BMX

Posted on February 5, 2018 By Peter Brown Sport Equipment

About

One can’t talk about the culture of bikes and riders without mentioning BMX. Though some say the beginnings of BMX go back to the 50s and 60s of the past century, in Southern California, it was with the airing of the “On Any Sunday” motorcycle racing documentary in 1972 that the craze began.

Not long after, the wish to make the most of bicycles and the adventure of motocross provided the merging of both, resulting in the creation of affordable BMX (bicycle motocross) bikes, also known as off-road bikes, lightweight enough, and still sturdy for both urban tracks, and dirt terrains.

Not only did BMX bikes make it easy to ride fast across those terrains, but they also gave riders all the freedom with performing tricks and this is what brought to BMX’s establishing among the popular culture, growing into a sport of its own, sweeping people off their feet worldwide. When one thinks of their cycling childhood adventures, it’s usually a memory of a BMX bike.

Starting off as a small niche, of traditional standard bikes with few moving parts, this sort of bike has gone a long way, so when you buy Bmx bikes nowadays, you can be surprised by the wide range of options and brands, that vary in styles, features, and details. You should also expect not to have any trouble finding specialised local and online retailers.

From a simple racing bike, to a growing community, and an official spot in the summer Olympics since 2008, BMX is proving to be timeless.

Products

Since the days are gone of one-fits-them-all bike, it’s important to have the riding style in mind, as well as the size, when deciding to buy Bmx bikes. The models you can expect to come across fall into the following categories:

Race – As the original BMX, racing bikes are designed to provide the rider with enough control and stability, to navigate as fast as possible, thanks to the larger front sprocket and enhanced brake system, to easily make the way through with jumps and turns.

Street – The model without brakes, this BMX is somewhat heavier, particularly at the frame, and the metal pegs from the axes, yet with smoother tyres, created so as to enable riders more manoeuvrability when conquering streets of urban areas.

Dirt – As the name itself indicates, this BMX bike is designed for the dirt terrains, which is noticeable in the wider tyres suitable for the grip of the dirt surface. Paired with a lighter weight, the dirt BMX is also ideal for jumping, and that’s why it’s a link between racing and freestyle BMX riding.

Freestyle – Basically a mix of different riding styles, this BMX is more designed for tricks than racing and jumping.

Park – What is meant by park is specialised urban areas, park courses, with a number of trick elements, in the likes of halfpipes, rails, ramps, stairs, and bowls. The characteristics of a park BMX are lack of structural enhancements, small crank, think frame, pegs, and double brakes.

Flatland – Different from the abovementioned models, this BMX bike is made for spins and twists, with the different brake setups (e.g. front and rear U-brake), compact and small frame, smooth tyres, and zero-offset fork.