BMX - Up Up and Away

Along time ago when I was just a child, I wanted a BMX bike so bad! Santa never brought me one and birthdays came and went too. As a family we struggled financially so I had to make do with a second hand, re painted, black racer bicycle.

I did love that ricketty old bike and indeed was grateful you must understand but I still looked on in envy at all the other BMX bikes. Perhaps because I believed I could fly over the garden, house and beyond at that point made me want one even more. I hadnt grasped the fact that the BMX bikes in the movie E.T. had more than a helping hand in getting them off the ground! Flying over large obstacles in BMX video games didnt seem to compensate.

Christmas mornings became a spot the who has got a new BMX competition as all the kids raced up and down the streets and pavements, making impromptu ramps with old splintered planks of wood and a few bricks. There was no doubting the huge success that BMX had become.

Despite thousands of valiant attempts, no one ever did manage to fly their BMX over the house, although crazy Billy from the next street has the scars to prove he gave it a really good try. We all concluded that E.T must have had some kind of magical powers!

BMX bikes still cannot fly 30 years later but despite this fundamental flaw in their design, they have become more popular than ever before. The latest BMX triumph was their inclusion for the first time as a sport in the Olympic Games at Beijing during 2008.

At the 2008 Olympics, racing was the only BMX discipline to take part but with the ever growing popularity of the sport in general, it is only a matter of time before Freestyle is included too.

BMX also has Flatland in its arsenal of disciplines, this too is growing in popularity and as with other forms of BMX riding takes great skill to be a true pro.

Having such a mix of styles within the sport, perhaps it is not surprising to discover that there many, many different models of BMX bike. Each discipline is so different that it generally requires a bike specifically built for that purpose, with different weights and general designs to suit not only the discipline but also the individual riders.

With magazines and TV shows dedicated to the sport, BMX is enjoying fame and fortuned that it could have only have dreamed of back in the days of E.T and co!

So, whether an old pro, new to the sport or just looking to buy a bike as a Christmas or birthday gift for a relative, choice will certainly not be a problem when it comes to BMX.