BMX

BMX (Bicycle Moto-cross(X)) is a form of cycling on specially designed bicycles which usually have 20-inch wheels (sometimes referred to as iron horses or steel ponies). more...

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The sport includes races on sandy and hilly tracks—BMX racing—as well as the performances of tricks on flat ground, wooden ramps, trails (jumps made of dirt) or obstacles found on the streets—BMX freestyle. Recently, the sport's international governing body—Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)—began sponsoring the UCI BMX World Championships.

BMX originated in the state of California, United States in the late 1960s, when teenagers imitated their motocross heroes (most notably Steve McQueen) on their bicycles. Scot Breithaupt is credited as the founder of BMX. The 1971 motorcycle racing documentary On Any Sunday is generally credited with inspiring the movement nationally. In the opening scene, kids are shown riding their Schwinns off-road. It wasn't until the middle of that decade that the sport achieved critical mass, and manufacturers began creating bicycles designed specially for the sport. In the case of Freestyle BMX, it wouldn't be what it is today without Bob Haro's contribution. He brilliantly merged skateboarding tricks with freestyle BMX which led to the current-day style of this extreme sport.

Bicycle design

In the beginning of the BMX movement kids would strip down their Schwinn Sting Ray bicycles and add knobby tires and perhaps motorcycle handlebars, and in time modify the frames for performance, strength or personal preference. Early BMX bicycle manufacturers, such as R&R Racing Products, Mongoose, Webco and RedLine, eventually created bicycles expressly for the sport. Mongoose can be credited with building the quintessential early BMX bike, featuring a straight-tubed, gusseted frame; reinforced handlebars; Motomag wheels and long crankarms. The initial construction emphasis was on durability, but weight became a consideration as racing gained popularity. R&R Racing Products, noted for introducing the first 3 pound frame, forged the path for light weight, yet strong BMX bikes designed specifically for racing. Other manufacturers soon followed using lighter materials like aluminum and chromium molybdenum (CrMo, chromoly) for frames; steel rims, mag wheels and coaster brakes were replaced by aluminum rims with freewheels and caliper brakes. Once BMX racing became a professional activity, racing bikes became as specialized as in all other forms of cycling competition.

The next wave of innovation came with the advent of freestyle BMX. Freestyle bikes look much like BMX racing bikes, but they have extra places to position the feet while performing tricks and are much stronger. Many freestyle bike also feature a detangler, a device located by the headtube that allows the handlebars to be spun 360 or more degrees without tangling the brake cables. A detangler is often known by specific brand names, such as the ACS 'Rotor' or the Odyssey 'Gyro'. The design of the Gyro was based on the rotor of a helicopter, which requires blade adjustments while maintaining a steady speed of rotation.

Read more at Wikipedia.org