My 5 year old is super interested. What gear do I need? How do I get him a bike without breaking the bank? How do I pick out a cool bike for my tubby bottom to ride along with him?
There is a track down by the airport here. I need to head down and get him involved.
Well... you need a bike, with pads, a full face BMX helmet, gloves, and some protective pants. You need to join the organization that races at your local track and they typically have a practice night where new participants can come and ride whatever non-race bike they have on the track with loaner helmet. There is also a lot of used gear to be bought at race night because at that age the bikes and gear get outgrown before they wear out and they are VERY expensive.
We used Fox and Thor kids moto gear because it's much cheaper to buy.
That said - my boys are grown way beyond the gear. I have a super sweet Felt BMX race bike in my basement that is possibly a little too big for a 5yr old (my son was 6 when he started and I changed out the cranks for him to fit - still have the long set too). BUT, I will make you a super sweet deal on it to move it along to someone who can actually race it rather than dealing with CL asshattery.
It needs a good going over and a rear tire. I shall endeavor to post a pic of the actual bike if you are interested.
Here it is in action 9 years ago(holy berkeley, goes by quick!!)
Let me know what you got. My parents live near Philly and can pickup or I will be out there in July for a family vacation.
It's been 20 years ago at least since I raced bmx. Invest in good helmet and bike padding. Slipping the pedals after a jump really hurts.
Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Let me know what you got. My parents live near Philly and can pickup or I will be out there in July for a family vacation.
Felt Sector Expert (age 8-12 usually). Alex rims. Cassette hubs. Light enough to lift on your pinkie finger. Needs a good cleaning, a tire and the rear bearings are a little loose. It works. If you are picking it up - bring a case of good craft beer or $50 and it's yours. If I have to box and ship it - it's $1,000,000 :)
Your boy needs a smaller frame unless he is tall for a 5yr old - I forgot this was my boy's 2nd bike - (Expert is the size... there is Junior and Mini too). They are all about $500 new before clip ons and pads. DO NOT BUY NEW if you need a Mini as he will outgrow it in about 6 mos. and you can get one local to you for half that most times from some other parent who's kid quit or moved up.
I'd definitely hit up the local track as Huckleberry stated. Lots of kids outgrow their bikes quickly and you can get used stuff at a decent deal.
I assume he has a bike right now? If so, he should be able to ride it on the track, regardless, just to see if he really likes it. When my son was 4, I took him to the local track to ride his little 12" "BMX" bike. They had a "class" for kids like him on their cheap little WalMart bikes and such. They let them start the race from about halfway down the starting ramp, but my kid wanted to start at the very top.
He fell in love with it. Ended up buying him a Redline Micro (like this) so he could start racing. The track closed two weeks later.....
I hit up the new track around here recently and saw lots of dads on various cruisers. From 24" to 29" and a few with front suspension. Still quite a few were on 20"'s. So, if he does end up really liking it, there are lots of options for you. Again, see what's available at the local track. Probably the best deals to be had there.
Oh, and the under 6 classes are still my favorite to watch.
-Rob
In reply to rob_lewis:
This thread is making me nostalgic.
They have special "manual" races after the main heats where no pedaling is allowed and just by moving weight around on the bike the older/better kids would still get enough speed to catch big air. My kids waited for that stuff - they loved it. The racing org would give out prizes like t-shirts and stuff to the top 3 spots and a hat for biggest air or something. It was really cool while it lasted. We are all in on high school basketball and soccer now. No more BMX or karting except at the indoor place once in a while. Driving is right around the corner.
My oldest has a box of something like 200 plastic trophies because the top 3 spots always got one for every heat and now that I'm thinking about it - I should take them over to the track and drop them off so they can reuse them. There are only a few memorable ones from championships that have his name on them - the rest are generic dust collectors.
For us older guys, there are a ton of BMX options. I rode a 24-inch cruiser for years. I recently built up a 22-inch bike and love it. You can do a 24 for less money, though. A lot of taller guys like the 26s and 29s, but I think they're too tall for me. Basically, there are a ton of choices, and my shop of choice is Planet BMX. They cater to us old guys.
Also, later this month I'm hosting an old guy get-together at our local skatepark. Details are here.
And here's my 24--or at least modern equivalent.
MSRP is $409, but I have seen it advertised for less.
The adult heats around here usually only have 3 guys in them. The guy that owns the track, the announcer guy and his wife. I've gone out on practice day with my mountain bike and torn it up with the kids but it's pretty easy to beat up on 12yr olds when you have gearing and they have fixies.
It's seriously fun to run a track with banking, bump section and big triples - if there was actual adult participation of any sort around here I think I would enjoy it in place of a trail ride once in a while but taking it seriously and touring the NE ... I'll leave that for people too young to drink beer while waiting for their heat :)
ok... I now need a cruiser. Let me chat with my folks about the bike
Huckleberry wrote: They have special "manual" races after the main heats where no pedaling is allowed and just by moving weight around on the bike the older/better kids would still get enough speed to catch big air.
The local bike club built a track just for this a couple blocks from me on land the city let them use. Sort of like a oval track ~40 yards from one end to the other with banked turns at the ends and a bunch of "whoops" in between.
Fun to watch the older kids pedal 1-3 times to get started and then go for several laps just by shifting their weight on the bike.
In reply to Hal:
I think we call those Pump Tracks out here. Duthie has one. https://www.evergreenmtb.org/trails/duthie-hill <--- yup its a county park.
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