Thread: Why are bmx bikes so little?

Serious question.

I'm watching the olympic race and it's really ridiculous how small most of the bikes are. What's the advantage?

Pretty cool how the top guys keep just the rear wheel on the ground through rollers to get that little extra pump in, but it just seems to me like bikes that fit them better would somehow be more efficient/faster...

Big guys on little bikes..

Bmx bikes were originally made for children. Then people started riding them as children and kept killing it throughout adulthood on them thereby validating their existence.

Plus...let's be honest. You see that damn PAVED 'track'(sic)? What the hell they gotta roll over? Nuthin. That's what.

It is quite comical to see anyone over 12 on those things.

Originally Posted by SLSki

It is quite comical to see anyone over 12 on those things.

What's not comical is how fast any one those fools in the olympics would whoop up on your or my ass on a pump track.


Actually, it probably would be comical it would be so ridiculous.

Originally Posted by kidwoo

Bmx bikes were originally made for children. Then people started riding them as children and kept killing it throughout adulthood on them thereby validating their existence.

So we should be expecting to see Strider races in the olympics someday?

bmx in the olympics?

Originally Posted by SLSki

It is quite comical to see anyone over 12 on those things.

Someone should really tell these guys someone on TGR thinks they look foolish. Or, they could just continue getting paid for having fun while old internet jockies make fun of them.

big wheels are for people that aren't so skilled at riding. or crash a lot. little wheels take mad skillz yo. this is most certainly true in the mtb world.

rog

These guys do pretty hard tricks too. Just sayin

I love/can't stand watching adults riding down a city street on BMX bikes with their knees popping up and hitting their chests. Always looks like a bully who stole some kids bike. I try to imagine them trying to pick up the ladies on their ride.

only to be exceded in stupidity by this




Got a buddy who is just getting back on wheels a month after suffering a concussion while racing BMX bikes.

I had the same thought as the OP. Olympic BMX (like many Olympic sports, IMO) is very cool but fundamentally silly. The Red Bull video above really helps put it in perspective as an awesome sport.

When I was a kid, lonnnnggg time ago, we had bikes with 20" wheels, coaster brakes, monkey bars, chrome fenders and banana seats. The thing to do was to take the fenders and chain guard off and replace the banana with a regular bike seat. This was guaranteed to piss the parents off, since they had just dropped some serious cash on a blingy little bike for you. Then, we went riding in a place called "The Pits." It was an old brickworks where they had dug clay on site, leaving deep, wide trenches in the ground that turned into hardpacked natural clay halfpipes and some serious long drops with smooth runouts. No helmets, no body armour, just the energy and resilience of a 14 year old to protect you. If we had had the bikes of today, I'd probably be dead. Sadly, that place is now covered with condos.

For you young fellas, this is what the original bike looked like, except mine was blue. The Duomatic was a very slick 2-speed internally geared rear hub with high and low gear. You switched gears by a slight back-pedal. That bike ripped but sadly got ripped off:

Originally Posted by pfluffenmeister

bmx in the olympics?

semis and finals are today. it's streaming on nbcolympics.com. guys are flying and hitting the ground hard...

Those guys are flying. surprised anyone on here would make fun of BMX. any of you ever tried to ride one? it is friggin tough.

Mr. Multiglisse, had very similiar bike as a kid. also, had a place we called 'The Pit'. (singular) which was right past 'The Field'. that was a gravel pit, great times in that place. must be a trend, cause I believe that gravel Pit is also covered by condos.

Originally Posted by smslavin

guys are flying and hitting the ground hard...

I saw a guy last night lose it on the takeoff of one of the doubles and fly into the concrete backside of the landing right on his hip. It looked brutal, two people had to help him off the course.

We had a couple competitive BMX racers that ordered through the shop. These were kids, probably 10-12, and they were all racing cruisers (24" wheels). Crazy light little race machines. That was a while ago, so maybe they've bailed on the bigger wheels since then? It seems weird that they would go back to 20" wheels when they got older/bigger.

Edit: I imagine they run small wheels because they allow you to accelerate quickly. Maybe I just answered my own question.

Originally Posted by bagtagley

Edit: I imagine they run small wheels because they allow you to accelerate quickly. Maybe I just answered my own question.

Ding, ding, ding...BMX rules state you must use no smaller than 20" wheels. If they could build bikes with 18", they would likely be faster. Changing the rules to something larger would only make times slower and thus less exciting to watch. The track is sooo smooth, it looks silly fun to me. It’s rare for the woops to be faster when all are doubled, usually manually is way faster, but with the bigger spacing on things some of the riders are able to double them all. So cool. Anyone ragging on them for riding 20” wheeled bikes is lame. These people train their asses off and are taking very real risks to try and win medals. Fastest man or women wins, and no judging crap, that qualifies as sport to me. The full face helmets and Leatt braces aren’t for show people.
Now the carnival act known as synchronized rhythmic “dancing” (gymnastics my ass), yeah that should be laughed at. Why the hell is that in the Olympics? Seriously!

Originally Posted by JayPowHound

What's the advantage?

Simple really, you try to pump as hard as they do with a top tube 6 inches under your nuts and see how it goes. To work the bike as much as they do, you need some clearance. The frames are still much longer than what I rode as a kid though. Look at the chainstays in the bike in your photo.

light till dark building burms and jumps and going around them as fast as we could and making lines to mark who flew the farthest.

Is pursuing that any stranger or more trivial than skiing in a half pipe or down a mountain in Alaska? Is running fast for 100 meters and training for 15 years to do it more acceptable.

I think they are guys who are out doing something they love. That is pretty enviable.

Now I need to go back to reviewing a contract that will change the world.

Originally Posted by lph

Those guys are flying. surprised anyone on here would make fun of BMX. any of you ever tried to ride one? it is friggin tough.

Mr. Multiglisse, had very similiar bike as a kid. also, had a place we called 'The Pit'. (singular) which was right past 'The Field'. that was a gravel pit, great times in that place. must be a trend, cause I believe that gravel Pit is also covered by condos.

not making fun.
i'm just surprised bmx is in the olympics.


get off my lawn!!!

Originally Posted by lph

Mr. Multiglisse, had very similiar bike as a kid. also, had a place we called 'The Pit'. (singular) which was right past 'The Field'. that was a gravel pit, great times in that place. must be a trend, cause I believe that gravel Pit is also covered by condos.

Thank God there is someone else out there. I was worried that when the Bike Industry found out that I was the long-lost Father of BMX, the lavish amounts of cash and free bikes would be too overwhelming for me. I'll be happy to share.

Man, I wish I had some pictures of that place. There was a feature we called The Alligator that was kind of similar to the bumpy section of the Olympic track. Very challenging.

Originally Posted by icelanticskier

big wheels are for people that aren't so skilled at riding. or crash a lot. little wheels take mad skillz yo. this is most certainly true in the mtb world.

rog

Huh? MTB is all about getting over terrain at speed and there's HUGE variation in that terrain. BMX is all smooth and it's a traditional wheel size that has never deviated. If MTB downhills were all like they were 15 years ago we'd still be OK with 3" up front, 53 tooth chainrings and you could even go hardtail. BMX has gotten bigger...but it's still smooth. Maybe I'm missing your point.

I recall the Canadian Nationals were held at my local track here in North Van I'm guessing (holy shit!) 27 years ago. There were a few fast locals and some guys that would come from the outskirts who were solidly known as fast. So some dude in full yellow and white GT factory gear shows up; never seen him before. After his performance I learn he's got the full US factory ride...he's even in the GT team photos in BMX Action with Greg Hill and the other handful of members. I'd never seen anything like this. To this day one of the most staggering mind blowing things I've ever witnessed. He made guys that I always thought were really fast instantly dust in my memory. It was filthy...the power and speed; just glued to the ground. It was not human. Just thought I'd share that. I guess it's like any sport, but it's rare you see someone of that caliber mixing it up with the locals...it put it all into perspective. Think his name was Pete Zablotny. Anyway.

Originally Posted by bagtagley

We had a couple competitive BMX racers that ordered through the shop. These were kids, probably 10-12, and they were all racing cruisers (24" wheels). Crazy light little race machines. That was a while ago, so maybe they've bailed on the bigger wheels since then? It seems weird that they would go back to 20" wheels when they got older/bigger.

There are 24" BMX's. But you sure these kids were on them? There are BMX minis that also run a 20" wheel but a really compact frame and super skinny rims and rubber...super popular with the fast groms and the wheels look deceptively larger in circumference than standard BMX 20"'s.

Originally Posted by pfluffenmeister

bmx in the olympics?

Horse dancing?

Beach volleyball...no for real...think about it. Beach. Volleyball. Medal event.

Horse dancing?

I recall some fellows outside the airport on my last trip to Mexico asking if I wnated to see the dancing horse.

Huh. Really never thought that'd be in the Olympics.

Originally Posted by scrublover

Horse dancing?

I recall some fellows outside the airport on my last trip to Mexico asking if I wnated to see the dancing horse.

Huh. Really never thought that'd be in the Olympics.

It always has been.

What's the difference between BMX and DJ?

Originally Posted by jm2e

What's the difference between BMX and DJ?

A few spots in the alphabet and an extra letter.