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: $449.99
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: 799.99
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: $699.99
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: $799.99
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: $749.99
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: $349.99
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: $569.00
Cult Balance Bike: $249.99
We The People Prime Balance Bike: $549.99
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WEIGHT
Weight can play a big part when it comes to 12” bikes because the rider needs to be able to hold the bike up comfortably.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: 9.5 kgs
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: 6.9 kgs
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: 7.6 kgs
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: Unknown
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: 7.0 kgs
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: 3.5 kgs
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: Unknown
Cult Balance Bike: Unknown
We The People Prime Balance Bike: 4.5 kgs
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FRAMES
One of the most important factors for choosing the right bike is the material the frame is made from, so we've put together some info to help on that topic....
CrMo Steel: The most common and trusted material used in BMX frames for its strength and lightweight. Therefore, generally bikes with CrMo are great for riders really trying to push the limits with their riding.
Alloy: Frames made from Alloy are great for the younger/smaller riders because of the reduced weight. There is a compromise though as CrMo is stronger so there may come a time where the rider wants to change to a CrMo frame.
Hi-Ten Steel: You'll find this on the cheaper bikes because it's still strong enough for younger riders but it wont be as light as a CrMo or Alloy frame.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: Hi-Ten / 11.9” TT / 9.4” rear
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: Hi-Ten / 12.5” TT / 9.5” rear
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: Alloy / 11.9” TT / 9.4” rear
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: CrMo top & down tubes / 13” TT /
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: Alloy / 13.25” TT
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: Alloy
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: Steel
Cult Balance Bike:
We The People Prime Balance Bike: Hi-Ten / 12.2”TT / 8.15” rear
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FORKS
The material the forks are made of is an important factor to consider. The best would be heat treated full CrMo with one piece steer tube of course. That’s the same construction forks that the pro’s use. But it’s also the most expensive and not found on almost all bikes.
Look for at least a CrMo steer tube where you can. You might notice the use of what is called a 2 piece steer tube. They are a cheaper way to build a set of forks and why they are used on most bikes to keep the bike more affordable.
Tapered fork legs are also another great option took out for as well. It makes the forks lighter and also cosmetically, more appealing.
Offset is the distance the front axle sits an ahead of the centre line of the steer tube. 25mm is the usual these days and is a good fit for most riding styles. It helps determine the front end handling of a bike.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: Hi-Ten / Tapered legs
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: Hi-Ten / 26mm offset
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: CrMo / Tapered legs
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: CrMo steertube
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: CrMo steertube
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: Hi-Ten
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: Unknown
Cult Balance Bike: Unknown
We The People Prime Balance Bike: Hi-Ten / 26mm offset
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BARS
When it comes to handlebars choosing the best "rise" height to suit the rider is probably the most important factor. CrMo material is always going to be better but not a deal breaker for a 12” bike.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: 5” rise / 20” wide / Hi-Ten
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: 5.15” rise / 19.7” wide / Hi-Ten
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: 5” rise / 20” wide / CrMo
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: 4.5” rise / 19.75” wide
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: 6” rise / 22” wide / Alloy
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: 2.5” rise / 18” wide / Hi-Ten
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: 2.5” rise / 16” wide
Cult Balance Bike: Unknown
We The People Prime Balance Bike: 5.15” rise / 19.7” wide / Hi-Ten
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STEM
On 12” bikes you will find the the stems will have a shorter reach (around 40mm) so that it suits the smaller rider compared to a regular aftermarket stem or what would be on a 20" bike which usually has a reach of around 52mm.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: 40mm reach / Forged Alloy / Top Load
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: 30mm reach / Forged Alloy / Front Load
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: / Forged Alloy / Top Load
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: Front Load
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: Front Load
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: Forged Alloy / Front Load
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: Front Load
Cult Balance Bike: N/A
We The People Prime Balance Bike: 30mm reach / Forged Alloy / Front Load
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REAR HUB
A quality rear hub is a key item to look at when buying a new bike because there are quite a few moving parts within it so the higher quality you can afford the better. Primarily having sealed bearings would be priority one when it comes to rear hubs.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: Alloy / Sealed bearing cassette / 9T driver / 3/8” axle
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: Alloy / Semi-Sealed cassette / 10T driver / 3/8” axle
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: Alloy / Sealed bearing cassette / 9T driver / 10mm axle
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: Alloy / Sealed bearing cassette / 9T driver
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: Alloy / Looseball bearing cassette / 9T sealed driver
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: Alloy / Sealed / Female axles
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: Alloy / Looseball
Cult Balance Bike: Unknown
We The People Prime Balance Bike: Alloy / Looseball
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FRONT HUB
Since there's not too much moving parts within a front hub it's not as crucial as the rear but it's still good to know which ones have sealed bearings as sealed bearing hubs will require little to no maintenance compared to un-sealed (looseball) hubs.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: Alloy / Fully sealed / 3/8” axle
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: Alloy / Looseball / 3/8” axle
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: Alloy / Fully sealed / 10mm axle
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: Alloy / Looseball
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: Alloy / Looseball / 3/8” axle
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: Alloy / Sealed / Female axles
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: Alloy / Looseball
Cult Balance Bike: Unknown
We The People Prime Balance Bike: Alloy / Looseball
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CRANKS
Since you're standing on your cranks the entire time you are riding you want to make sure they can be trusted. 3PC cranks will always be a better options because they are stronger, the other spec to look at is how many splines the spindle has because the more splines the stronger the crank because the cranks will have a tighter fit on the spindle which in turn creates less movement over time.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: 3pc / CrMo / 90mm length
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: 3pc / Alloy / 92mm length
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: 3pc / CrMo / 90mm length
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: 3pc / CrMo / 95mm length
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: 3pc / CrMo / 92mm length
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: N/A
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: N/A
Cult Balance Bike: N/A
We The People Prime Balance Bike: N/A
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BOTTOM BRACKETS
You want to check if the bottom bracket is the most common (and recommended) Mid size or if it is the USA style bottom bracket. Mid is most popular because of the smaller bearing size and because all after market cranks use Mid BB's so it's easier to upgrade your cranks when needed. Whereas USA bottom brackets are used on the cheaper range of bikes that aren't really ideal if you're trying to ride a lot of freestyle at skateparks.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: Sealed Mid BB
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: Sealed USA BB
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: Sealed Mid BB
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: Sealed Mid BB
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: Sealed Mid BB
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: N/A
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: N/A
Cult Balance Bike: N/A
We The People Prime Balance Bike: N/A
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HEADSETS
There's 2 main styles of BMX headsets when it comes to complete bikes. You have "Integrated" which is where the headset cups are built into the frame which is the most common and also the better option. The other is having external cups that you press into your frame.
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Division Blitzer 12” Bike: 1-1/8” external
We The People Prime Drive 12” Bike: 1-1/8" Integrated - Sealed
Colony Horizon 12” Bike: 1-1/8" Integrated - Sealed
Fit Misfit 12” Bike: 1-1/8" external
Cult Juvi 12” Bike: 1-1/8" Integrated - Sealed
BALANCE BIKES
Colony Horizon Balance Bike: 1-1/8" Integrated - Sealed
Fit Misfit Balance Bike: 1" external
Cult Balance Bike: Unknown
We The People Prime Balance Bike: 1" external
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This detailed article on 12 inch BMX bikes should hopefully help answer some of your questions and make your buying experience easier but if you have any more questions feel free to contact us as we're happy to help.
POSSIBLE UPGRADES
It's no secret that upgrading the parts on your bike is one of the best things about riding a bike you're stoked on. So we've put together some helpful tips on what might be the best parts to upgrade first without breaking the bank.
TYRES: Tyres are really personal preference choice so over time you'll learn what you like in terms of width, tread pattern etc... Tyres can be a great way to add some colour to your bike and give it a completely different look.
Check the full range here.
GRIPS: Similar to tyres, grips are also something you need to test out different options to find your feel. There's plenty of different choices based around soft and hard compounds along with thicker and thinner grips so don't be afraid to try out different grips each time you need a new set. Check out the full range here.
SEAT: You will generally find that the seat on a complete bike will be something that is trying to suit everyone so it will most likely be Black and quite subtle. Now there's nothing wrong with that but we don't all just want a Black seat, so picking out a fresh seat can really give your bike a custom look and there is a massive range of them to choose from.
Just make sure you pick the correct type of seat, be it a Combo style seat, Pivotal seat or a railed seat. If you're not quite sure which one is for your bike just reach out to us and we'll help you out!
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