Just spent the past two days on BMX tracks with my 5year old on his Isla bike conc 16. He is loving it and showing me up already! So I think I need to get him a BMX bike and some pads etc (emptied my first aid kit out today on him and the other kids at the track) Trouble is I know absolutly nothing about BMX anyone know of a good source of information? What sort of bike should I be loking for for him? The Isla bike is great but a bit too small for him and the pedal back brake doesn't work well on the BMX track. I think we'll be joining the local BMX club Preston Pirates so I'm sure will pick up some tips there but I would like to get some decent pads etc for him don't want him to get put off due to too many scraped knees (also should have seen the wifes face when I arrived back home with him and his knees all cut up!)

They bounce well though 🙂 . Take him to a shop and try them on – they all feel different and are cut different. We got ours from Urban Air and tried on about 4 differnt kids elbow and knee pads and gloves.

Definately go along to Pirates as they'll help you size a bike if you do take the plunge. At 5 he'll probably be on a "micro mini" or a "mini". The downside is kids race bikes don't come cheap – 250 and up for a new one. Second hand they get snapped up quickly as well.

If you want to do some surfing you could have a look on BMXtalk which is a bit more race orientated and gear comes up for sale fairly regularly.
Shops to have a look at to get an idea: Groove Racing, Tibbs, Alan's BMX, urban air. For a 5 yr old, the lighter the better. Redlines usually win here but they don't come cheap.

Have fun!