Got a new bike! (again)

In the previous few weeks, my blogs included BMX related themes. This week, I actually bought a BMX bike and am really getting into the whole BMX riding scene. These photos were taken by me.

I bought this bike, a 20inch wheeled classic BMX bike.

      My first impressions of bmx bikes was long ago, and not very good. I thought they were rigid, uncomfortable, heavy and not fun. This opinion changed a few weeks ago when I rode some friends bikes at the skate park. I knew that I needed to buy one, because these bikes no longer felt so gross, and in fact, felt super fun to ride. I sold my mountain bike, said goodbye to the type of riding I have done for over 3 years and bought a new bike, this one above. This is a huge change for me, but I think it is a positive one. My bike is now super simple, and simplifies my life in more ways than one. I have no gears, no breaks, no suspension, nothing to repair or worry about.

 
     I now ride skateparks and street spots across town. One nice thing is many cities have skateparks of somesort, and traveling to different parks in California is pretty cool. Before I changed over to BMX, I was riding the same stuff (skateparks and street spots) so this was more of a bike change then a riding place change. I'm adjusting pretty quickly to the change, and I have to say its really a nice change. Sure I wish I could be riding rocky technical dirt trails again, but for now, my main focus is on riding bmx.

Pretty stoked on this bike, picked it up from Elite bikes in Citrus Heights. The shop was super cool and the bike selection was prime. After riding a few different models, and looking at a lot of price tags, I chose this bike. I love the color and the way the bike feels, and thankfully, bmx is quite a bit cheaper then mountain bikes! And once you buy a bike, not much on it can break, even if something does break, it won't be too pricey.

 Well, I am pumped on riding this new bike and having new experiences on it as well in the future. Here's to something new.

How to play a game of B.I.K.E

One thing in the bike world I have been doing more and more often is playing games of B.I.K.E. This game is pretty simple, but it has a set of rules. If played right, you can have a blast while learning new tricks on the bike.

What is a game of B.I.K.E?

This game originated from the game "H.O.R.S.E.", played by basketball players for years. If you don't know the game "H.O.R.S.E.", its played like this. Two players or more can play, each of them ro-sham-bo to see the order of who goes first. The player who wins the ro-sham-bo gets to go first, he can try to make a shot into the hoop from anywhere on the court. If he doesn't make the shot, then its the next person try to shoot form wherever they choose. But if the first player makes the shot, all the other people playing the game have to make the same shot from the same spot, or else they get a letter. Getting a letter means they get one letter of the word "horse", the more letters you get, the worse off you are. If you get the whole word, you're out.

So as you probably are expecting, a game of B.I.K.E. goes pretty much the exact same way. instead of taking shots from specific parts of the court, you ride your bike in a specific way, doing specific tricks. If you can't do the same trick as the trick setter, you get a letter from the word "bike". There are some differences though between the two games....

Mulligans
In games of B.I.K.E, you can get a mulligan, which is a chance to retry somebody's trick. You can choose which trick you want your mulligan on as well. For example; If someone does a backflip and lands it, the trick set is a backflip. If you try a flip and don't land it, you can either choose to take a letter, or use your mulligan and try it again. If you get the trick using your mulligan, no letter will be given to you, but if you fail again, you will receive a letter. You only get one mulligan during each game.

Trick Setters
Also in games of B.I.K.E, the trick setter determines if his opponents execute the trick to their standards.

Last trick tries
When you are on your last legs and have a B.I.K. and your opponent throws down a trick that you proceed to fail on, you have a B.I.K.E, meaning you have lost. But for the last trick, you get two tries instead of one.

Most of these features of the game that make it easier make the game last longer, longer games are more fun and exciting.

Bikes and Locations
Most games of B.I.K.E. are played on jumps, or in a skatepark because the options of tricks you can do are bigger, making the game more fun. If you are more experienced, you can play in a parking lot. It won't be as fun, but it's a way to kill time.

The bikes used for these games are either BMX bikes, or Dirt jumper bikes. This is because there is more opportunities for tricks when you have a smaller bike. I have played this game on mountain bikes, but look forward to trying it on a BMX.

Above, Brandon Begin and Adam LZ face off in a game of B.I.K.E.

Competition

Usually, games of B.I.K.E. are friendly and for fun. Playing these games can make you a better rider because when people force you to try tricks you don't normally do, you improve. Sometimes riders use these games to settle beef, there is a lot of talking shit on the streets, and sometimes games need to be played in order to sort things out.

Here's a link to the latest and most popular game of B.I.K.E on the web. So many people wanted these two to face off. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYrQaTJ7cGA

BMX

In recent blogs, I've discussed BMX bikes and riding, but this week I am going more in depth on the topic.

What is BMX?

The term "BMX" actually is short for "bicycle-moto-cross". This originated when BMX first started. At first, BMX was people riding small bikes on dirt tracks that resemble motocross tracks today, with jumps, bumps, and turns. Over the years people realized having smaller bikes are more controllable and better for doing tricks. This then evolved into the BMX style that is more commonly known today, which is riding them in skate parks and doing street tricks.

The Bikes

The typical BMX, shown above, has the distinct features of a BMX bike. These features include 20" wheels (which are considerably smaller then the regular 26" you see on most bikes). The simple single speed drivetrain and the butterfly handlebars also give this bike the look. These light, simple, and bombproof bikes make riding street, skateparks and jumps easier in many ways. The small wheels are lighter and make the bike more maneuverable in the air. One brake and one speed make these bikes simple an light, as well as low maintenence.

The Riding

While BMX originated out in the dirt, today it thrives in the streets and skateparks of the world. Most riders ride concrete these days, while some still race the original bicycle motocross out in the dirt. As you can see from the photo above, the smaller size of the BMX bike allows the rider to control the bike with a lot of precision and accuracy. While small bikes may look easy to do tricks on, keep in mind that launching yourself down big staircases with no suspension besides your arms and legs is not easy to do. Many riders use "pegs" which are metal bars coming from the front and rear axles to do tricks such as grinding and tapping.

Because of the BMX's maneuverability, there are many many tricks you can do, which makes BMX riding creative and gives the riders different personal styles. He

re is a video of a Canadian rider shredding an indoor park really hard. I highly recommend watching this video!

http://www.redbull.com/us/en/bike/stories/1331596248226/drew-bezanson-joyride-2013-edit

Bike check with Matteo

This week I will be doing a bike check on my latest rig.

This is my 2009 Transition Trail or Park (T.O.P)

This is my latest bike and by far my favorite. It's the most fun and simple bike I have owned ever. I will go into the specifics on how my bike is setup for my riding style.

I am running some lightweight but strong custom WTB wheels with a 2.2 inch wide tires. I have a long history of getting lots of flat tires, so my wheels are setup tubeless, meaning instead of having an inter tube, there is just sealant. I got a nail in my tire last week, and after pulling it out, I lost no air. I run around 65 PSI in my tires to keep them stiff and fast rolling on the streets.

I'm also running a custom WTB saddle that is a limited edition seat, only one was created ever like this. It's comfy and keeps away the chafing. My white frame is composed of chromoly tubing. Chromoly is heavier than aluminum, but stronger then steel, carbon, and aluminum. The frame is short, which makes the bike easier to control, especially in the air. Backflips are much easier on a bike that is shorter because the weight is centered closer to the middle, making rotation easier.

A backflip at Shendo's pond

Up front I have a Fox 36 as a suspension fork. This fork is called a 36 because the stanchions (the gold part of the fork) are 36 millimeters in diameter. It offers 100mm (4 inches) of suspension travel up front, while keeping the weight down. I have only one speed, and one brake. This keeps it simple, and the maintenance down quite a bit. The only part I have to replace often on this bike is the rear tire and the brake pads in the back. I like a simple bike so I don't have to keep spending my time and money on fixing it.

I have the bike setup with lots of purple parts. The wheels, chain, and cranks are anodized purple, I really like this look and will continue to buy purple parts to keep the color scheme going strong. 

Now the cockpit of the bike; I have Vans grips (yes like the vans shoe), with 28 inch wide handlebars. These aren't too wide, but not too skinny, the perfect in-between. My brake cable is extra long so I can spin my handle bars in the air for tricks. As you can see in the photo below, The cable is wrapped a few times, but the cable is not too taught. The stem (the part attaching the handlebars to the bike) is extra short for more control over the bike. The more direct the handlebars are, the more general control you will have over the bike.