BMX Cycling
Image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons Licence: Freakshot Photography

It’s fair to say that when it comes to cycling, both the sporting world and the personal preferences of riders here in the UK tends to be dominated by road and mountain bikes. There’s certainly a lot more publicity for these types of cycling on social media and the television, but others, like BMX cycling for example, receive far less media attention.

If you’re not too familiar with BMX cycling, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s purely an extreme sport favoured by the USA; there’s some great British talent that goes under the radar of those that aren’t BMX-ers! I’ll be honest, I’ve personally not yet set foot on a BMX bike – I’ve simply not had the opportunity and I’m a little bit intimated by it. But there are some great reasons as to why you should consider BMX cycling as a sport or hobby. Here’s just a few:

British Champions

Great Britain boasts two of the biggest names in the BMX sporting world in Liam Phillips and Shanaze Reade. That’s pretty cool, right? Both competed at the last two Olympic Games in London in 2012 and Beijing in 2008. Between them, they have amassed vast amounts of titles and numerous World Championships. And, as you will see on the British Cycling rankings there are many up-and-coming names to watch out for on the BMX scene.

Famous Fans

BMX cycling is also championed by numerous famous faces. Before he hit the dizzy heights of F1 glory, British racer Jensen Button was a keen BMX rider before making the transition to the track. Also, another Olympic athlete, Iwan Thomas, has also declared a love of BMX and at a young age was competing in championships before turning to running. Other famous fans of BMX include Graham Coxon of Blur fame and Matt Helders, drummer from the Arctic Monkeys.

Health Benefits

One of the other great things about BMX riding is the health benefits it can bring. Obviously there’s the cardiovascular exercise you can get but because of the riding style of a BMX bike you also work on your core strength and balance too. All very good reasons to give it a try.

Extreme Thrills

Finally of course, there’s the thrill seeker appeal of BMX cycling. Unlike road bikes you can traverse ramps and bowls learning tricks, stunts and different techniques along the way. As you might have guessed though, this isn’t for the faint-hearted (which may be why I’ve not yet had the bottle to try it), but if you think it’s for you, you’ll need to invest in a decent quality model.

Looking for a new two-wheeled challenge?

So, if you’re looking for a new two-wheeled challenge or considering trying something new when it comes to bikes, don’t write-off this fantastic option! Give BMX riding a go and you’re bound to find that this underrated bike sport has a great deal to offer.

Don’t forget to let me know how you get on…

**This is a collaborative post**

2 Comments on BMX Cycling: The Underrated Bike Sport

  1. Firstly, nice site and congratulations on the blog of the month, that’s how i find myself here 🙂

    I used to ride BMX upto my teenage years, but have rediscovered it in later life (wrong side of 40) but as a form of short distance transport. I work about a mile out of Manchester city centre and i have an old Specialized 24″ cruiser (slightly bigger version of a BMX) that I keep in the basement at work, which is just perfect for blasting to the shops/gym/canal/etc. at dinner time. And because it’s a BMX you can’t ride it slowly, it goads you into sprinting from every set of traffic lights and through the lines of glum, stationary shopper traffic so it’s always an amazing, high intensity workout. I’m sure i probably look a little strange in shirt, trousers and work shoes, scorching around, but I’m never in one place long enough to really care. Love my BMX 🙂 Manchester cycling centre do taster sessions if you really fancy a go and you are close by (I’ve got a voucher but not yet tried it myself) and there’s always a safe route around the track if the jumps look a bit too intimidating at first.

    • Thanks for saying hi. 🙂 I have to say, you’ve made riding a BMX bike sound like a whole lot of fun. I’m closer to Derby velodrome and will definitely check out if they have BMX taster courses over there. Great idea! Love the idea of you riding a BMX in work gear…not caring what other people think is definitely the right attitude to have ! 🙂

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