BMX Anyone? (No, really :)

[VFRMAN]

My kids started racing bmx a couple years ago for something to do on Tuesday nights. They had a lot of fun and started taking it more seriously. Now they're traveling all over hitting as many tracks as they can.

I even bought a used Cruiser and started racing Tuesday nights with some of the other dads. I never raced bikes as a kid, but this is a total hoot.

Now I've changed tires/gears/pedals, etc and am starting to take it (almost) seriously.

We went to Kansas City this weekend for the Redline Cup Finals and Brendan our 12 yr old got the #3 plate for the central region as an Intermediate. Rode great and had a blast. Brody our 10 yr old who just turned expert also made a couple of his mains and rode great too.

All 3 of us took in a 3 hour Redline Pro clinic Thursday night with Jason Carnes, one of Redlines pros. Super nice guy and a great role model for the kids.

Earlier this year we raised a bunch of money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at our local track's "BMX Race For Life" race. The boys raised over $2600 for cancer research and by doing that much, we all got our entry fees paid for the BMX Grand Nationals in Tulsa over Thanksgiving. So dad gets to race Open and Cruiser for free on the best indoor track around. That ought to be a total disaster.

Brock our 4 yr old has been racing all year too. He even get sto race at Grands for free this year too. That's going to be a fun one to watch.

Just thought I'd share. Until recently, I always thought bmx was just something you did at the park in the summer before you figured out what girls were. Guess I was wrong.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

Nice!.. I used to race a Kuwahara lazerlite back in the 80s.

 

[scottm]

There's a nice track a few miles from my house, with high banks and viewing platforms. I hadn't been there in a year or two, decided to take my 9-yr-old over to see if he'd like it. It's all overgrown and abandoned, unrideable. I'm glad to see it's still popular some places.

 

[VFRMAN]

Thanks George. You should give it a try again. There were 14 guys in the 41-45 Cruiser class last weekend. Some fast, some not so fast. Good times.

Hey Scott,
There were a couple guys riding mtn bikes last weekend too. One on a 29'er. Both kicked ass pretty good. All you need to race Cruiser is wheels 24" or bigger.

I really never thought much about racing bmx. It was just something to do with the boys Tuesday nights. The more I thought about it. the more I liked the idea. What other sport can you go out on the field with your kid and compete? Football, baseball, basketball, hockey? All those you just sit in the stands and yell, living through your kids.

BMX you can sign up and get your fat ass out there and race instead of just yelling at your kids to go faster. "Put up or shut up" in my eyes. More parents ought to give their kids' sports a try so they can tune it down a few notches in the overzealous screaming.

And it's a sport on 2 wheels, which is always good in my book.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

I'm on the left... probably 1983-ish

 

[VFRMAN]

Did you beat the guy in lane 5 with no bike?

 

[VFRMAN]

Brock "The Rocket". Future Superstar.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

Did you beat the guy in lane 5 with no bike?

that's an old school starting gate, they had to kick it over. Back then you had to beg for a jersey from the factory team. The guy in the redline jersey was a friend of mine, that was his prized possession.

 

[scottm]

I've tried running the track on my Epic, the suspension gets me way out of synch with the bumps. I took my antique hard-frame when I found it unrideable, was hoping to get some air, wondered which bike would be faster. Need to get out there with a brush-hog and make it rideable again.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

just ride it everyday... after a week or so you'll have a singletrack.

 

[VFRMAN]

I've tried running the track on my Epic, the suspension gets me way out of synch with the bumps. I took my antique hard-frame when I found it unrideable, was hoping to get some air, wondered which bike would be faster. Need to get out there with a brush-hog and make it rideable again.

Yeah the guy on the Specialized (hardtail/front shock)was doubling every jump/rhythm section and landing smooth. He looked just like a dirt jumper. If you tried to ride it like a bmx bike I think it would be hard to pump and pick up speed.

It's surprising how fast a good track can go down the toilet. Couple weeks of no maintenance and they are crap. Needs a lot of watering and packing to keep them smooth.

 

[VFRMAN]

that's an old school starting gate, they had to kick it over. Back then you had to beg for a jersey from the factory team. The guy in the redline jersey was a friend of mine, that was his prized possession.

Hillbilly kick over gate? Hell, we don't need to stinkin' gates up here. We just say "1,2,3... go!"

The kids are all getting on a team this week now I guess. They get a lot of gear for free and discounts on all parts and bikes. We'll see how it goes. I'm not really sold on it yet, but they like the "teammate" aspect of it and since they don't really do any other team sports, it should be good for them. We'll see how it goes.

The outdoor season is about done up here now and they'll start to go to Minneapolis every other weekend or so to the only indoor track in the whole probably 500 mile area. It's an old s***ty barn that smells like cow s*** and moldy wood and when it gets dusty you can't breathe. Great idea sending your recently diagnosed asthmatic son in there to pedal as hard as he can. Parents of the year here we come.

if I had the time/resources/energy, and insurance policy, I'd build a kick ass indoor track in town here and save the gas money for upgrades.

Anyone ever looked into the logistics of building something like that these days? Skatepark, bmx facility, etc? Something that screams liability insurance nightmare? Just curious. I would think a city/park district-owned facility is the way to go. I hate to even start looking into it or my wife (who has turned into the BMX Queen) will start digging a hole tomorrow with plans to race indoors next week.

 

[beaufort-fj60]

my town has a skate park... the only problems they have are the kids vandalizing it, no lawsuits. FYI, The starting gate was great. You could stand on your pedals and get a good start when the gate "fell"

 

[VFRMAN]

Just got back from Grands in Tulsa. Kids all rode great and made their mains for Race of Champions. Brody got the #1 plate for the 10 year old Intermediate class. He's pumped and we're all super proud. Had to race Expert the rest of the weekend and still made his 1/4 mains. It was an awesome weekend. Even 4 yr old Brock "The Rocket" made his 1/4 main in the 5 and Under class. Had to race all 6 Inters in his open classes. He even won a moto! I think that was the best part of the whole weekend.

I literally took last in every moto I raced in. Never seen 45 yr old, 250lb guys haul ass that fast. It was amazing. It looks so easy from the stands I couldn't believe how screwed up you can get going just a little faster than you're used to.

Next Year!

Link below of #1 in World Maris Stromberg bailing out and breaking some bones. The Pro section was insane.

YouTube - Maris Strombergs Huge Crash at Grands

 

[flyinbrian]

This thread is great!

I raced a bit when I was a kid, so a friend asked me last year to give his 9 yr old some tips and I was so close to building a bike and tackling the 40+ group after that day.

Seeing what you are doing is giving me the itch again, and when my daughter is old enough (only 1.5 now), I hope she will give it a try.

Keep pedaling!

 

[VFRMAN]

This thread is great!

I raced a bit when I was a kid, so a friend asked me last year to give his 9 yr old some tips and I was so close to building a bike and tackling the 40+ group after that day.

Seeing what you are doing is giving me the itch again, and when my daughter is old enough (only 1.5 now), I hope she will give it a try.

Keep pedaling!

That's great to hear! Keep with it. Just know that those 40+ guys are insane!

Class would be a lot easier to tackle I think since you can be Novice/Inter/Expert. Cruiser you get lumped in with all the top dogs right off the bat. I was no where near ready for that business. May look at getting a 20"er next year too.

My take on it?
1. It's on 2 wheels. Can't be too bad no matter what.
2. Kids love it
3. Mom loves it(for the kids)
4. Great exercise
5. A little friendly competition never hurt anybody.
6. If my wife ever gets mad at me, I just mention how good the kids did at some recent event and she goes off all nostalgic and forgets what she pissed about.

 

[EJ]

Cool thread! My 4 Y/O now 5 just started racing this past summer. I have since bought an SE Floval Flyer for racing, a Sunday Model C for goofing around on and recently an Eastern Nightrain dirt jump bike. The Eastern is fun at the skate park on the street and trails. Floval Flyer and Model C may be eliminated as I will try racing the Nightrain as well.

 

[flyinbrian]

That's great to hear! Keep with it. Just know that those 40+ guys are insane!

Class would be a lot easier to tackle I think since you can be Novice/Inter/Expert. Cruiser you get lumped in with all the top dogs right off the bat. I was no where near ready for that business. May look at getting a 20"er next year too.

My take on it?
1. It's on 2 wheels. Can't be too bad no matter what.
2. Kids love it
3. Mom loves it(for the kids)
4. Great exercise
5. A little friendly competition never hurt anybody.
6. If my wife ever gets mad at me, I just mention how good the kids did at some recent event and she goes off all nostalgic and forgets what she pissed about.

Good points!

My prob. is one of the reasons I got out of it in the first place is my body kept growing. It was hard to find a 20" for a 6'5" guy back in the 80's, but now, long top tubes make it a little easier, so 20" may be the way to go!