'London' and 'mountain biking' are not often used in the same sentence. London is a massive, sprawling urban area devoid of any mountains. Not surprisingly the options for decent riding within the city are limited.
But that is not to say there aren’t any mountain bikers that live in London. Quite the opposite. London is in easy striking distance of some decent riding and is home to one of the largest concentrations of Pinkbike readers in the world. This made London a natural choice to receive support from Pinkbike’s Share the Ride Foundation.
To best meet the objectives of Share the Ride, the Foundation partnered with Hammersmith BMX Club in central London. BMX is a great way to introduce young people to off-road riding and engage the local community with cycling.
Hammersmith BMX Club was established by Access Sport as part of their BMX Legacy Project following the London 2012 Olympics. You can check out Pinkbike-regular and World Cup downhill racer Phil Atwill riding the Hammersmith track on this little video.
Share the Ride provided Hammersmith BMX Club with 10 new Haro BMXs of various sizes, along with kid’s full-face helmets and knee pads from Seven iDP. The bikes were assembled at Soho Bikes before being delivered to the club on a balmy evening back in the summer.
The Haro BMXs and Seven iDP have been in use by the club for the last five months. The bikes and kit are stored on-site at the track and are provided by the club to its members for coaching sessions and racing. We recently caught up with Sean Freeman, the club’s head coach, who had the following message for Pinkbike readers:
"The Haro BMXs provided by Share the Ride have greatly increased our ability to offer coaching sessions to the local community. We cater to children from all walks of life and backgrounds, many of who don’t have their own bikes. With a larger number of quality bikes like these, we can cater for more children and provided more sessions.
The bikes are also available to club members to borrow for races, and I’m pleased to report a few of them are now sporting number one plates! The Seven iDP helmets and pads have also been a great success; it’s much easier to persuade kids to wear good looking, comfortable kit!
We are extremely grateful to Pinkbike readers for supporting the work of Hammersmith BMX Club through Share the Ride. Have a very happy Christmas and New Year!"
If you are interested in finding out more about Hammersmith BMX Club, the track and how to get involved, check out the club’s website and Facebook page at the links below.
www.hammersmithbmx.co.ukfacebook.com/HammersmithBMX
You Can Still Donate for a Chance to Win:A Canyon Sender CF 8.0BIKE SPECS
Rear Shock:Rockshox Vivid Air R2C
Fork: Rockshox Boxxer Team
Headset: Acros AZX-227
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X01 DH, 7S
Derailleur Hanger: Derailleur Hanger No.26
Chain Guide: E.Thirteen LG1 + Taco
Shifters: SRAM X01 DH, 7S
Brakes: SRAM Guide RSC
Cassette: SRAM X01 DH, 7S
Wheelset: E.Thirteen LG1+
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHR II 3C Maxx Grip DW
Cranks: E.Thirteen LG1+
Chainrings: 36
Chain: KMC X11-93
Bottom Bracket: E Pressfit
Stem: Renthal Fatbar Carbon
Grips: DHX Grips
Saddle SDG I-Fly Custom
Seat Post: SDG Micro I-Beam SP 2014
Saddle Clamp: Canyon Sender Integrated
• Three
Kali Shiva Carbon DH Full face Helmets
• Two
Kali Interceptor Enduro Helmets
• Two
Kali Lunati Helmet
• One
Rockshox Lyrik Fork
• One
SRAM GX Drivetrain
• Six
TSG Evo Skate helmets
• One
Race Face waterproof Agent Jacket
• One pair of
Race Face Agent Shorts and Sub Zero Knee Pads
• Three prize packs of
100% Goggles and Gloves
• Two
Whistler Blackcomb Bike Park 5 day lift passes
• One
Yakima Hold-up Rack
• One
SR SUNTOUR RUX or Durolux 27.5" fork
• One
FSA Afterburner Wide R MTB 27.5 Wheelset
• One Heli Bike drop with
Blackcomb Helicopters • One Set of
Offset Bushings• Ten $50 Vouchers with
Ninja Mountain Bike Performance• One
EVOC Trail Blackline bag
• One
On Site Equipment Hydration Pack and Messenger Bag
• Two Passes for
Scandinave Spa Whistler • One
Giant Bicycles Prize pack
• One
Flow Custom 20" bike
• Two
Pinkbike prize packs
• Two
Dissent Labs Prize Packs
• One major tune up from
Velofix How it works• For every $5 donated between Nov 11th, 2016 and Midnight PST of December 30th, you will earn one chance to win the Canyon Sender and other listed prizes. So if you donate $25 that is 5 chances at a bunch of prizes.
• The winners will be selected from a spreadsheet using random selection.
• The winners will be notified by e-mail and asked a mountain bike related knowledge question.
• We will ship worldwide ... Customs fees and other applicable taxes will be the winner's responsibilities.
For more info head to pinkbike.com/sharetheride or to our Indiegogo page.
Your contribution will not only go towards a helmet and a bike but a new lease on life for a child. Donate what you can and know that you’ll be the difference between an average holiday season and a wheely wheely great one!
DONATE NOW
MENTIONS: @Canyon-PureCycling / @SramMedia @rideTSG / @KaliProtectives / @SRSuntour / @sohobikes