Olympic BMX

How mad?

How bloody fast!

ouch that brazillian took a nasty one!

NZ look like Darth Vader on wheels 🙂

My favourite Grauniad front page in a long time!

How mad?

How bloody fast!

How many qualifying runs?

(glad i sky+ed it though)

Is it on now?

How many spoilt kids who were bought a road bike last week now begging their parents to swap it for a BMX? 😀

And why is the stadium commentator an American?

And why do they play Rawk between motos?
Surely they should have to listen to ‘Let it Be’ like everyone else?

Probably one of my favourite events to watch, risk, excitement and loads of crashes. Molly, it was on about 3pm but deserves lots of repeats 🙂

it’s just mental to watch 😯 (awesome bike skills they all have 😀

All the bikes appear to have the same brand of brake lever, is this a regulation or sponsorship?

all on xtr V’s?

all on xtr V’s?

Pretty much sure I saw a rear disc on one during the seeding runs yesterday.

I’m all for discs on most types of bike they are just better. But a disc on a BMX? They only use them at the end of the lap shirly the pros don’t really need them?

How do they manage to track stand so easily at the beginning, especially clipped in? They bounce around, pump up and down but don’t wobble at all. I thought there was something holding the back wheel but I didn’t see anything. Is it just that the front wheel is against the gate?

They just push against the gate, its not hard to do

They’re always angled downhill, so gravity is keeping the front wheel against the gate. Find a wall or post at the bottom of a hill and roll up to it, it’s easy to keep your balance with the front wheel effectively fixed in place.

Weekends’ activity sorted. Impressive anyway, especially for a wobbler like me.

A tired cliche but amusing I thought…
Daily Mash Olympic BMX

There is no regulation on brakes or levers to be used but most adult riders run a Shimano DXR lever and caliper. The DXR looks bling as it is basically the polished version of a Deore brake and works adequately on a BMX track. Disc brakes would cause the rear wheel to lock up as the bikes are light and as you never sit down during a race there is no weight over the rear wheel. One dab on the brake would loose you the race as the racing is so close.
Its easy after a little practice to balance on the gate. The riders you see on the startgate of the Olympics have been balancing on gates for years and have there own way of getting set for a race. These range from position of the front pedal, body position over the bike and lead and follow leg position. Ultimately is all about forward motion out of the gate.
I am so glad that the TV coverage has opened peoples eyes to the world of BMX racing. The riders on the gate are all world class athletes and have put in years of training for there sports. Now all we need is some GB medals in BMX to cement its credability with the “mainstream sport” loving public.

Matt (National BMX rider and BMX coach)

Let’s hope Shazza doesn’t throw it away again like she did last time.

Let’s hope Shazza doesn’t throw it away again like she did last time.

brilliant. where’s that rolling eyes smiley gone?

Thanks Matt for answering my question about brakes. Watching a replay I noticed someone had a deore lever. I’m really hankering after a BMX now.

Me too! She did the same at the Worlds this year. She had her weight too far forward and her back wheel broke away from her. I know she runs maxxis DTH tyres which I have never been a fan of! I think at the last Olympics she wanted it too much and pushed a little too hard in to that last corner. I hope she can keep her cool and pull it off, but she has to get in front of a top world class field to do it and she is lacking in race expearience this year.

Come 3pm all will tell?

Matt

I honestly think she got spooked by how good AC was in Beijing and on that turn, running into her back wheel was a ‘if I bin it then I have a good reason why I didn’t win’. I’m sure that Pendleton had a similar experience.

Time and time again, we see that winning is mostly about the psychological battle rather than the physical. If you’re there and in the final, then physically you’re capable of winning.

So exactly how fast are these guys & girls spinning their bikes up to? It looks pretty rapid from telly..

I was lucky enough to be there yesterday (thanks British Cycling). It was a fantastic event, definitely the best one I’ve been to so far. It was definitely pitched at ‘the kids’, but my 82 year old dad absolutely loved it.

The crash at the start which left the NZ rider on his own was amazeballs. So impressed with the way they all picked themselves up and gave it beans on the next heat.

They also had a freestyle demo/jump competition between rounds, so the crowd was well entertained.

Top day out and gutted I sold my BMX last year 😥

Oh and supposedly the men hit 35mph+, according to the ‘rad’ commentator.

Actually 42.5mph was the fastest quoted speed on the track yesterday. Thats pretty serious speed on a bike with 20″ wheels, no suspension and only a rear V brake…

Matt

42mph? holy crap, with the gearing they have that’s amazing.

I’ve often fancied a BMX.

Roger Rinderknecht was using a disk brake yesterday so your eyes are not deceiving you. I think it was XTR.

42mph? holy crap, with the gearing they have that’s amazing.

I think they’re spinning up to 180rpm

42mph! 😯

I met roger rinderwhatsisname when I spent the day on the BMC (his 4x sponsor) stand at brands hatch a couple of years ago, I pointed out that the chap I had been talking to was joe breeze and that without him and a handful of others of similar vintage that MTB’s wouldn’t be where they are today. He wasn’t that impressed, he crashed in the next round. 🙂

I pointed out that the chap I had been talking to was joe breeze and that without him and a handful of others of similar vintage that MTB’s wouldn’t be where they are today.

you sound like a hoot!

parties aren’t the same without me, my comedy ties are legendary and always a talking point.

I like watching the BMX the skill level is amazing but never wanted one when I was a kid probably because Dad said they were toys and not real bikes.With hindsight he was a miserable sod .I suppose its a bit late to get one at 48 😀

i had to make do with a grifter 😥
it’s amazing how an endo can bend the forks back so far yet still be ridable.

Edric 64 – Its never to late. I will be 45 next year and still race on the National BMX scene. There is a class for cruisers (24″ wheeled BMX’s) thats 45 +. The oldest racer that we have at Gosport BMX Club is 65yrs old.
Age is a number nothing more.

Matt