Video: Sketchy Bike Park Shredding on a BMX
Hey everyone,
My name is Jelle and I am a Dutch-born and raised BMX rider. Where I grew up we did not (and still don't) have mountains. When I started riding skateparks were also not yet in the making, so the only option my friends and I had, was to hit the streets.
Fast forwards about 14 years and I'm still riding BMX, but I am now living In Austria between the mountains of Kaprun and Zell am Zee. I moved here because, over the years I have turned into a competitive snowboarder and for that you need mountains. Rather than moving back and forth every half year I decided to build up a new life here and send it as hard as I can during the winter months. Then summer rolled around and here I was, a bmx bike, friends who all ride mountain bikes and no snow on the hills to go ride my piece of wood on.
My friends obviously know how much I love riding my bike, and they kept pushing and inviting me to make the change to MTB. By the third week of summer, I was so eager to experience this type of riding that I spent all the holiday money I had on renting a bike for some days and it was one of the best decisions I made. Riding MTB during the day was perfect to combine with BMX at night and I wanted more, much more.
Unfortunately, I was out of spendable money and I did not want to try my luck with the lottery. So I went back to riding my BMX as usual. Most of the summer passed with me trying to find an affordable mountain bike, but I had no luck. Don't get me wrong, all my friends kept their eyes and ears open for me, but the bikes just did not seem to choose me. My craving for that feeling you get when you blast down a trail was growing stronger every day. So at one point I decided, I'm going to go, even if I have to do it on my BMX. I knew it was a bad idea and my friends definitely reminded me of that. Nonetheless, I could not contain myself and I hit up Lori, because If I am going to go forward with a bad idea, it might as well all be on film.
And there you have it, a Dutchman lost in the Austrian alps on a tiny bike with no suspension and one dodgy brake. No bikes were harmed during the filming of this edit. There are no regrets, only goals for next summer. I want to get me a full-sized bike and send it even harder!
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If anyone is interested on the geo and all the non tech on my bike i can do a bike check
As for used mtbs you may be able to piece something together for a good price if any of your friends can help you out with any parts they may have laying around. Especially if you don’t mind 26 inch wheels. Seems a few really good deals on 26 bikes lately.
If I still had my 24 inch race bike or my ghetto ass DJ bike I’d send you one just to watch the hilarity. Non suspension adjusted 26 inch fork on a DJ frame with bmx race bars. Thing was disgusting but fun, kinda sketchy though turns waaaay too fast.
No matter how many times I tell myself that it's not a BMX and it's not 1984, it does not work.....
My fav bike was a Redline 76' Squareback, traded my 78' Pro model to get one used, it was "the bike" to have back then, along with a lay back post, tuff wheels or these aluminum mags, cranks were a dime a dozen, we'd break them doing loading dock drops, also don't forget pegs you could make from Bendix hub internals. Man, those were the days, poprocks, smoking weed that was still waaay illegal, sneaking the occasional beer., too much fun, surprised I survived.
He's been riding BMX's on MTB trails for ages.
This lad is jumping in a concrete park, his wrists and ankles are taking horrific beating, , if he goes to BMX race track he is at risk of snapping his spine or neck at any moment, and you worry about skin tissue on his elbow, come on...
If you mind is focused on crashing, it's likely you will. Kind of like if you don't want to hit that tree on the side of the trail don't look at the tree.
Apparently some minds work different from others but I never realized people's minds would become occupied with crashing when they start using protection. People using the seat belts in their cars don't necessarily have their minds on "Oh I see a tree. Mental note, don't crash into that tree. I said DON'T crash into that tree". To me personally I feel it works the other way. For instance on my local gravely pumptrack there is this narrow bump after this berm which aren't nicely aligned. If I go fast and hit the berm high, I often slide off the side of that bump and smash myself into it. I can absorb that with my hand or elbow, both ways hurt. I can stay low in that berm but as that is where most of the loose gravel is I may still slide out and hit that next bump too wide with the same outcome. Or I'd chicken out and just roll past that bump and end up in the grass where I loose all my speed. So I found myself riding that section slower. Eventually I just started putting on my elbow pads whenever I went there and used those to absorb the hits. I'd still crash but at least I weren't avoiding them anymore.
@WAKIdesigns and all the others in the protection debate. Yes I chose to ride mostly geared up. Not because im scared to crash, but because the probability of me crashing is really high. I have come to know myself after these few years on a tiny bike. My reasoning is this. I only do what I truly believe I can do. but yet, I know there are risks to the sport and I want to do it as long as my body allows it. If i would not do it without gear. I wont do it with gear. Mr. Waki's example of the guy whod only backflip with a fullface helmet is very relevant. If you wont do it naked. dont do it at all.
BTW I took my 7yr daughter riding and she broke her arm. She flew 3-4 meters and crashed. Oh well... it would be so much more moral if she broke it on the playground but her reckless father and his complexes...
This made me want to go out and crash, I mean ride my bike lol!
Thanks dude
Then a set if knobbly tires on ya kids bike would of done the trick.