BMX bikes
BMX (Bicycle Moto-Cross) is an exciting sport for riders of all ages, from four years of age up to forty plus. BMX started back in the 1970s as a pedal form of the popular motocross-style racing where up to 8 riders race around a 300-400m BMX track with jumps, bumps and berms (banked corners). The sport became very popular in the mid 1980s but began to settle down in the early/mid 90s and became more of an underground scene as mountain biking started to pick up. With the revival of BMX over the last few years, BMX racing has now become an Olympic sport.
BMX racing is only part of the sport, as there are many other types such as street/park and dirt jump which require different types of BMX bikes.
Types of BMX bicycles
Race
The BMX race bikes feature a basic frame with 20" wheels. The seat and handlebars can be adjusted to suit any size. The mechanics are very simple with front and rear brakes and only one gear so if you want to go faster then you have to pedal faster!
Just to complicate things there is also a 24" wheel BMX which is used for racing aimed at going fast and low as opposed to jumping high. The racing bikes are stripped down to make them lighter for racing but you will often see some form of padding on the handlebars, stem and top-tube to help protect the rider in case of a fall.
Prices start from around £130 - £800.
Freestyle
Freestyle, or street/park BMX bikes are the most common BMX bikes and are designed for tricks and stunts and have slicker, grippy tyres as they are used on pavements, tarmac or ramps as found in many skate parks. These bikes sometimes have extra pegs fitted on the frame to allow the rider to stand on different parts of the bike when performing tricks. Pegs are also used for grinding on park ramps and wall ledges. Tricks are performed using large ramps such a quarter and half pipes where the rider can get quite high in the air and also when grinding and stalling.
Prices start from £100 to approx £600.
Flatland
Flatland bikes are designed for doing intricate tricks on flat surfaces without the aid of ramps or any other outside equipment. This sport involves riders standing on one or more of the four special pegs while balancing and spinning the bike in various positions. Professional Flatland bikes are very short and light, making them spin easier but you can use a Freestyle perfectly adequately.
Dirt Jump
As the freestyle or street/park side of BMX has evolved many riders looking for bigger higher jumps have had to look beyond the inner city paved areas or indoor skate parks and have created dirt jumping. As the name suggests this involved jumping mounds of earth shaped into ramps and performing aerial tricks. You may see these guys with picks and shovels for building custom ramps out in the parks or forests. The dirt jump riders use strengthened bikes as they are given quite a lot of abuse and tend not to use pegs as they're not needed. They also use tyres with more tread as the bikes are being ridden over a more varied terrain.
Prices start from £170 - £430.
Equipment
Now that you have some idea about the styles of riding, it is important to get the right safety gear. For racing you will need a full-face helmet whereas for the freestyle and jumping you will want to use a lighter helmet to just cover the top of the head. For all disciplines it is recommended you wear a long sleeved shirt, long trousers or jeans and gloves. Rubber soled skateboard or tennis style shoes are ideal as they have flat soles, which are good for grip. Extra pieces of body protection kit such as elbow pads, kneepads and shoulder pads are not essential although they are always a good idea especially if you are new to the sport.
