BMX

BMX (an abbreviation for bicycle motocross) is a form of cycling on specially designed bicycles which generally have 20-inch wheels (less than the 26-inch wheels found on mountain bikes and the 700C or 27-inch wheels found on more conventional road racing bicycles).

Bicycle design

In the begining of BMX, kids would just strip down their Schwinns and add knobby tires, until early manufacturers, such as Mongoose, Webco and RedLine, created new designs 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 cranks. The emphasis was on durability, but as racing gained popularity, weight became an issue. Materials like aluminum and chrome molybdenum (chromemoly) became common for frames; steel rims, mag wheels and coaster brakes went by the wayside to be replaced by aluminum rims with freewheels and calliper brakes. Once racing became a professional activity, racing bikes became as rarified as in all other forms of cycling competition.

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The next wave of innovation came with the advent of freestyle BMX. Freestyle bikes look much like BMX bikes but with extra places to put your feet while performing tricks. Another important feature is the ability to spin the front wheel 360 degrees without handbrake cable entanglement. This was enabled using a device known as the Gyro (ACS also made the Rotor, but never caught on). The design of these devices allowing handbraking while keeping the cables straight is based off the design of a rotor of a helicopter, which requires blade adjustments while maintaining a steady speed of rotation.

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The explosion of BMX created many startup companies, and lured many known manufacturers into the market. Noteable companies include Mongoose, Webco, (Red Line), FMF, Schwinn, R&R, Torker, Cook Brothers, Skyway, Suzuki, Kuwahara, Hutch, SE Racing, and JMC Bicycles.

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