BMX (Bicycle Moto Cross) goes back to the late 1970's as a human powered form of Moto-Cross where instead of a motorbike, riders would hurtle round a circuit of bumps and jumps on a small wheeled bike with a single gear. The sport peaked in the early eighties and then lost popularity when the mountain bike was introduced. It is seeing a resurgence in popularity now and joins skate and inline in being a popular street/urban sport.

As BMX developed, the bike evolved into being a fixed frame size, with 20" wheels and high handlebars. Childrens bike sizes are now available with smaller wheels (12", 14" 16" and 18"). BMX bikes tend to quite strong due largely to their small frames, and because they have only a single gear, they tend to need less maintenance. Some are fitted with one brake (front) whilst other riders prefer front and back brakes.

As time moves on from the 70's BMX has also changed from race to trick/freestyle.

Types of BMX

Race

The original. No Frills, just a bike built for speed around a dirt covered track with humps.

Freestyle

The first evolution. Designed to be ridden purely to perform tricks and stunts. The bike has smooth tyres instead of knobbly ones, and they usually have some form of mechanism to allow the steering to be rotated fully through 360º without entangling the brake cables (Giro).

There are 2 types of Freestyle. The first being airs/tricks/jumps. The venue tends to be a half pipe or quarter pipe, where the trick is performed as the rider/bike hits the air at the top of the ramp.Tricks include spining the bike through 360 degrees or 540 degrees, whilst leaving the bike and then sucessfully landing. Flatland is the 2nd freestyle riders perform a series of tricks, moving the bike around on one wheel and many others without allowing their feet to touch the ground.

Dirt Jump

The latest evolution. In many cases this is freestyle taken onto the dirt. Riders build ramps from piles of earth and then jump over the ramps, performing aerial tricks whilst off the ground.

Pros...

Most BMX bikes are very solid and robust. They tend to be more durable and they are easy to maintain due to the lack of components.

Cons...

It is a trick/race bike and not suitable for riding distance. It is not a commuting or shopping bike!! Lack of gears and small frame/wheel size make it a fun bike.

One key factor to remember with a BMX is that it can only be as capable as the rider. As with any style of bike, there are "imitations" ie bikes which look like a BMX but which are not suited to any form of extreme riding.

Tricks should be undertaken with an awareness of the risks involved. Safety gear should be worn at all times ie helmet, knee and elbow padding, wrist protectors.