BMX - I think

I'm gonna give racing a shot. Went to the track today, amazing.

Orly?

yarly.

Yeeeeee they are building a track in WINNIPEG! finnaly i cant wait!!!!!!!!

Do it up.

Just one question which might be noob. Is there a convincing reason - why you need pads on your bike?

I don't have pads on my bike. It used to be an ABA rule, but now they're optional.

So I'm stuck in a class of sponsered people who have been racing since they were wee ones. However I was neck in neck with one of them.

How was it?

I need to train/practice like mad to ever get 1st place. Other than that it was fun.

The track there nice?

Desert Sunset is small and Manzanita is big. Sunset is easy to zip through while Manzanita is more flowy and fun.

Some big tracks are fun, but the one I race at is like perfect. There's some small stuff that's fun to screw around on but then there's bigger stuff that's fun to flow and jump big on.

I just checked out the Manzanita website, it looks dece, but you have the Ajo Team out there. That sucks. Most of those kids are solid. Desert Sunset is the one in the arena right? I just want to make sure I'm looking at the right one. Track looks so smooth and sick.

http://desertsunsetbmx.com/
Ajo kids are jerks, during practice they do some stuff then just stop and go really slow through the rest and block people.

I got a trophy today though lol. One of the girls in my class is sponsered by Ajo then the other 2 are sponsered by someone else I think.

Yeah I checked that website out too. Looks sick. But if you're going to keep racing, get Saver Stamps instead of trophies. You can use them to buy stuff at Bike Shops and stuff. Each one is worth $.75 and you get 2 for 3rd, 3 for 2nd, and 4 or 5 for 1st. So much better than trophies.

Looks great
We do some racing at the Hill bmx track in Elgin IL
It is a super cool track,I will be going soon to practice.
I am going to see how my Sunday C-Model rides on the dirt.

I'm sure it will ride pretty nice.

Yeah I checked that website out too. Looks sick. But if you're going to keep racing, get Saver Stamps instead of trophies. You can use them to buy stuff at Bike Shops and stuff. Each one is worth $.75 and you get 2 for 3rd, 3 for 2nd, and 4 or 5 for 1st. So much better than trophies.

Yea I'll deff do that, I just wanted a trophy because it was the first.

Yeah I know what you mean because I used to be the same way. But even for nationals and stuff this year I think I'm going to get stamps. So useful. The only problem is you can't order off of Dan's Comp or other mail-orders with them.

http://tucson.craigslist.org/bik/1170703430.htmlWhat do you think about this? Can't find too much info on it.

Powerlite used to be a big racing company, but they've slowly dwindled to where they are today. It's a pretty good frame, especially for $65. Try to get it down to $50 though.

So another question. Carbon fiber forks. I've seen a pretty heavy kid run them and do some stunts with them. They seem like they would snap on him but are they strong?

I would not run them ,I think the have a 170lb limit
The difference in weight between a crmo and the carbon forks is only a few ounces.
You can shed off the weight by changing other parts.
If you have ever snapped a set of forks,You will understand where I am comming from

I don't like carbon forks, just because I don't like the feel of them. A lot of pros run them and some of them are bigger guys like Kyle Bennet, but I wouldn't really worry about them snapping. I have seen two pairs snap though. One at the headtube and another pair on a really hard crash.

Hmmm. .. . I don't plan on getting them, too expensive and sketchy. Anyways I was neck and next with one of the sponsered kids but she races sooo dirty everytime I was about to pass her she cuts me off massively and as much as I want too run into her I don't wanna mess my bike up.

Yeah like I said, I don't like carbon either and I run chromoly forks. But just keep racing hard and you'll beat that girl.

Yea I hate it when they cut you off like that,That is one of the many dirty tricks of the track.
Just train so you can ride faster and leaver her in the dust ,you can work on your start also
Alot of the track races are won by who can leave the gate the fastest
TOM

26Inch, you said it, the winner is determined by who comes out of the gate first. Normally.

I see it all the time,The first one out the gate winds up being the winner.
If you can hold up the pace through the track

Exactly. But sometimes you have a bad gate (like me) and have enough power to catch up and pass the leader.

Well in the conci race I owned and my start off wasn't that great.

That's what I mean. Same thing with me today, I came out of the gate horribly, but I caught back up and won. Oh and btw, it was against an 18 Expert too. Not bragging though.

Racing here kinda sucks because people always have to get bumped up. So the other day I was bumped up to expert class and had to race 5 other people all older than me. I got owned except the second round I got second to last which made me feel a little better. So far all I've been racing is experts and for once I'd like to not so I can actually win.

Are there actually girls there for you to race?

Yep 3 they are all sponsered. I always race them at Manzanita but at Desert I always race different people. I'd like to race other novices but I guess there aren't enough people or there isn't enough for the higher classes.

Ohh alright. It's only going to help you in the end anyways.

For sure, I always tend to trail them closely but I can never get ahead. Speaking of which I just got a Gt Mach 2. Really freakin light. About 20ish lbs. Switched out the bars to fly powercurves and cranks to maderas. Smooth ride so far but I haven't taken it to the track yet, tomorrow I shall since it is a race. Somewhat skeptical about making sure everything is in proper working condition for it. However I can't get the seat/post in order. The seat on the stock post keeps on moving and I tried everything. The other post I have is too skinny to fit and my ghetto rig soda can didn't work well either. I'd get a new one but I'm broke. Hrmm.....

That's cool that you started racing and having fun at it.

I joined the Navy so I haven't been able to ride a bike for like 4 months. I hope I'll get to race a little when I'm on leave. I also hope I'll be able to have a bike when I get to my next duty station.

Woah. MadMan is here. How's what Navy going?

Leave the navy. The US is up to no good.

Says you. Canada and the U.S. don't like each other, right? Haven't got there in history yet.

No canada and the US are basically the same country. The US is trying to create a one world government. Global domination. And they want to de-populate the planet over 80% in the process. Do YOU want to fight for that?!

Back to racing.
Fuzzbox, if you want race specific info you should look at the BMX Racing forums on Vintage BMX. (not the Vintage Racing)

The GT you picked up is a reasonable bike and shouldn't give you many problems after you get the seatpost sorted out. There are shims that you can get to adapt posts but they are half the price of a cheap complete post so it is not money well spent.

Taking someones line in a race is not dirty riding, dirty riding is t-boning someone in the corner or hip checking them over the top of the berm. The lead rider gets to choose their line so as long as they are in front of you they can go wherever they please. On the final straight you have to hold your line, if you move into someones line to block them on the final straight you can be DQ'ed. Keep at it and have fun, don't concern yourself with whether or not other riders are sponsored, being sponsored doesn't make you any faster.

Carbon fibre forks are not sketchy or weight limited for the most part unless you are talking about the Mini/Jr./Expert forks that kids use. Lots of the guys I race use them and are heavier than me, I weigh 235 lbs. The carbon fibre itself is very strong, the rare failures that happen are usually in the alloy steerer tubes not the carbon fibre. I have only seen the carbon fok legs broken on a single fork in the past three years and that was from another bike coming down on them over a jump, a chromoly fork may not have broken but it would have been bent beyond repair in the same scenario. That said, there is little weight savings to be had over race specific chromoly forks and you certainly pay a lot more for the bling. I run chromoly on both my 20 inch and cruiser. If you end up looking at forks at some point, you should consider the Supercross Pro Lt chromoly, they do have a 170 lb weight limit but are very popular with the female riders as they are light, stiff, and relatively inexpensive.

After you have been at it for a little while you should start to consider your gearing, it can make a huge difference. If you find yourself slow out of the gate you may want to go to an easier gear but not so easy that you are totally spun out halfway down the first straight. There are loads of BMX gear charts online.

Back to racing.
Fuzzbox, if you want race specific info you should look at the BMX Racing forums on Vintage BMX. (not the Vintage Racing)

The GT you picked up is a reasonable bike and shouldn't give you many problems after you get the seatpost sorted out. There are shims that you can get to adapt posts but they are half the price of a cheap complete post so it is not money well spent.

Taking someones line in a race is not dirty riding, dirty riding is t-boning someone in the corner or hip checking them over the top of the berm. The lead rider gets to choose their line so as long as they are in front of you they can go wherever they please. On the final straight you have to hold your line, if you move into someones line to block them on the final straight you can be DQ'ed. Keep at it and have fun, don't concern yourself with whether or not other riders are sponsored, being sponsored doesn't make you any faster.

Carbon fibre forks are not sketchy or weight limited for the most part unless you are talking about the Mini/Jr./Expert forks that kids use. Lots of the guys I race use them and are heavier than me, I weigh 235 lbs. The carbon fibre itself is very strong, the rare failures that happen are usually in the alloy steerer tubes not the carbon fibre. I have only seen the carbon fok legs broken on a single fork in the past three years and that was from another bike coming down on them over a jump, a chromoly fork may not have broken but it would have been bent beyond repair in the same scenario. That said, there is little weight savings to be had over race specific chromoly forks and you certainly pay a lot more for the bling. I run chromoly on both my 20 inch and cruiser. If you end up looking at forks at some point, you should consider the Supercross Pro Lt chromoly, they do have a 170 lb weight limit but are very popular with the female riders as they are light, stiff, and relatively inexpensive.

After you have been at it for a little while you should start to consider your gearing, it can make a huge difference. If you find yourself slow out of the gate you may want to go to an easier gear but not so easy that you are totally spun out halfway down the first straight. There are loads of BMX gear charts online.

Thanks for the input. I just think she races dirty because it seems like she tries to push me off the track(like gets really close when side by side). When I'm ahead she comes from behind and gets in my line. Hmm...I'm surprised she hasn't gotten DQ'd though since she got my line in the final straight before. But most likely it has to do with her being related to the owners.

Usually they will only call a DQ when someone is actually trying to take the rider off the track and even then it will usually only be a warning unless you lodge a protest. It took me a while to get used to the close side by side racing, stick your elbows out to give yourself some room.
Just keep working at it and you will be doing the same to them in no time.

Like andymac said, the Supercross Pro LT forks are really nice. I run them and they feel so much better than carbon. Just keep racing, trust me. Oh yeah and I was jumping my 30lb. street bike on the 4 pack tonight. :)

w00t, 2nd place I almost got first. We were at neck and neck throughout the whole race.

Way to go. Smoke her next time.