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BMX frames are notoriously small and nimble for acrobatics. I was curious if the same frames and the same 20" wheel bikes were ever used for touring.

Obviously the single-gear and the low-seat would need to be changed. I can imagine that adding gears plus a longer seat post can make for quite a comfortable trip - many Bromptons and folding bikes are used for touring. But I cannot find anybody having done this for BMXs.

Reason I am asking is because the smaller wheels and frame might be a good choice for tourers that need to transport the bike on trains, buses or airplanes. BMX frames seem like a good middle-ground between a normal diamond frames (which are heavy and bulky to put on public transport) and the folding bikes (which are weaker - for heavy touring weights - and more expensive).

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  • You should look at the Cannondale Hooligan, it like what you're thinking of, although its not an BMX.
    – airace3
    Commented Sep 3, 2020 at 11:16
  • You'd probably need a 2-section telescopic seat post , and you might need to raise the handlebars
    – Chris H
    Commented Sep 3, 2020 at 11:55
  • People have toured with unicycles, penny-farthings, folding Bromptons, and many others. It's just a question of what suits you.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Sep 3, 2020 at 12:23
  • Looking at the "by bike" category at Crazy Guy on a Bike, I see no tours by BMX listed. There are quite a lot by folding bike
    – Adam Rice
    Commented Sep 3, 2020 at 13:11

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A good example of using 20" wheels for a serious bicycle is the Moulton.
Although there is nothing of a BMX bike except the 20 inch wheels.

The problem with using a BMX frame is that it is sized very small. This makes it difficult for a rider to find an efficient riding position for long rides.

The points about the smaller wheels benefits in the question are exactly why Alex chose that size wheel for his design.

In the late 1950s, disillusioned with the design of the classic bicycle, Alex Moulton set about creating a new design. He thought the classic diamond frame was inconvenient to mount, difficult to adjust for size and not suitable for both sexes, and that 'Ladies' open frame bicycles without the top tube of the diamond frame were structurally compromised for ease of use. He believed that classic bicycles (especially with small frames and smaller wheels known as 'shopper' bicycles) were uncomfortable to ride without the use of wide, low-pressure tyres which increased rolling resistance. He also thought large wheels made a bicycle slow and cumbersome to store, and did not easily fit emerging societal commuting patterns in the developed world, which often combined more than one form of transport.
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