The BMX Race thread.

[Norco Maniac]

got the new cranks for the OH's cruiser the other day. eventually, we'll do the same raw finish on that as the 20".

i'm currently having a bit of Bombshell jealousy...

 

[converge11]

i reckon that ghp looks awesome in paint. just my opinion though. sweet rides either way!

 

[Norco Maniac]

too many white cruisers out there, mine as well! the idea is to have both bikes kitted the same so he can swap from one to the other with minimal difficulty at a three-class meet. changing to the oldschool isn't so bad because you expect the geometry to make them feel very different, and of course we ride them in flats.

 

[converge11]

What does everyone here do in summer? We had a massively muggy hot night on friday (yep winter in cq) and it had me thinking that theres no way I'm wearing mx pants in summer. In the rules it pretty much says you gotta have your skin covered. I notice most that wear pants wear knee and shin guards. But I was just going to buy knee pads so I can use them with my mx pants. Could I get away with pants, knee pads and long socks? Or am I better off with the shin knee combos? I'm just worried about them being heavy hot and uncomfortable

 

[redbruce]

What does everyone here do in summer? We had a massively muggy hot night on friday (yep winter in cq) and it had me thinking that theres no way I'm wearing mx pants in summer. In the rules it pretty much says you gotta have your skin covered. I notice most that wear pants wear knee and shin guards. But I was just going to buy knee pads so I can use them with my mx pants. Could I get away with pants, knee pads and long socks? Or am I better off with the shin knee combos? I'm just worried about them being heavy hot and uncomfortable

Rules just say legs must be covered. It will only take one off connecting pedal to shin to tell you why most wear extra protection despite the added warmth.

I use Troy Lee knee/shin guards and MTB shorts all year 'round. The TL's have a "knee sock" that is a part of the pad fixing system and so no skin on my legs visible. Perfect.

Of course I only have to cope with Melbourne weather.

 

[converge11]

cheers bruce. are your knee/shin pads the hard shell type? or those new softer looking ones that look like they might only cover the top half of your shin? i just want whatever i get to be comfortable to crank in. the hardshell type tld ones are pretty cheap on crc. if you reckon they are decent i might grab a pair since they are only around the 20 buck mark. my mx pants are annoying, they are the type that have allowed extra space in the knees for knee pads, so they are saggy as around the knees and very uncomfortable!

 

[RB 24]

Fox shorts with Mace Urban knee/shin guards and held up by 661 padlocks.

had some great stacks and never lost skin.

The mace stuff is pretty flexable and soft style not a hard case plastic thing.

 

[haydenw]

cheers bruce. are your knee/shin pads the hard shell type? or those new softer looking ones that look like they might only cover the top half of your shin? i just want whatever i get to be comfortable to crank in. the hardshell type tld ones are pretty cheap on crc. if you reckon they are decent i might grab a pair since they are only around the 20 buck mark. my mx pants are annoying, they are the type that have allowed extra space in the knees for knee pads, so they are saggy as around the knees and very uncomfortable!

I would say go hard shell pads. Most tracks are bitumen berms and so hard pack that you want something that will slide when it hits the gound. Soft shell stuff can tend to grip and slide down (661 strait knee pads for example)

 

[converge11]

thats probably a good idea i guess! my mate said he has some tld (hard shell ones) s/m size i can try. probably way too small for me, but he said he liked the smaller ones cause they didnt hit his shoe.

 

[redbruce]

cheers bruce. are your knee/shin pads the hard shell type? or those new softer looking ones that look like they might only cover the top half of your shin? i just want whatever i get to be comfortable to crank in. the hardshell type tld ones are pretty cheap on crc. if you reckon they are decent i might grab a pair since they are only around the 20 buck mark. my mx pants are annoying, they are the type that have allowed extra space in the knees for knee pads, so they are saggy as around the knees and very uncomfortable!

I have these for BMX:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=25230
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=60818

And these for XC MTB:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=72481
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=73281

The former are hardshell and have shin protection. Between moto's I take off the hardshell and just leave the padded knee sock on. I tend to just use the sock only for training.

The latter are lees comfortable but better protection than just the TLD knee sock but more comfortable than the hardshell.

As I've said, I wouldnt race BMX without shin protection )learnt that lesson early). To go the visco elastic dough technology would mean having to buy the knee and shin fittings separately:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=73277
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=73273

Not cheap although I have just bought a POC elbow guard that fits like a glove, comfortable and well made. Not something I can say for the 661 equivalents.

 

[converge11]

Ok sweet mate, I was looking at the lopes ones last night actually and was wondering if that seperate knee sock part would be enough protection on its own to go under my mx pants? Would suit both variations for me if so cause having knee pads under my mx pants would make them sit much better

 

[Norco Maniac]

Most tracks are bitumen berms and so hard pack that you want something that will slide when it hits the ground.

i haven't ever ridden on a bitumen berm, and only two tracks with a single concrete berm (in Northern NSW), both of which don't exist any more. tho i did hear that Southlake (near Wollongong) have just done all their berms in bitumen. all the tracks here in Adelaide are roadbase dirt and dolomite gravel. Mt Gambier is crushed volcanic ash.

being the original Crash Dummy, i use soft-shell elbow and knee pads exclusively after sliding down the track in Taree (Manning Valley BMX Club) in 2004 in hard shell elbows and getting a nasty friction burn that's still a very visible scar now. knees are Raceface Flank knee/shin combos and Thor Static elbows.

i don't find shorts any cooler in summer - Adelaide is freaking hot and dry! but i do like the Nema lightweight race pants. i have two pairs they're one of the few companies making long pants specifically for cyclists along with the more trendy Sombrio, IXS, Alpinestars and ultra-practical Royal.

 

[converge11]

excellent info everyone, thanks. but while im at it, im going to pic your brains with another question. since we've got 5 race bikes now (only 4 get taken to the track atm) ive been thinking maybe a little trailer might be better than stuffing bikes inside the xtrail and 3 on my supercheap bike rack. does anyone know if there is a certain size trailer that you can get away with no rego in qld? i was thinking of building a small trailer just big enough to fit say 6 bikes. i dont wanna do the whole fancy enclosed trailer like most people have. just wanna build a little box trailer with bike racks on it. would love to see what sort of rigs everyone uses to transport their bikes so i can get some ideas.

 

[RB 24]

hey mate,

I used to ferry the bmx's around on a bike rack off the towbar.. did that till we had 3 x cruisers and 2 x 20".

then we bought an enclosed motorbike trailer. Converted it with ply to fit the bmx's in. Worked like a treat on a 7x5 wheelbase with a drop down tailgate. Had all the room to fit 8 bikes min and tent and spares and chairs etc etc. and enough to fit a pony. Then we sold it.

however now with road bikes and more now we are looking at a 7x5 low line trailer with 12" sides and a strut lifted lid. This will have the thule bike racks on top with a screen at the front to protect against stone chips etc.

something like this http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Box-Trai...0868250807?pt=AU_Trailers&hash=item25747eb4b7

but a little different. I can't weld for quids so I am getting a mates mate to build it.

 

[converge11]

looks the goods, but yea ill be making mine myself so ill be making it pretty basic i think. i was thinking maybe just like a little box trailer with racks built in or something.

just quickly off topic. im struggling to get track time lately. just hectic times at home at the moment so im only getting 1 hr at practice then race nights. i was thinking that on arves when things arent so hectic and busy, i could spend about 30mins training in my street on the bmx. my street is a big D shape and is exactly 1km around it, i was thinking maybe i could try sprinting the 300meter straight and then just cruise the loop back around and then sprint again and so on for about 5 kms. would this be something that would help alot? or should i just try and do some constant speed laps and just try improve on the times? i used strava the other day on the 20" and was only getting 32km/hr top speed on flat ground. its got super spinny gears so its sorta hard to keep up with it lol. sorta scared me though, had a big clunk and slip happen twice when cranking at full noise. my mate who owns the bike reckons thats normal for cassette hubs to slip every now and then :/. sorta has ruined my confidence to ride the bike fast though

 

[haydenw]

More off topic action, but anyone who knows me is aware that I love having pics of me riding.. got heaps on the weekend so I thought I would throw one up...



on a side note I am surprised at the lack of asphalt berms down in your way @SV..... every track in/around Brisbane has them now

 

[converge11]

lol who doesnt love having pics of themselves! i cant ride for crap and love seeing pics of me riding haha. nice shot bro! chuck some more up, you know you wanna! wish i could jump

 

[haydenw]

lol who doesnt love having pics of themselves! i cant ride for crap and love seeing pics of me riding haha. nice shot bro! chuck some more up, you know you wanna! wish i could jump

Practice makes perfect! I'll throw another couple up tonight from racing on Saturday.... Local open day that had 451 riders! Crazy

 

[redbruce]

looks the goods, but yea ill be making mine myself so ill be making it pretty basic i think. i was thinking maybe just like a little box trailer with racks built in or something.

just quickly off topic. im struggling to get track time lately. just hectic times at home at the moment so im only getting 1 hr at practice then race nights. i was thinking that on arves when things arent so hectic and busy, i could spend about 30mins training in my street on the bmx. my street is a big D shape and is exactly 1km around it, i was thinking maybe i could try sprinting the 300meter straight and then just cruise the loop back around and then sprint again and so on for about 5 kms. would this be something that would help alot? or should i just try and do some constant speed laps and just try improve on the times? i used strava the other day on the 20" and was only getting 32km/hr top speed on flat ground. its got super spinny gears so its sorta hard to keep up with it lol. sorta scared me though, had a big clunk and slip happen twice when cranking at full noise. my mate who owns the bike reckons thats normal for cassette hubs to slip every now and then :/. sorta has ruined my confidence to ride the bike fast though

It is NOT normal for cassette (actually called freehub) hubs to slip. That means they either need servicing or are stuffed.

What hub is it?

 

[converge11]

Will have to have a proper look, but I know the brand is odyessy