My Background
My name is Wes. I'm 32, have a wife, Debby, and two sons. Zachary age 7, and Hunter age 3. We race BMX. This is our story. Perhaps you will gain something by reading this.
I began riding wheeled machines operated by leg power at age 3. It had to be a two wheeler because I remember running a finger under the chain and all the way around the big gear when we lived in an old farmhouse. This was before my kid sister was born. I was trying to figure out why the pedals would turn one way but not the other. I would learn the inner mechanics of coaster brake hubs several years later. That day, all I learned is to keep fingers away from moving machinery!
We moved from the farmhouse in 1973 and landed in a big frame house just a couple miles away. By the way, I live in Portage, Indiana. Almost always have. Kids and bikes were everywhere in my new neighborhood. One of the most popular pastimes for the young boys in my area was to secure a cinder block and a suitable piece of wood, and commence to throw ourselves, along with a bike, off this crude launching pad and see who could fly the furthest. Most of us were riding bikes with "banana" seats and tall handlebars. To see some of these bikes, watch a few episodes of "The Brady Bunch". I think Jan rides one.
These activities continued and progressed throughout the 70's. The jumps got bigger and the bikes slowly got better. My parents frowned on any action which caused a bicycle to lose contact with the ground, They were even more unhappy whenever I asked to have a bike repaired or replaced. Then something wonderful happened. A BMX track opened. Now my dad could not say that jumping a bike was a complete and total waste of time. I vowed that when I had kids they would have the finest BMX bikes I could afford and all the jumping and racing they could stand. That day arrived in June 2000.
Even though I stopped racing when I was 14, I continued to ride BMX bikes all my life, either on vert or in the streets or playgrounds. I took my bike with me when I lived I California while serving in the Navy. I built a JMC cruiser, which got stolen. An event from which even now I have not fully recovered. By 1993 I was married and back in Indiana. A track opened in the summer of 2000 and I got bit by the BMX bug bad, but now I had the means to build bikes for myself and sons that I could only dream of as a boy with BMX indifferent parents.
This article is about little kids racing on little bikes with skinny little tires. Bikes commonly referred to as minis and micro minis. The question most frequently voiced to me is "What kind of bike should I buy for my son/daughter?" This is so hard to answer with so little information. First thing, how serious are you? Is your kid going to race for a couple of weeks and then quit? I would hate to have someone spend $350 on a bike and then find out little Bobby doesn't like to race any more. If you're certain BMX is a good fit for your family then put little Bobby on a bike that will not put him at a disadvantage to his competition. I feel sad and can relate through experience, when I see a kid that does not have the proper tools to compete.
This is my opinion; kids should not compete before the age of 4. And then with absolutely no pressure to always win until after they are of expert proficiency. If they are under 50 lbs., I recommend a micro mini. These bikes have 18-inch diameter wheels and can accommodate the very short legs of these baby bmxers. However, kids this age are growing rapidly. By the age of six a micro will no longer do. Besides, micros are hard to get and are fairly expensive. Most people wait until little Bobby fits on a mini before they let him race. These bikes are widely available and are thick as flies at most tracks. Minis usually have a 90 lb. rider weight limit. I'm going to keep Zach on his until he's 9 years old or 75 lbs. Which ever comes first. I think a lot of parents succumb to pressure (usually from the kid) to buy a bigger bike, too soon. Consider changing crank length or handlebar rise before shelling out another few hundred for a junior.
Next question. Aluminum or Chrome-moly. Opinions on this topic are hotly debated. Who's right? I don't know. I have a theory but that's a topic Boswell has already covered. Let's be realistic. Is a 5-8 year old weighing less than 90 lbs. really going to be breaking frames and forks? No. These kids know the difference between what they are capable of and not. They seem to have better sense than a lot of teens I watch. However for advanced teenage riders and adults or anybody who jumps a lot, 4130 is the material of choice for frame, fork, bars and cranks, My recommendation, aluminum, for the mini frame. Aluminum forks if your bank account will stomach it. Expect to "fork" over at least $120 for quality forks. Don't buy used aluminum forks!
Here's another good one! Clips or flats? SPD or "clipless" pedals that didn't even exist when I raced are now used by 75 % of the racing public. I know of only one AA pro that doesn't use them. On my BMX bikes, I don't use them. I tried it and immediately took them off. I'm an old dog and don't want any "new tricks"! (Worth noting, on road and mountain bike I find them perfectly comfortable.) That does not mean that they are not right for other people.
For the mini rider's parents I emphasize that clipping in has pro and cons and they should carefully consider what they are. (1)... Crashing while clipped to the pedals increases the risk of injury. (2)... SPD systems are high maintenance and should be checked regularly for wear and loose bolts and mechanisms. (3)... Racing in wet conditions is ill advised with SPD systems. Most of these pedals and shoe cleats are fairly sensitive and mud is their enemy. A rider may need to put a foot down to prevent a spill on a wet surface. On the other side of the coin, (1)...Proper foot and ankle position is assured. (2)... "Slipping a pedal" is virtually eliminated. (3)... The entire crank rotation can be utilized for power development. (4)... All little kids want to be clipped in.
Bottom line. Make the kid race for a year before going to clips. He needs this time to develop his skill before the danger factor increases. Also I could not find a SPD shoe under size 4. I had to make a pair out of a pair of football cleats. I don't recommend that any body does that. It was a mistake. Wait until he/she will fit in a shoe specifically designed for SPD. When or if little Bobby does go clipless, make sure he rides off the track with them for at least a week before ever getting on the gate. Oh yeah, he has to be proficient at balancing in the gate before the change.
Last issue, price. It has always been and will always be true. The amount of money you can invest in a mini is very high. Until recently I believed I had pushed Zach's bike to the limit of high performance and weight reduction. I was wrong. While at the 2001 ABA World Championship I saw minis that had to have been in the $2000 to $2500 range. To put that into perspective I have about $1000 wrapped up in Zach's Redline, and it has some high end stuff like Answer forks, a titanium bottom bracket, TIME atac pedals and lots of aluminum hardware including spline drive spoke nipples. Lots of other stuff too but I don't want to give away all my secrets. The point is, I could put on carbon fiber forks and pedals, Chris King headset and cassette hubs, titanium spokes, and replace all the hardware with ti, but would that make Zach enjoy BMX any more? Would he win more often than he already does? I don't believe so. Furthermore I don't want him to think that he needs anything else to be successful. Imagine if I built those wheels with titanium spokes and he crashed at a big race and bent a rim. I would have to put his spare wheel on that has stainless steel spokes. Now he's thinking his bike is not as fast anymore. As a parent nothing is more frustrating than trying to convince a kid that he is good enough to compete after doubt sets in. One more thing regarding bike weight. Don't "drill stuff out". Doing so removes any strength in cranks, frames, forks, bars, and chain wheels. Unless you have a degree in mechanical engineering don't risk the kids safety by putting him on a bike with no structural integrity
The most important word of advice I have for BMX parents is, no matter what, make every race a fun, positive experience. Greet him/her at the finish line and say "Good job, I'm proud of you." no matter what happened on the track. If the kid completely gave up and you honestly can't say those words, don't express your disappointment in front of the other racers and spectators. Remember this is not your childhood, it's theirs. Nothing ruins a race day faster than a parent yelling at a 6-year-old because he got beat by half a bike length at a local race. Most likely that kid is not looking forward to the next race knowing the reaming he's going to get if he fails. Riding bikes is fun. Don't ever ruin that!
One more thing. Your son or daughter will respect your opinions more if he/she sees your decrepit butt pedaling the track too! It's not too late. Get a bike and practice what you preach!
Thanks for reading. If you want to chat BMX look me up at bmwthorn@aol.com.