You’ve seen the videos. You’ve been to the skateparks. You’re hooked. Now all that’s left is to get geared up to go ride BMX for yourself! BMX (short for bicycle motocross) is a style of riding that uses a smaller bike to do tricks at skateparks, on the street, and even race. There are so many ways to enjoy BMX that it’s difficult to really nail down one discipline to focus on.
How to choose a BMX bike – https://www.the-house.com/portal/choose-bmx-bike/
Despite that, there are some common things that every BMX rider needs. By the end of this post, you’ll have a good idea of what you need to begin riding BMX yourself. Let’s get started!
Bike
The first thing you should begin shopping for before anything else is your bike. If you’re just trying it out, there’s nothing wrong with getting a less expensive bike, so long as it is mechanically sound. Be sure that the wheels spin easily and that there isn’t any rusting on the chain or frame.
Be sure to test ride the bikes you’re interested in riding to ensure that you’re getting the right bike for your body. The biggest variable you’ll need to decide on is the length of top tube. The two most common lengths of top tubes are 20” and 21”. If you’re over 6’ tall, you’ll likely feel more comfortable on a 21” top tube bike and if you’re shorter than 6’, you’ll likely feel more comfortable on a 20” top tube bike. Test each length out to see which size bike fits your body best.
Safety Gear
After you’ve picked out a bike, it’s time to build out your safety gear. BMX carries a lot of risks with it as the movements that you’re doing can result in crashes more frequently than simply riding a bike down a trail. To that end, you’ll likely need a lot more safety equipment to prevent major injuries from happening. Some important safety equipment you should be sure to pick up new includes:
1. Helmet
First and foremost, you absolutely have to wear a helmet. The style of helmet will really depend on the BMX discipline you end up practicing the most. For those that ride freestyle or at skateparks, a skate helmet that covers the top, sides, and back of your head should work out great. If you’re looking to get into racing on tracks, you’ll likely want a full faced helmet to prevent face injuries if you end up going over the bars on a jump.
In any case, always make sure you buy your helmet new and ensure that it fits your head properly. You don’t want it to be too loose or too tight. And if your helmet gets cracked at any point, you need to toss it and get a new helmet as soon as possible.
Bike helmet purchasing guide – https://www.the-house.com/portal/bike-helmet-buying-guide/
2. Elbow pads
Cracking your elbow after a fall can be a nasty injury that takes a long time to recover from. When you’re just starting out and begin to learn new tricks, you can expect to fall quite a bit. Protect your elbows by wearing some soft elbow pads that will flex with your arms. This way you’ll prevent serious injury to your elbows without restricting your arm movement.
3. Knee pads
Another sensitive area to protect with flexible pads are your knees. Again, you’ll likely fall a lot if you’re just starting out and injuring your knees can be incredibly painful (not to mention expensive). Knee injuries often take a long time to recover from and even then, you may not get full range of motion back to your knees if the injury is severe enough. Be smart and wear some knee pads.
4. Gloves
An often overlooked piece of safety gear are gloves. These serve a couple purposes. The first is to protect your hands from getting scraped up when you fall. This is especially important for BMX racers on dirt tracks. The other purpose is to increase the amount of grip you have on your handlebars to improve your control over the bike. After you’ve ridden for a while, your hands can get sweaty which will decrease the control you have over your handlebars. Keep your hands tacky by wearing gloves when you ride to maintain full control over your bike.
Repair Kit
Now that you’re all set up with your bike and safety gear, it’s time to gather some basic repair tools for your bike. These tools will ensure that your bike is in top condition for each ride so that you have a fun and safe experience. Some important tools include:
- A bike repair stand
- A small socket wrench set
- Allen key set
- Crescent wrench
- Tire levers
- Spare tubes
- Bike pump
- Chain breaker tool
You can build out your repair kit piece by piece or you can opt to pick up a repair kit at a bike shop or online. In any case, having these tools at a minimum will ensure your bike is ready to go each time you take it out.
Final Thoughts
Alrighty, you’ve now got a good idea of what you need in order to start riding BMX. Buy what your budget can afford. A great place to snag quality gear for less is online marketplaces like Facebook, Offer-up, and Mercari. There are plenty of people that are willing to part with all sorts of gear from bikes to pads for much less than you’d get it in a retail bike shop.
Once you’ve gotten all of your gear, go find a place to begin your BMX journey. Ensure you always wear your safety gear whenever you ride to prevent unnecessary injuries. And try to find groups that meet up to practice as one of the best ways to get better is to ride with people who are better than you. Now get out there and ride your bike!
