So you or your child has decided they are serious about BMX!!!! Excellent!!
We are all about SAFETY first !!!
If you're just starting out you're not going to have all the latest gear, but you need to wear stuff to keep you in one piece.
If you are NEW !!!!! To race on a club night you will need:
Helmet – A MUST! You won't be allowed on the track without a helmet. Helmets can be hired at the club for $2.00
Long sleeved Shirt – elbows covered, and should be tucked in
Long pants, preferably a heavy fabric, old jeans are good but need to be tucked into socks or taped around your ankles. They will end up in your chain otherwise.
Shoes and Socks - Real shoes and do them up firmly, socks help protect your ankles if you crash!
Gloves -Your hands will be the first thing to hit the ground when you lose it, and yes you will fall off, everyone does! Gloves can be hired at the club for $2.00
Remember
If someone in charge at the track asks you to change what you're wearing - don't argue with them.
They've seen what wearing incorrect clothing can do, and probably don't want to spend lots of time picking bits of you off the track!
All riders under 7 years must wear elbow guards and knee/shin guards, please ensure your rider has the following:
Elbow guards
You can source elbow pads from The Warehouse and they will keep your skin on your elbows instead of spread along the track! Good ones, from bike shop, will cost way more but will stop just about any damage to your arms.
Knee and Shin Guards
Same deal as elbows..... depends how many scars you want !!!! They must have a rigid surface that extends from the knee protection to fully cover the shin or to just above the ankle.
All riders coming at any BMX event must wear, please ensure your rider has the following:
Race Pants
Race pants can be purchased at any bike store or motocross dealer.
Race pants will have padded knees and usually hip pads as well. They'll be tight around your ankles
Race Shirts
Race shirts can be purchased at any bike store or motocross dealer. The Hawera Club also have club race shirts for sale
We are all about SAFETY first !!!
If you're just starting out you're not going to have all the latest gear, but you need to wear stuff to keep you in one piece.
If you are NEW !!!!! To race on a club night you will need:
Helmet – A MUST! You won't be allowed on the track without a helmet. Helmets can be hired at the club for $2.00
Long sleeved Shirt – elbows covered, and should be tucked in
Long pants, preferably a heavy fabric, old jeans are good but need to be tucked into socks or taped around your ankles. They will end up in your chain otherwise.
Shoes and Socks - Real shoes and do them up firmly, socks help protect your ankles if you crash!
Gloves -Your hands will be the first thing to hit the ground when you lose it, and yes you will fall off, everyone does! Gloves can be hired at the club for $2.00
Remember
If someone in charge at the track asks you to change what you're wearing - don't argue with them.
They've seen what wearing incorrect clothing can do, and probably don't want to spend lots of time picking bits of you off the track!
All riders under 7 years must wear elbow guards and knee/shin guards, please ensure your rider has the following:
Elbow guards
You can source elbow pads from The Warehouse and they will keep your skin on your elbows instead of spread along the track! Good ones, from bike shop, will cost way more but will stop just about any damage to your arms.
Knee and Shin Guards
Same deal as elbows..... depends how many scars you want !!!! They must have a rigid surface that extends from the knee protection to fully cover the shin or to just above the ankle.
All riders coming at any BMX event must wear, please ensure your rider has the following:
Race Pants
Race pants can be purchased at any bike store or motocross dealer.
Race pants will have padded knees and usually hip pads as well. They'll be tight around your ankles
Race Shirts
Race shirts can be purchased at any bike store or motocross dealer. The Hawera Club also have club race shirts for sale
To choose the right size BMX bike can be a daunting task as there are many sizes of BMX Bikes
Ensure you get some advice from someone in the club before you purchase a BMX Bike. BMX race bikes tend to hold their value reasonably well and you may end up paying a lot for a well used second hand bike.
Ensure you get some advice from someone in the club before you purchase a BMX Bike. BMX race bikes tend to hold their value reasonably well and you may end up paying a lot for a well used second hand bike.
Bike sizes and dimensions vary between manufacturers but these guidelines can be used as a general rule
Micro Mini- The smallest race bike frame available, these will often have an 18 inch wheel diameter.
Not all manufacturers make a Micro Mini Bikes. Age range: 5years or under who are shorter than 120cm.
Mini- Best suited for children between 115 and 135cm tall
Junior- Best suited for children 130cm - 145cm tall
Expert- Best suited for children 140cm to 160cm tall
Pro- Best suited for riders 155cm to 175cm tall
Pro XL- For larger adult riders
Cruiser- 24 Inch Wheel Diameter
Cruisers are generally available in Junior, Expert and Pro sizes. Riders choose between 20 inch and Cruiser
Cruisers and 20 inch are raced in separate classes.
Micro Mini- The smallest race bike frame available, these will often have an 18 inch wheel diameter.
Not all manufacturers make a Micro Mini Bikes. Age range: 5years or under who are shorter than 120cm.
Mini- Best suited for children between 115 and 135cm tall
Junior- Best suited for children 130cm - 145cm tall
Expert- Best suited for children 140cm to 160cm tall
Pro- Best suited for riders 155cm to 175cm tall
Pro XL- For larger adult riders
Cruiser- 24 Inch Wheel Diameter
Cruisers are generally available in Junior, Expert and Pro sizes. Riders choose between 20 inch and Cruiser
Cruisers and 20 inch are raced in separate classes.
BMX BIKE GEARING
Gear Inches are a standard measurement for comparing the relative gearing on your bike.
The higher the number of gear inches the further you go for each rotation of the pedals.
Gear Inches are calculated using (D x C) / F.
D is the diameter of the rear wheel, C is the number of teeth on the chain ring (front cog), and F is the number of teeth on the freewheel (rear cog).
Different combinations of tire size, chain ring and freewheel will give you the same effective gearing.
Check the table at BMXULTRA.COM and you can see that for a 20 x 1 &1/4 tyre (standard mini tire)
you can have almost the same gearing running a 39/16 or a 44/18.
For younger riders (under 10) a gear inch ratio of around 52.5 is usually a good place to start, for shorter tighter tracks you can drop as low as a 50.1
Notice that due to the relative sizes of the chain ring and freewheel you get a much bigger change by replacing the freewheel than the chain ring, the change is about 3/1, that means you have to change 3 teeth on the chainring to make the same change as 1 tooth difference in the freewheel.
Gear Inches are a standard measurement for comparing the relative gearing on your bike.
The higher the number of gear inches the further you go for each rotation of the pedals.
Gear Inches are calculated using (D x C) / F.
D is the diameter of the rear wheel, C is the number of teeth on the chain ring (front cog), and F is the number of teeth on the freewheel (rear cog).
Different combinations of tire size, chain ring and freewheel will give you the same effective gearing.
Check the table at BMXULTRA.COM and you can see that for a 20 x 1 &1/4 tyre (standard mini tire)
you can have almost the same gearing running a 39/16 or a 44/18.
For younger riders (under 10) a gear inch ratio of around 52.5 is usually a good place to start, for shorter tighter tracks you can drop as low as a 50.1
Notice that due to the relative sizes of the chain ring and freewheel you get a much bigger change by replacing the freewheel than the chain ring, the change is about 3/1, that means you have to change 3 teeth on the chainring to make the same change as 1 tooth difference in the freewheel.
