2022 Sunday Primer Review


The 2022 Sunday Primer is a beginner-level BMX bike that is for new riders. The Primer will help new riders get on the bike and get comfortable learning small tricks. This bike comes in a 20.00″, 20.5″ or a 20.75″, and 21″ toptube size and it weighs 25.8lbs which is considered really light.

Here’s how it stacks up against my TOP 5 Picks…

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Skip right to the good stuff where I give the bike a Dougsterbob Score based on 20 different aspects that determine how good the bike is overall.

Review Video

Overview

The 2022 Sunday Primer BMX Bike is ready to shred your favorite riding spots. Designed to be an entry-level bike, Sunday made sure to kit this model out to be able to withstand hard hits and abusive new tricks. Sealed bearings in high stress areas and chromoly cranks contribute to the strength and durability needed for a rider learning new tricks. The Sunday Primer Park is hard to look past for the amazing parts and great price.

from: DanscompOpens in a new tab.


Highlights

  • Beginner-level quality
  • Multiple Size choices
  • Multiple Color options

Specs

Price

The 2022 Sunday Primer costs $429.

Colors


2022 Sunday Primer Part List

Frame: Sunday Primer, Integrated Headtube 
Fork: Sunday Primer, 2-Piece Steerer Tube, Welded Preload 
Bars: Sunday, 2-Piece (28.5″ Width) (9″ Rise) (12° Backsweep) (4° Upsweep) 
Stem: Sunday Freeze Top Load (48mm) 
Headset: FSA Integrated (1-1/8″) 
Grips: Sunday Cornerstone 
Cranks: 3-Piece, Chromoly (160mm Length) 
Bottom Bracket: Sealed Mid (19mm) 
Pedals: Wellgo Platform, Plastic 
Chain: KMC S1 
Sprocket: Sunday Sabertooth v2, Steel (25 Tooth) 
Front Hub: Sunday Low-Flange Loose Ball (3/8″ Axle) 
Rear Hub: Sunday Sealed Cassette (14mm Axle) 
Driver: 9 Tooth 
Spokes: Steel, Black (14 Gauge) 
Front Rim: P-7X, Aluminum (20″) (36 Hole) 
Rear Rim: P-7X, Aluminum (20″) (36 Hole) 
Front Tire: Odyssey Path Pro OEM (20 x 2.4″) 
Rear Tire: Odyssey Path Pro OEM (20 x 2.4″) 
Seat: Sunday Badge (Combo) 
Seat Post: Combo 
Seat Clamp: Sunday 
Lever: Odyssey Springfield 
Brake Cable: Odyssey Quik Slic 
Brakes: Odyssey Springfield U-Brake 
Brake Mounts: Welded 
Gyro Tabs: Drilled 
Extras: N/A 
Weight: 25.8 lbs

Frame Geometry

A: Top Tube Length:  20″, 20.5″, 20.75″, 21″ – Learn what size is right for you here.Opens in a new tab.

Check the size guide to see if its right for you..

Getting a top tube that is taller than suggested will make the bike feel more controlled and less responsive

Getting a top tube size that is smaller than normal will make the bike feel a lot more snappy and responsive.

B: Chain Stay Length: 13.2″ – 13.5″ – Learn About Chain Stays HereOpens in a new tab.

This is a medium/long chainstay.

A short chain stay makes the bike feel twitchy. Spins will be easy, but airing and jumping might feel hard to control.

A long chain stay will make the bike feel really controlled. Spins will feel sluggish, but manuals and air tricks will feel nice because it will be more stable.

C: Head Tube Angle: 75° – Learn About Head Tube Angles HereOpens in a new tab.

Steep head tube angles make the bike “snappy” meaning more responsive to fast turns. 

A less steep head tube gives you more control.

D: Seat Tube Angle: 71°

E: Bottom Bracket Height: 11.5″

F: Stand over height: 8.75″

This is a medium standover. 

A medium standover will make tailwhips easier, but barspins harder. You get less control with a lower standover.


Bar Geometry – Learn more hereOpens in a new tab.

G: Rise: 9″

This is an average rise.

Riding a tall rise, will give you more leverage on the bike. Making it easier to pull back and lift the front wheel up.

H: Width: 28.5″

This is a normal width. 

Narrow bars make barspins easier.

Wide bars give you more control and stability when steering.

I: Backsweep: 12

What does backsweep do?

As far as I know, there is a sweet spot for backsweep. Too much will make the bike feel weird, and too little will make the bike unstable. It seems like the sweet spot is around 11º to 12º. If you need something a little more aggressive and straight feeling, go for 10º, but only do this if 11º is uncomfortable.

J: Upsweep: 4

This is a STEEP upsweep

What does upsweep do?

There is a lot of discussion about 1º upsweep vs. 4º upsweep. Some people are running experiments and testing if the greater upsweep will make drops feel better. It seems like a lot of street riders run 4º to 5º upsweep. This helps for wrist pain and lessens the impact of big drops.


Other 2022 Sunday Bikes

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Dougsterbob Score

Now everything above the line is pretty basic info. I break down the specs, geometry and some highlights. But that doesn’t really help you find the right bike. So I created the Dougsterbob Score.

What is it?

The Dougsterbob Score is taken from Doug Demaro’s “Doug Score” (He already had the name so I had to get creative with mine haha) Anyway, this assigns a score to the bike based on 20 different aspects. This way you will know exactly what this bike is good for and how it holds up.

Read how I score the bikes hereOpens in a new tab.

2022 Sunday Primer Rankings

CategoryPoints
Dougsterbob Score59/200
Street Score5/40
Park Score8/30
Dirt Score8/30
Quality Score4/40
Style Score27/30

Dougsterbob Score

Dougsterbob Score: 59/200

The 2022 Sunday Primer Scored 59/200. This is a low score, but typical for beginner-level BMX Bikes. It has low-quality high-tensile steel parts and will not last mid-level riders as they progress with the sport.

My Favorite thing about the Primer is the fact that it has 4 different toptube sizes and color options. Being able to choose the perfect toptube size is crucial to progressing as a BMX rider.

It scored really well in the style section but that’s about it.


Street Score

Street Score: 5/40

The Sunday Primer scored a 5/40 in the street section. Obviously this is not the best choice for a hard core street rider. It scored really low because it does not have any parts that make it street specific. Generally we want to see pegs, hubguards and a freecoaster.

The quality is really low with full hi-tensile steel. So the chances of it withstanding big drops and gaps are very low. Most riders will break this bike after riding and progressing for a few months.

Is the Sunday Primer good for street riding?

If you are brand new and get this bike, plan on buying some upgrades to make it good for street. Read about the best upgrades here.


Park Score

Park Score: 8/30

The Sunday Primer scored 8/30 in the park section. It is not made for the park since it does not come with any of the park-specific upgrades that we look for.

One thing that I noticed is that the chainstay is super long, which will make responsive park riding hard. On the other hand, it has a lower 8.75″ standover. This will make foot jam whips and tailwhips easier due to it being lower.

Can you ride the Sunday Primer at skate parks?

Don’t get the Sunday Primer if park riding is your main goal. There are many better park-specific options. It just is not designed to be a park-specific bike. Look into Primer ParkOpens in a new tab. because that option is perfect for park riding.


Dirt Score

Dirt Score: 8/30

For the Dirt section, the Primer scored a very low 8/30.

The Primer’s longer (13.2″-13.5″) chainstay will give you a certain level of stability. But just that alone is not enough to justify it as a good Dirt specific bike.

Is the Sunday Primer good for riding dirt jumps?

We like to see long chainstay, mellow headtube angles, bigger front sprockets, and dirt specific tires. This bike has none of that.


Quality Score

Quality Score: 4/40

The Sunday Primer only scored a 4/40 for the quality. This is incridibly low, since this bike is a pure beginner bike. I’m not saying its bad, but it really is only made for brand new riders who need a bike to learn on. Bigger tricks will break everything on this bike.

Everything is fully customizable, which means that later on, you can upgrade these parts with higher-quality aftermarket parts. But this is an expensive process.

Is the Sunday Primer a good bike?

Like I mentioned, not a great bike for anyone over 180lbs or anyone riding at a mid to high-level. The low quality is ok for a new rider, but that’s about it.


Style Score

Style Score: 27/30

You get a good amount of options with the Primer. And overall, it looks pretty stylish.

If you want to add your own taste and flavor to it, you can upgrade and switch out almost any part on the Primer. Doing this will allow you to fully customize it for you.


Value

Value: 3/10

The 2022 Primer is $429, and in my opinion, for a complete base hi-tensile steel bike, that’s way too much. This theory is based on 2021 prices, and i have a feeling that all 2022 bikes will be up in price. If that is the case, this is a fair price and will be a 5 in value. But as of right now, I think it’s too much for what you get.

For $500 you can probably find a full chromoly bike with one or two double-wall rims. If you can spend a little bit more, you can get a much better bike that will last.

Overall, the Primer is a little over priced. Currently a lot of bikes are sold out and it’s important to just get on a bike and start riding. So I recommend getting it if you are a brand new rider, and then just upgrading parts as you go.


Should you get it?

The Sunday Primer is a decent bike for a brand new rider. The low-quality parts will last someone who is just starting out and trying to figure out how BMX works.

If you are shopping for your first BMX bike, and you like the color options, get this bike. Yes, it is slightly overpriced, but the most important thing is getting on a bike and gaining bike control. After a while, your parts will start to wear out and break, but fortunately, you can upgrade each part with virtually no headache.

Would I recommend it?

If you can’t find any other beginner-level bikes in stock, yes I totally recommend it. But if you can find a Kink WhipOpens in a new tab., Sunday ExOpens in a new tab., or WTP ReasonOpens in a new tab. in stock, go with one of those. The quality is sooo much better.


Common Questions

What is the Price?

The 2022 Sunday Primer is for sale right now for $429.

How Much Does it Weigh?

The 2022 Sunday Primer weighs 25.8 lbs. This is actually a pretty light bike. I’m impressed.

Where to buy it?

You can get the Primer from Danscomp. I found it in stock here: https://bit.ly/3dXFzR7Opens in a new tab.


Buy if you are learning:

Click the trick you want to learn, to see the BIKE SCHOOL lesson

Don’t buy if you are learning:

  • big 360
  • drops
  • grinding
  • backflip
  • tailwhip

Conclusion

I’m not a huge fan of the Primer just because I think it’s low quality and a little overpriced. Now, lots of people get this bike and they have a good experience with it. It just seems silly to me to spend $429 on a bike that might only last a few months when you can get a $550 bike and have a real machine.

You will always be able to upgrade your bike to make it specific for your type of riding though.

Douglas Laird

My parents bought me my first BMX bike in 2011 and it changed my life. This bike has taken me all over the world and introduced me to cool places and cooler people. My goal is to help get 1,000,000 people into BMX so they can experience the joy and freedom that comes from a progression based sport.

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