BMX - Race/Trails bike

I recently went to my local track (link at bottom) and watch a race series or some race that they had going on. It looked like alot of fun and my parents asked me if a wanted to get into racing, so this Wednesday me and some of my freinds are going back to the track to ride and fool around. Ive always wanted to race and now have the opportunity, the only experence ive had was that behind my old townhouse in MD there was a little race track that me and some of my friends had built and would try to race eachother on, i was pretty good and always enjoyed racing on that little track...

Now to the question...If i end up liking the race track and want to get involved and start racing...WHAT DO I KNEED TO DO?

My bike follows all rules and regulations EXCEPT the pads for my bars, toptube and stem, but it weighs in at like 29-30 pounds, and seeing as how the racers that i know have bikes that are 25-29ish my bike is a tank...

now if i get into racing is there a way that i can build up a bike that i can use for the track, and for trails and possibly some park?

heres my idea for my "race/trails/a little park bike"

Frame:S&M stricker
Fork: ODyssey race
Stem: S&M redneck Lt
Bars: Odssey Civilian or S&M Slams (i think the slams are better for racing, but i dont know)
Headset: Solid
Grips: S&M
Bar ends: (plastic stock S&M)
Cranks: Primo Hollowbites 175mm (maybe with Ti spindle)(id eventually get Profiles if i REALLY got good at racing)
Pedals: i was think Wellgo MG-1's would be good for racing...(not clipping in!)
Sprocket: either the FBM race or Profile...(i need help with ratios too...)
Chain: KMC 510
Front tire: Maxxis HOly roller 1.95
Back tire: maxxis Holy roller 1.75
Rims: 36H Sun Rhynolites
Front hub: Odyssey Vandero
Rear hub: Odyssey cassete with Ti spindle
Spokes: either PRimo or Ti
Brakes: Primo E-brake
Cable: Ody linear
LEver: Ody trigger monolever
seat: Primo Balance (have it right now) or Shadow
seatpost: Shadow monster or Ody intac
seatpost clam: premium
TT length 21"


This is what i had in mind, if i get into it...but is that bike good for racing trails and a little park?

also what gear ratios do racers use besides 44-16....i think i saw some 36-13 the other day at the track...what do you guys recomend?
also how does the whole catogory thing work...Im 14 and have never raced before and the track is part of the NBL so like what am i expert, novice or what? the whole thing confuses me...

thanks

-taylor

i forgot the link...http://www.novabmx.org/nova/index.html (thats the actuall track and heres the VABMX link...http://www.vabmx.org/


please help me out...

5lbs? That's it? Dude, you're going to have to race for a while before you can even tell the difference. Get on your bike and train and when you're competitive enough to start winning races, then start worrying about gram-grubbing. There are *so many* more important aspects of racing than how much your bike weighs.

i know, thats why i said IF i got good, im not going all out to spend that money to make my bike lighter if i suck at it...i was talking about if i really got into it...


oh and 5 pounds MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE!
that means my bike would go from 29 punds to 24 punds! that makes a HUGE difference when your pedaling your balls off the first straight...

No it is not. My bike weighs 26 pounds, and I was pulling clipped-in riders with bikes in the 21-22 range the last time that I went out to the track, and I wasn't even snapping out of the gate properly.

it is too me, 5 pounds! thats enough to make me bunnyhop higher and go faster...

where the hell do you get the money for those parts?!?!?! i ordered the solid headset the other day from a local bike shop,,,,now i have to come up with 55 dollars in 5 days......
the point is wait until you've finished a race. you might be fast enough that with a little practice you wouldnt need to lighten your bike that much.

Its 90% rider, 10% bike, YOU have to condition yourself. YOU have to have strong legs. 5lbs is a bifference but its not really gonna make YOU faster. Now get your ass out there, and ride!

where the hell do you get the money for those parts?!?!?! i ordered the solid headset the other day from a local bike shop,,,,now i have to come up with 55 dollars in 5 days......
the point is wait until you've finished a race. you might be fast enough that with a little practice you wouldnt need to lighten your bike that much.

I didn't start pimpin' my bikes out until I started working at a shop and it became affordable. Still, upgrade fever ate through many a paycheck.

notice the part where i said """""if i got good"""""


i never stated that i was going to go out and buy theses parts...nor do i want to unless i get good and enjoy racing...

You start out in novice then work your way up to intermediate after winning 5-8 first place wins, then you go to expert.

On my bike I'm currently running a 44,16 I used to have a 36, 17. With a 36,17 you can get a lot of speed quicker than the other riders ,but with a 44, 16 you can get a lot more speed and better control around the brims. Its also a lot harder to push. When I had my 36, 17 I would max out around the brims, making my back tire slide, so I would stick with the 44,16.

More than you ever wanted to know about gear ratios: http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Its 90% rider, 10% bike, YOU have to condition yourself. YOU have to have strong legs. 5lbs is a bifference but its not really gonna make YOU faster. Now get your ass out there, and ride!

Wrong again. It's not about strong legs. If it was that simple, I'd be winning all the time. Read my next post.

Now to the question...If i end up liking the race track and want to get involved and start racing...WHAT DO I KNEED TO DO?

My also how does the whole catogory thing work...Im 14 and have never raced before and the track is part of the NBL so like what am i expert, novice or what? the whole thing confuses me...

thanks

-taylor

For starting out, ride what you have. In the end, it will only make you a better rider. There's 3 main components of being a good racer, and the bike isn't one of them.

First, you need to have the anaerobic capacity. Look it up if you want the technical explanation, I'm only providing the simple one. You can ride your bike all day long and not get tired, because you've got a good store of Twinkies and Kool Aid, and plenty of oxygen. That's aerobic activity, where you take in oxygen and sugars to be burned as fuel. To be competitive, you've got to boost your anaerobic capacity, which means asking your body to run at max capacity for about 1 minute, during which time strange chemical reactions take place in your muscles, and you're not getting the oxygen you need. To find out what a good effort is, have a friend time you as you go around the track as fast as you can. With a bit of resting between laps, try to beat that time by a few seconds. When you get to the point where you start puking, you're truly putting in a good effort. Seriously.

Second, you need good technical abilities. There's some freak at our track that can jump the double and triples, but without getting a lot of air. We'll lower our expectations from you for a bit. If everyone else in your class jumps the big stuff, you need to be able to. If eveyone else flies through the rythym section pulling a smooth manual, you need to also. You'll also need to practice your gate starts. They're so important that Stumpy even sells a gate you can practice on at home. Piece of cake.

Finally, strategy. You won't always get a good gate position, so you'll start from that outside sometimes. This means you may not be in the best position going into the first turn. Not only will you have to work harder to get the sweet spot in the turn, you'll need to know which guys need a little elbow action to remind them they you own that turn. Know your opponents. See who does good gate starts, and who doesn't. Find out who gets aggressive in the turns, and who's passive. That should give you a good idea of what to expect.

As far as class, just show up and ask. They'll make sure you go in the appropriate class, hopefully with riders of similar ability.

ok, thanks...
as far as the "track stands" or "gate standing thingie" i have been practicing on curbs and other stuff...how long does it take for the gate to drop...i can hold the strack stand thing for like 10 seconds..

make that...6-7 seconds..haha

The gate is easy to catch on to. After about 3 days of practice I was slingshotting out of the gate.

any tips for the gate...like balancing or just random tips...

It takes a lot of practice, certainly more than 3 days. If you wait for the gate to drop, you've already lost. Our track does gate practice one night a week, where you can go out and do nothing but gates. You need to decide which foot goes first. I'm not very good off the gate, so I sometimes try my weaker leg first, so I don't waste a strong pedal stroke. The key is to go on the 2nd to last tone, but without flipping over the gate. It will make sense once you try it. And yes, I have seen guys spin or smoke their tire off the gate.

any tips for the gate...like balancing or just random tips...
The only tip is to try it and keep practicing.

The only tip is to try it and keep practicing.

And when you're done, practice more.

It takes a lot of practice, certainly more than 3 days. If you wait for the gate to drop, you've already lost. Our track does gate practice one night a week, where you can go out and do nothing but gates. You need to decide which foot goes first. I'm not very good off the gate, so I sometimes try my weaker leg first, so I don't waste a strong pedal stroke. The key is to go on the 2nd to last tone, but without flipping over the gate. It will make sense once you try it. And yes, I have seen guys spin or smoke their tire off the gate.

i was watching some X-GAMES tapes that i had recorded from the racing (before all the DOWNHILLness) and the riders appear to like do a big wheelie or manual (im calling it a wheelie cause they only pull up for like one or two cranks), should i practice that too?

You start out in novice then work your way up to intermediate after winning 5-8 first place wins, then you go to expert.
ok just to clear this up, i dun no how the aba runs but he said in the thread hes in NBL and you start off in ROOKIE than after you win 15 races with 3 or more kids of your own age in your moto you move up into novice. and also bikelry, slingshotting out of the gate was illegal up until this year in the nbl.

i know, thats why i said IF i got good, im not going all out to spend that money to make my bike lighter if i suck at it...i was talking about if i really got into it...


oh and 5 pounds MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE!
that means my bike would go from 29 punds to 24 punds! that makes a HUGE difference when your pedaling your balls off the first straight...

not if u train really hard. i get fit by accelerating up(HUGE)hills, i improve my reaction time by riding in traffic and throwing urban assault on my city, i practise my jumps anywhere and everywhere. all this and i ain't even a racer. :D picture what you should be doing!!!

o k....

if you dont race then why do you condidtion so much...

There's nothing wrong with being in shape.

"i like my bike too lose weight so that i dont have too...."


(i like lite parts)

That explains my titanium bike...

haha...

That explains my titanium bike...
Rich bastard.

Rich bastard.

Neither, actually. You don't have to be rich to have a $10,000 bike either.

You don't have to be rich to have a $10,000 bike either.

you have to be sponsered.

you have to be sponsered.

No, you don't need to be sponsored. I'm an importer, so I get to pick and choose whatever I want. My bike is a rolling advertisement for my business.

No, you don't need to be sponsored. I'm an importer, so I get to pick and choose whatever I want. My bike is a rolling advertisement for my business.
Lucky

i second what bikerlry said.

Nothing wrong with liking what you do, and making money.

not at all.

you work for the company that makes your bike?



explain yourself expat..

you work for the company that makes your bike?



explain yourself expat..

No, the company that made my bike works for me and my wife. We own a small business that imports bike parts and other stuff too. We also sell custom fasteners and titanium goodies, including complete bikes. We've gotten away from that now, but our tandem is a rolling example of some of the stuff we used to sell, as well as the custom bits we can order. As long as I was ordering stuff, I would get some extra bits here and there for us. It cut into my profit a bit, but it's not like I was out of pocket. The frame was at our cost, but still not cheap. Even that was mostly paid for with some leftover money I had after we took a long vacation back to the US. Now, we mostly just import BMX stuff and sell it at our local track. It's all about finding a way to make money and do what you love at the same time. I can't wait to move back to the states so I can start building custom bikes. They'll be recumbents and utility bikes and stuff like bike trailers so you can tow your gear behind you. That's my next big thing - promoting bicycles as transportation. I'm also going to start recycling tandems to help out disabled people. A tandem gives certain disabled people the opportunity to enjoy bike riding. There's already a program that supplies tandems to families with blind children, but they rely on donations so they can provide new bikes that cost 1 or 2 thousand dollars. I'd rather round up all the ones gathering dust, and put them to use. Everyone needs a hobby. Gotta get some sleep now.

your lucky Expat...



so im going to head out...theres a comp at my local skatepark...and i entered for 14 and under....

ill post pics if i can...camera perrmitting...

Win something, or get hurt trying.

i got 2nd place. For the 14 and under group.
as soon as my freind sends me the pics ill post them...


the comp was great except for all the rain and the fact that there was only 3 people in my age group...so it wasnt too challenging. the other people that were going to entered either got hurt or didnt enter cause of $$$...so i shamley got 2nd place out of 3. but i really didnt care, becuae i won some red DK vice grips which are really soft and 3 free passes to the skatepark (and it costs like 5 bucks to get in) so basically i paid $9 to enter and just for riding i got like $30 bucks worth of parts...works for me...


the 15 and over comp was amazing.

the winner (not that you know him) Eric Holliday did a huge backflip and tailwhips not to mention his 360s both ways ove little pyramids and banks...3rd place rider was amazing too...he was trying flairs onto a bank off a quarter...and just slipping out at the end...


pics are coming soon...

i got 2nd place.

:beer:

:beer:
it wasnt that great...like i said 2nd place out of 3





oh well...i got free DK grips and some free passes to the park...

im going to a clinic tonight @ my local track to learn a bit about racing and just ride the track...maybe try to race some people...

ill try to take some pics...

it wasnt that great...like i said 2nd place out of 3

Well, you beat someone. You could have been 3rd and last. Then I'd have to look for the "You suck" smiley dude.

Wish I had your job. Now everyday have to wake up and go work on old cars rebuilding engines.