BMX Is Back

BMX in Lafayette

Andrew Clinkscales zoomed by on his small BMX bike -- riding up the side of a small brick building and bouncing off the building's vertical facade."(I like) the exploration involved with BMX," the 22-year-old said. "You just cruise the street for like three hours just to find the right spot."
Clinkscales, and other bicycle motocross riders in Lafayette, have noticed a recent upswing in the number of people riding the small-framed bikes -- either for racing or street riding -- confirming that BMX has once again become popular.
John Swarr, producer of the recent documentary on the history of BMX, "Joe Kid on a Sting-Ray," (www.joekidonastingray.com) said BMX died out in the late 80s and early 90s, but started to make a comeback professionally in 1995.
That dry period forced the kids to go underground with BMX bikes, he said.
Although the growth does depend on the area, Swarr said it has become a mainstream sport now because people actually know what BMX is.
"It's more popular," he said. "Every boy that has a bike has a BMX bike. It's not a trend as much as it used to be, it's more of a lifestyle."
Locally, the sport was popular in the 1970s and late 80s and faded out in the early 90s, but in the last five years, has started to pick up again, said John Price, owner of Old Skool Cycles in Lafayette.
Price has noticed more kids riding around and customers commenting about how they see groups of kids riding the BMX bikes.
His son, 14-year-old Indiana "Indy" Price has been racing for a year and street riding for eight months.
The boys know the story of how BMX started.
Teens and preteens in southern California started riding their Schwinn Sting-Rays, which were released in 1963, to emulate their motocross heroes.
The bikes had small enough wheels to allow them to do jumps and mimic the stunts of motocross racers.
Eventually the dads of the riders modified the Sting-Rays or created new bikes and the BMX bike was born in the early 1970s, coinciding with the birth of organized BMX racing.
Since the birth of BMX racing, the bike has been used for various forms of riding, each style corresponding to the way the riders desire to express themselves, Swarr said.
The styles include dirt jumping, BMX racing, street riding, ramps, vert riding (riding a half pipe, usually a 11-or 12-foot-high wooden ramp) and flatland, where riders do ground and acrobatic tricks on the bikes.
The bikes for street riding and racing are different. Street bikes are made of steel or Chromoly, a stronger steel found on higher-end bikes.
They are slightly shorter than racing bikes, making them easier to maneuver and do tricks.
Bmx race bikes are made out of aluminum and are longer to give more stability.
Also, the culture is different.
Swarr said street riding is freer than organized competition and this freedom is what gives BMX an underground feel.
Jim Darling and his daughter Shelby Darling race BMX bikes.
Jim said racing appeals to those who are competitive.
He is a Lafayette native and started riding back when the Sting Rays were in style. He started racing in 1977 and has stuck with it because of his daughter.
Jim has noticed BMX getting popular again.
Shelby has noticed a lot of high schoolers riding BMX bikes.
She got into it because of her father and stuck with it because she likes the competition.
"(I like) being against people and knowing you have to beat a certain person to make it...and challenging yourself to go the extra mile," the 15-year-old said.
Jim said BMX racing kept him out of trouble when he was a teenager.
"When I was young my mom was a single parent and I could've got in trouble but chose to race BMX," he said. "I never smoked or drank because of BMX. The competition brings the better lifestyle out."
Clinkscales has a similar story and said if a rider takes BMX seriously they are more likely to stay out of trouble.
When he was in high school he rode his bike everyday with an afro and chipped teeth -- the latter compliments of a BMX accident.
But while his friends were partying and drinking -- he was riding.
Although BMX has kept Clinkscales and Jim out of trouble, Clinkscales thinks it has a bad reputation and is not as revered as other sports such as football.
"If you skate or ride BMX then people think it's a bad thing, or you are just wasting your life."
His friend Ben Neumann, who met Clinkscales through riding, also sees the good in BMX.
He finds it therapeutic.
"You have a crappy day at work and you get out on your bike and it's just you," the 25-year-old said. "You ride away, push yourself to try new things and crack jokes with your friends."
BMX has definitely become Clinkscales' passion and he loves to travel to different cities just to ride.
"No hotels, no plans, just meet up with friends and ride the streets."