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If you have mastered the bunny hop, and you can ride your bike with no hands, it’s time to move on to some more easy BMX bike tricks.
The classic wheelie is a another easy trick that will help you learn balance and confidence. To do a wheelie, simply lift your handle bars into the air while you are riding, and continue to ride with the front wheel in the air. See how far you can go with your front wheel in the air, or see if you can lift your front wheel higher each time you do a wheelie. Obviously start with a small wheelie.
Once you’ve mastered the classic wheelie, why not try a nose wheelie? It’s simply a backwards wheelie—you lift the back wheel into the air instead of the front wheel. Lean forward while you are riding and use your lower body to lift the back wheel. This might require a bit more concentration and practice to perfect than the classic wheelie.
Now try a manual. A manual is virtually the same as a classic wheelie except that you do not use your feet on the pedals. You must use only your body’s weight to balance the bike as it propels forward.These are fairly standard beginner tricks that you will want to master before moving on to more complicated tricks. If you try to start with complex tricks, not only do you risk injuring yourself, you also risk damaging your new bike—and that beautiful Barracuda, or that sparkly Stolen deserves so much more.
More Easy BMX Bike Tricks
September 8th, 2010How to Choose a BMX Bike
September 2nd, 2010BMX bikes are growing more popular, but with so many choices available, choosing the bmx bike that’s right for you might be a bit of challenge. Here are some guidelines to help you choose. A lot depends on what you intend to use your bike for. Racing, jumping, and freestyle are three different uses of this kind of bike. You may also want to use your bike for everyday use, like riding it on the road to a shop, or going on dirt trails while you are camping.
If you want to use your bike for tricks, or ride it on paved roads and in parks, your best bet is the freestyle BMX. If you want a classic bike for racing, or for everyday use, the classic BMX, or true bmx, is your choice. And if you want something in between, for jumps and ramping, you should choose the jump BMX.
You should also decide what material you want your bike to be made of. Classic bmx bikes are made of aluminium, which is lightweight, but more expensive. The Freestyle bikes and the jump bikes are usually made of steel frames, or mixed metal, and are heavier than the classic bikes, but also more sturdy and cost effective. Something else to consider is the type of rims on your bike. Classic bikes usually have lightweight, aluminium rims which makes them faster. Freestyle bikes have mag rims, and jump bikes have 48-spoke rims or other strong, sturdy rims to support the impact of jumps and tricks.
Deciding on a BMX Bike
September 1st, 2010BMX bikes came onto the scene in the 1960’s. They were a takeoff on the motocross motorcycles, and became very popular with kids who admired these and wanted to learn some bike tricks of their own. The classic BMX was the first BMX bike, and is still very popular today. However, you should consider what you want to use your bmx bike for.
If you want a bike for jumping, you may not want a classic bmx. The classic bmx can’t support a lot of high jumps and hard landings. The frame is lightweight, which means it will jump easily, but also means that it won’t land so well. You need a sturdier frame for jumps, so you should choose a jump model such as a Barracuda BMX Grind.
If you want a bike for tricks, but you also intend to use it on flat roads and pavement, you’ll want a freestyle bmx. These are heavier, steel frames, but they can take a lot of impact, and they are sturdy and reliable. For a good freestyle bike, try a MirraCo. If you do want a classic BMX, or true BMX, there are many choices. These bikes were built for racing, and the light aluminium frame makes for smooth, fast riding. A Redline is a good classic BMX choice. There are many different styles and brands of BMX bike, but deciding what you want to use your bike for is the best way to figure out which bike is best for you.
The fitness benefits of BMX
August 17th, 2010One of the benefits of taking up BMX riding is that, with practice and effort, not only will a person develop some impressive riding skills, but he or she will be able to substantially increase personal fitness levels. BMX, be it racing BMX, dirt BMX, or one of the freestyle variations such as street BMX, is an excellent means of improving cardiovascular fitness, physical strength and general motor and co-ordination skills.
Fitness levels will firstly rise due to the fact that it is often necessary in BMX riding to stand whilst pedalling and thus generate the greatest riding power. Such stamina-building qualities are also found in the requirement for the BMX rider to accelerate hard at critical moments during the performance of stunts or whilst racing. This beneficial effort in riding a BMX bike is further compounded by the fact that all BMX bikes have single speed gears which can make an encounter with, say, a gradient, considerably demanding.
BMX riding also helps boost upper body strength and powerful arm muscles through the need to lift the bike off the ground during the performance of tricks or whilst negotiating a bumpy track; this despite the fact that most BMX bikes are aerodynamically designed to assist the rider with such lifts.
Finally, of course, BMX riding helps generate, through careful and patient practice, some superlative balance and co-ordination skills.
At bmx.co.uk we not only supply the best value BMX bikes, we can advise new riders on the best ways to develop their fitness levels and their BMX riding skills.
Getting used to a first BMX bike
July 18th, 2010When starting out in BMX there are some common problems and challenges most riders end up having to face. Two of these problems, rider comfort and coping with single speed riding, are, like many BMX challenges, soon overcome with perseverance.
The problem of a BMX bike feeling uncomfortable for a beginner is a common one. Although a reputable BMX shop will help minimise this discomfort by helping the rider choose the right size of BMX bike for his or her build, the fact that a BMX bike is often very low to the ground and often designed to be ridden standing up, means that a BMX bike does take some time to get used to. It is not long, however, before each rider starts to find that his or her BMX is the best bike he or she has ever ridden.
The second challenge, relating to how all BMX bikes have a single speed and are therefore hard to ride over long distances or when climbing steep hills, is also one that demands perseverance. Most riders eventually appreciate that as long as their BMX bike is not used like a conventional bicycle, it will be able to cope with short races on level ground or the varying ups and downs of freestyle. Having one gear speed also frees the rider from having to worry about effecting gear changes during hectic rides.
At bmx.co.uk we not only sell great entry level BMX bikes, we are always at hand to help advise on these and other teething problems encountered by the novice BMX rider.
