gnr rocker

that the bicycle comunity looks down upon bmx?

linux_author

- you mean, does the bmx community have an inferiority complex?

(biggest LBS in a 50-sq mile area is a BMX superstore)

gnr rocker

no, i ride bmx. and in my area the mtb'ers an the roadbikers look down upon us. i want to know why

Thor29

You'll have to ask them yourself. But most likely it's just the usual uptight snobbishness you see everywhere. They probably think BMX bikes are just for kids. I say, F 'em - ride whatever you want to ride. Anybody who "looks down" on anybody else based on the type of bike they ride obviously has self-esteem issues.

linux_author

- dunno, but i find most roadies to be snobby weirdos anyway...

- grow a pair and ride proudly!

:-)

p.s. no excuse for *any* cyclist to cop a 'tude...

Wil Davis

bmx use smaller wheels?

- Wil

JanMM

I ride a recumbent with 20" wheels; I don't look down on BMX bikes.

Kommisar89

Well, I don't look down on any cyclists but I will admit I've never understood the point of riding a bmx bike away from a course where you can use it for its intended purpose. It's a very specialized kind of bicycle that makes for a rather poor general purpose machine on the road. I've often thought how uncomfortable it looks when I see some (usually) teenage guy who's like 5'11" on this tiny frame bike with his knees practically hitting his chin trying to ride down the road. Admittedly though, if bmx bikes had been around when I was a kid (they came along when I was a teenager) I'd probably be a much better mountain biker today.

gnr rocker

thats just it, if you see a kid on a 20"bike and they are just riding about. they are poseurs

CastIron

Bmx wheels are smaller, ergo others look down to address them. Except bent riders. Whole 'nother complex going with them.

Allen

You really want some scorn? Try an electric bike on for size.

donnamb 

Not the community I live in.

manual_overide

for the same reason people look down on skateboarders. They are generally young punk kids riding and tearing up public places. Many times nearly colliding with pedestrians. I generally don't mind, but I do get irritated when all the ledges that are good for sitting on are covered in wax because somebody just HAD to grind that ledge. If there were more skate parks and skaters and bmxers went there instead, I think people wouldn't "look down" on them as much. I think the trials MTB guys are in the same boat.

Dr.Deltron

+1!
I ride a recumbent trike with 16" wheels.
I don't look "down" on anybody!

That, and I raced BMX for about 5 years as a youngster. So I can't look down on a group I belong to.
Although as an old fart now, I aint as rad as I used to be.

East Hill

Partly because the people who ride BMX are young.

Young people always get a bad rap, just because they're young. The language is different, so it puts older people off, because they don't know what you're really saying.

I think mostly, though, that people who've never tried riding BMX don't know how hard it is, and so don't respect the skill involved.

East Hill

well biked

Interesting thought. My eight year old son rides a 20" wheeled bike, I've never thought of him as a "poseur." Seems to me he rides his 20" wheeled bike because it's a child-sized bicycle, he's a child, and it fits him. Oh well, I learn something new everyday.

As for your question, if you're a good representation of modern day BMXers, as far as I'm concerned you just answered it yourself-

stevegor

I once got called a poofta by a bunch of teenage bmx punks, all because I was riding a road bike, had shaved legs and was wearing lycra. I shouted something equally insulting back at them and then got chased by 2 of them, who informed me that they were going to do me some physical harm. Of course they couldn't catch me, even though I was only spinning and allowing them to get about 3 metres behind me, I suppose saying to them " C'mon ya girls, have a go" only enraged them more.

Seriously though, most BMXers I see disregard road laws, have HUGE attitudes and need a kick up the ar#e.

chephy

Same for most roadies I see. (No, I don't ride a BMX, never have, not likely to start. Yes, I do ride a road bike. Well, cyclocross anyhow. )

Kommisar89

Well, that might be a bit harsh. I suspect most of them got the bike at least intending to use it for actual bmx type riding (whether they ending up doing it or not) and it's the only bike they own so they're stuck with it.

There are a couple of bmx/skate parks here in town and it's pretty interesting to watch. I'm sure I break my neck if I tried.

Portis

I think the "bicycle community" looks down on punks and poor grammer, accompanied by high levels of AOL'ese. But I don't think they look down on BMX.

DataJunkie

They do? Weird. Learn something new each day.

seosamh

i saw a guy on some trails one time on a bmx, must say i was well impressed..

neilfein

In some crowds, I think BMX bikes are the "in" bikes. It's like mountain bikes in the '80s, they were the thing to get and they made you look automatically cool. (I ride a MTB, but that's because I actually take it on the trails.)

But honestly, whatever floats your boat. Everyone has a litle bit of vanity in them. If you've ever spent a few minutes dithering about what to wear, you have a touch of the vain in you.

There's one of these on one of my regular riding routes; it's a regular water stop for me. It's always disappointing when nobody's doing stunts.

Them young BMX whippersnappers...

East Hill

word

East Hill

SoonerBent

Let me start by saying that the following isn't true for all riders, but I see it in a lot of riders.

It seems to me that cycling is home for some of the worst cases of people not accepting anything they see as different, out of the mainstream, outside the box, or however you want to say it. BMXrs aren't accepted, recumbents aren't accepted, MTBrs aren't accepted by roadies and roadies aren't accepted by MTBrs. On the 'bent I hear talk behind me on rides all too often putting me or my choice of bike type down. On our Wed. night club ride last week I overheard a group talking about a guy who has been joining us on an MTB. They were amazed that he keeps up and talked about suggesting to him that he get a real road bike. Little do they know that he keeps down to our speed. He trains on the MTB to be stronger in road races where he's either a CAT1 or CAT2, I'm not sure which.

The point is I believe there is a lot of "bike discrimination" among cyclists and it sucks. We're all on the same side.