I'm learning to unicycle and thought I'd give bmx a try too as my balance should be better then most beginners except the lucky ones and I bet it's a blast. I missed out on a Scwhinn Automatic Garcia as it sold while I was trying to figure out if it was a good freestyle/jumping bike. There is a K2 DMC and they think it is the Pro model but not their bike so not sure for 175, selling for a familymember they said.
Then there are two 1999 GT's and I do love my 95 Zaskar LE mtb plus the paint is cool. One is a Performer with the mags and missing the brakes except the rear but no lever for 100, it has the mag wheels. The other is a Vertigo with everything original plus pegs and it is 48 spoked for 120. Both are 1 piece cranks.
Which one is reccomended and what is the difference between spokes and mags? The mags look cool but what about weight and strengh? Are the stock Weinmann rims any good or would they need to be upgraded for drops? If so then the Performer would be better as the wheels would look cool if I had to swap and I'd have both.
Probably aren't yet vintage but didn't know where else to ask.

They are both 1997 GT's didn't catch that I typed a 9 instead of a 7. Update on the DMC is I think it is a pro model based on the fork looking to not be offset (browsing bikepedia) but the picture is crappy. Oh and they are Mavic wheels. Here is the link:
http://annarbor.craigslist.org/bik/1268454148.html

Also, anybody know the weight or a good guess? Read somewhere the GT's were 38lbs and the DMC was around 50. How can you do much with a bike that heavy? My Zaskar with shock is only 25lbs and is supposed to be bombproof, I thought the strength for BMX came from the smaller frame.

what kind of riding are you going to be doing? my only advice on this so far is, if you are riding a gt zaskar le, which is a decent mtb, buy something equal to that in bmx. dont buy any of these junk heavy bikes. hold out and get something with a full chromoly frame,thats the first thing to look for, then you could always add some better parts later.

What about a Morales Freestyle (not flatland) with profile cranks, Araya Super 7x rims, and Primo hubs? I found that today and emailed the guy about payment but could still back out.

Thanks, I'd like to try jumping on and off things like trials bikes do if that is possible. I know my Zaskar would be good for that if I put a rigid fork on it but then it wouldn't be as nice for riding trails and don't want to tear it up. Finding a hardtail bike with a rigid fork that is heavy duty enough for that type stuff is probably not easy for under $200 including heavy duty wheels. But ramps (not huge) and tricks would be cool too and maybe freestyle. I guess I'm not really sure what I want to do, but I want something that can handle drops and abuse and I don't care about going fast for racing. A gyro is a bonus but not a necessity.

Yeah I was surprised by the weights, I thought the strength came from the smaller frame and wheels. What are some good used bikes to look for? Age doesn't matter. I'd rather get more for my money then buy new as I can regrease bearings and don't care about scratches so much. What should a freestyle/jump bike weigh? Can a race bike do anything besides race and ride around town?

Since I'm new to BMX I knew GT was a brand name but now makes cheap stuff and double wall rims are better as well as 3 piece cranks and chromalloy. But other then that my method of comparison is looking up the retail price on bikepedia and reading the specs looking for brand name wheels and not same as bike which could be good