BMX and Mountain Biking - Witham St. Hughs Academy

BMX &
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Frances Ridley
Editorial Consultant – Cliff Moon
Rising-Stars
nasen
NASEN House, 4/5 Amber Business Village, Amber Close,
Amington, Tamworth, Staffordshire B77 4RP
Rising Stars UK Ltd.
22 Grafton Street, London W1S 4EX
www.risingstars-uk.com
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and
obtain their permission for use of copyright material. The
publisher will gladly receive information enabling them to
rectify any error or omission in subsequent editions.
All facts are correct at time of going to press.
Text © Rising Stars UK Ltd.
The right of Frances Ridley to be identified as the author of
this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the
Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.
Published 2006
Cover design: Button plc
Cover image: Ron Chapple/Alamy
Illustrator: Bill Greenhead
Text design and typesetting: Nicholas Garner, Codesign
Technical advisers: Phil Braybrooke, Jill and Steve Behr
Educational consultants: Cliff Moon and Lorraine Petersen
Pictures: Stockfile: pages 5, 6, 7, 16, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27,
28, 29, 32, 33. Alamy: 4, 10, 38. Buzz Pictures: pages 11,
12, 16. Corbis: pages 13, 15. Getty Images: pages 14, 17.
FreezeFrame: page 22. Justin Kosman: page 9. Free Agent
BMX: page 8
This book should not
be used as a guide to
the sports shown in it.
The publishers accept
no responsibility for
any harm which might
result from taking
part in these sports.
ALWAYS wear a
helmet and do not
attempt any of the
stunts shown without
supervision.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior
permission of Rising Stars UK Ltd.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A CIP record for this book is available from the British
Library.
ISBN: 1-905056-90-7
Printed by Craft Print International Ltd, Singapore
Contents
BMX and mountain bikes
BMX racing
The races
The bikes
The teams and riders
BMX stunt riding
Flatland
Vert and dirt
Street and park
Bike Wars – Cal
Downhill racing
Downhill mountain bikes
Interview with Sam Dale
Freeriding
Cross country racing
Cross country mountain bikes
Bike Wars – Faye
Bike Wars – Ryan
Enduro events
Bike Wars – The Contest
Mountain bikes meet BMX!
Duel slalom
BSX
Dirt jumping
Super-strong bikes
Trials
Quiz
Glossary of terms
More resources
Answers
Index
3
4
6
6
8
9
10
12
14
16
18
20
21
22
24
26
28
30
31
32
34
38
39
40
40
41
42
44
45
46
47
48
BMX and
mountain bikes
BMX and mountain biking started in
California in the 1960s and 1970s.
Bike riders began racing on off-road tracks.
They called the new sport ‘bicycle motocross’ –
or BMX.
The first BMX riders customised their bikes.
Soon, companies started to make BMX bikes.
4
Bike riders began racing down steep hills.
They used one-gear bikes called ‘clunkers’.
An early Breezer mountain bike
Champ Facts!
Gary Fisher was one of the first mountain bikers.
In 1979, he started a company called MountainBikes
which sold bikes for downhill racing.
Now, many companies make mountain bikes.
5
BMX racing
The races
A BMX race is called a moto.
The riders race around a short track.
Up to eight riders race in each moto.
BMX races are short.
It’s important to get a good start.
The riders line up behind a start gate.
The race starts when the gate drops.
The riders race downhill and into the first turn.
6
BMX
bikes
BMX tracks have corners,
berms and jumps.
BMX berm
Riders race down the final
straight as fast as they can.
7
The bikes
BMX racing bikes are strong, fast and light.
This bike is a Free Agent Team Limo.
Strong fork and frame tubes
Wide riser bar
Small saddle
Small wheels
No gears
Tyres with good grip
8
BMX
bikes
The teams and riders
BMX teams are run by companies that make BMX bikes.
The teams sponsor the riders in BMX events.
Free Agent
Top rider Kyle Bennett rides for Free Agent.
He has won races on the Team Limo bike.
Fact!
Kyle Bennet was UCI World
Champion in 2002 and 2003.
9
e n n e t ’s t te r ’ .
Ky l e B
is ‘Bu
e
m
a
n
n i ck
BMX stunt riding
BMX riders used to do stunts between motos.
Some riders liked the stunts better than the racing.
Now, there are lots of different kinds of stunt riding.
Flatlanders balance on
their bikes.
Vert riders use ramps
to jump with their bikes.
10
BMX
bikes
Dirt jumpers go round
a run with lots of jumps.
Street riders do stunts on
things they find in the street.
Park riders do stunts
in stunt parks.
11
Flatland
Flatland riders balance on one part of the bike.
They move the bike around by twisting it or scuffing it.
Flatland riders link moves together.
They lose points if their feet touch the ground.
Endo
Tailwhip
12
BMX
bikes
Flatland bikes are easy to move around. They are small,
light and strong.
Flatland bikes have front and rear brakes.
The handlebars turn all the way round.
Short frame
Lots of spokes
Stunt pegs
Cham
Smooth tyres
p Fact
!
Te r r y
Ad a m s
wa s t h
Champ
e Fla tl
ion of
and
the 20
05 X G
Th i s s t
unt is
a m e s.
a doub
le-sea
t g ra b
.
13
Vert and dirt
Vert riders and dirt jumpers do tricks in the air.
Vert riders ride up and down a wooden ramp.
They turn all the way round when they jump.
Cham
Fact!
shor t
s
i
t
r
Ve
r t i ca l ’ .
fo r ‘ ve
p Fact
!
Ja m i e
Be
X G a m s t w i ck wa s
th
es ‘ Ve
r t ’ and e
‘ Ve r t B
es
C h a m p t Tr i ck ’
i o n fo r
2005.
Big handlebars
Strong, long frame
High seat
Lots of spokes
Four pegs
Smooth tyres
Vert bikes are fast and strong. They have front and
rear brakes. The handlebars turn all the way round.
14
BMX
bikes
Dirt jumpers ride around a dirt track.
They go from jump to jump.
Fact!
p
m
a
Ch
as
han w
o
B
y
e
es
Co r
X Gam
5
0
0
.
the 2
mpion
a
h
C
t
Dir
Dirt bikes are like vert bikes but they don’t have front
brakes or smooth tyres
15
Street and park
Street riders do tricks
on things they find in the
street.
• They bunnyhop stairs.
• They grind rails.
• They ride up walls and
fences.
Park riders go to stunt parks
to do tricks.
Park and street bikes are
fast and easy to move.
16
BMX
bikes
Dave Mirra was the
X Games 2005 Street/Stunt
Park Champion.
It was his 13th gold medal
at the X Games!
Dave Mirra is one of
the best BMX riders.
Cham
p
Fact!
e
i ck n a m
n
’s
a
r
Mir
e B oy ’
l
c
a
r
i
‘M
is
Swept-back handlebars
Two pegs
17
Bike Wars – Cal
I hate mountain bikes – and anyone that rides
them!
Take Ryan. We were mates years ago.
Then he went to some posh school.
That was the last I saw of him – until Saturday.
I was in town doing tricks on my bike. Then I
saw Ryan on his mountain bike. He rode over.
18
“Hi, Cal! Great to see you again.”
Oh yeah? I didn’t say anything.
“I like your bike,” he said. “You’re doing
some great tricks.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t like your bike,” I said.
Cal looked hurt. I grinned – but then I saw
Faye’s face.
“Cal!” she said. “Hi, Ryan. It’s good to see you!”
I went to the top of
the steps and did a
grind down the
rail.
“Bet you can’t do
that!” I yelled.
Continued on page 30
19
Downhill racing
Downhill racers start at the top of a steep course.
They race down one at a time.
The rider with the fastest time is the winner.
Bikes can go faster than 50 mph.
Racers have to control their bikes at these speeds.
They have to think and act fast.
20
Mountain
bikes
Downhill mountain bikes
Downhill bikes are fast and strong.
They need good suspension and
strong brakes.
Downhill bikes are better at going
down hills than up them! This is
because they are very heavy.
Giant Glory downhill full suspension
Strong frame
Wide, high riser bar
Long travel
rear suspension
Long travel
front fork
Platform pedals
Strong disc brakes
Big tyres with lots of grip
21
Interview with Sam Dale
Sam Dale is a downhill racer.
He was the National Downhill Champion
for his age group in 2004/2005.
S a m D a le
b ru a r y 1 9 9 0
e
F
:
H
T
IR
B
F
O
in t s S e r ie s
o
P
l
a
n
io
t
a
N
Win n in g t h e
R E S U LT :
la n d s S e r ie s
a n d t h e M id
NAME:
DAT E
BEST
R:
M A IN S P O N S O
G o ld te c
22
Mountain
bikes
1
How did you get into downhill racing?
I got into downhill racing when I
was racing cross country. I saw
downhill racing and I wanted to
do it.
2
How do you get ready for a race?
I get to the track early. I walk
the track first and then I ride it
on my bike. I do fitness work
before a race – weights and
cross country rides.
3
What do you like about downhill?
Winning is great but I just love
riding. My favourite tracks are
Rheola in South Wales, Molefre
Hall in North Wales and Fort
William in Scotland.
4
What is your ambition in downhill racing?
To have fun and become
professional.
23
Freeriding
Freeriders go anywhere and do anything!
Freeriders go downhill and uphill.
They ride off very high drops.
Riding off drops is called ‘hucking’.
Josh Bender
Josh Bender has made his
name in freeride videos.
He hucks off some very big
drops!
He uses a bike with 30cm
of travel.
Most freeride bikes don’t
have this much travel.
24
Mountain
bikes
Freeriders also ride along
very narrow posts.
Norco VPS A-line
Strong but light-weight frame
Long travel
suspension fork
Light-weight
saddle
Rear suspension
Gears
Strong disc brake
with large rotor
25
Cross country
racing
Mountain bike cross country racing is called XC.
XC is the only mountain bike sport in the Olympics.
26
Mountain
bikes
Julien Absalon won
the Olympic gold medal
in 2004.
He won the MTB World
Championship title in
the same year.
p
Cham
Fact!
et
ld helm
o
g
a
n wo re f o r t h e
o
l
a
s
b
A
s
d shoe
l
o
g
d
n s h i p.
an
o
i
p
m
e!
Cha
old bik
g
Wo r l d
a
e
n ro d
H e e ve
A cross-country course has hills, trees, rocks and water.
The riders do about six laps of the course.
A race is about 40 km long and takes about two hours
to complete.
27
Cross country
mountain bikes
There are two kinds of XC mountain bikes.
XC full suspension bikes
These bikes have front and rear suspension but are still
much lighter than a downhill bike.
They are heavier than hardtails but they are easier
to ride.
Scott Genius 30
High saddle
Short travel
rear suspension
Flat, narrow
handlebars
28
Mountain
bikes
XC hardtails
These bikes don’t have rear suspension.
They are light-weight but harder to ride.
Many pro riders ride hardtails because they are faster.
Trek 8000
Light-weight frame
Light-weight
rim brakes
Lots of gears
Short travel
suspension fork
Medium tyres with good grip
29
Bike Wars – Faye
Cal and Ryan used to be good mates.
Not any more.
Cal has dared Ryan to a contest next Saturday.
I’ve given Ryan my bike for the week.
Cal has been out on the bike every day.
He’s doing some great tricks. But I wish he was
doing them for fun.
It’s more like a war or something.
30
Bike Wars – Ryan
I don’t get Cal anymore.
We used to be mates.
We used to have fun.
I said yes to the
contest so maybe we
can be mates again.
I’ve learned some cool
tricks on Faye’s bike.
Street isn’t my thing –
XC is what I am good
at.
But street is fun.
Cal can do some
great stuff.
Maybe he’ll give me
some tips when the
contest is over.
Continued on page 34
31
Enduro events
Enduro events are long distance XC races.
Some enduros are on long courses.
Other enduros are on short courses.
The riders do as many laps as they can in a set time.
Many riders work in teams and take turns to ride.
Endur
o Fact
!
Some
e n d u ro
e ve n t s
don’t h
a ve a
set co
u rs e .
R i d e rs
use m
a p s to
ch e ck p
find
o i n t s.
32
Mountain
bikes
Fact!
p
m
a
Ch
e
wa s t h
d
a
t
s
e
ta m
Jo h n S o n to r i d e t h
’ s o l o.
e rs
n
p
a
t
a
s
r
n
i
a
f
rs o f C
u
o
H
–
‘24
a re l a y
s
a
es
w
ce
ur tim
o
f
t
T h e ra
i
d
!
e n t e re
e
h
o
names
s
t
n
e
r
e
f
dif
under
33
Bike Wars –
The Contest
Ryan and I met outside the library. It’s a
great place for bikes.
Lots of kids turned up. I love crowds and I
love doing tricks. I started the contest.
I bunnyhopped down the steps. Then I did
some wheelies and endos.
I rode up the wall and did a grind down
the rail. I ended with the best tailwhip ever.
The kids clapped
and cheered.
34
They shouted my name.
“Cal! Cal! Cal!”
It felt great.
“Beat that, Ryan!” I said.
It felt like he was my mate again – I was in
such a good mood!
He grinned. “I’ll try!” he said, “But that was
cool!”
He got on his bike.
The crowd didn’t cheer. The kids were from my
school. They wanted me to win.
Continued on the next page
35
Then Faye shouted out.
“Go for it, Ryan!”
It’s funny – I wasn’t mad at her.
I wasn’t even mad at Ryan.
Ryan started with some wheelies. Then he did
a big drop off the wall.
He rode along the bench and he did a trackstand – but he didn’t hold it for long.
It was good – the kids cheered.
36
“That was great!” I said. “How long have you
been doing tricks?”
“A week!” he said. “I need some tips, Cal!”
Faye came up.
“I won!” I told her. “I did the best tricks.”
“Hang on!” said Ryan. “My tricks were cool.”
“Maybe you need another contest,” said Faye.
“OK,” said Ryan. “But only if it’s XC!”
“You’re on!” said Cal.
37
Mountain bikes
meet BMX!
Mountain bikes and BMX bikes have grown up together.
BMX bikes have borrowed things from mountain bikes and
mountain bikes have borrowed things from BMX bikes.
38
Mountain
bikes
Four mountain bike sports have strong links with BMX.
These are duel slalom, BSX, dirt jumping and trials.
Duel slalom
A duel slalom race starts with two lanes. You can
move out of your lane near the finish!
There is only one fast line to the finish.
Both riders want to race that line – so there are lots
of crashes!
39
BSX
BSX is short for
Bicycle Super Cross.
It’s like BMX racing – but
downhill!
BSX courses are man-made.
They have corners, berms
and huge jumps!
Dirt jumping
Mountain bike dirt jumping
is like BMX dirt jumping.
Dirt jumpers link lots of
jumps into a trail.
Sometimes they do tricks
when they jump.
Sometimes they go round
the course as smoothly as
they can.
40
Mountain
bikes
Super-strong bikes!
The bikes used for these sports are very, very strong!
Saracen Xess
High riser bar
Low saddle
Fat tyres with
lots of grip
Strong frame
Strong wheels for big drops
41
Trials
Trial riders have to get round a course without putting
their feet down.
They jump along on their back wheels.
This is called ‘hip hopping’.
Most formal competitions are held in the countryside.
The riders use logs, stumps, rocks and boulders.
42
Mountain
bikes
p
Cham
Fact!
s
a s wa
al
m
o
C
i
i ke Tr i
B
d
Dann
l
r
0 5 Wo
the 20
ion.
Champ
Trials bikes are light-weight and strong.
Some trials bikes don’t even have a saddle!
Koxx
Strong, light-weight frame
Big tyres with
lots of grip
No front
suspension
Large platform pedals
with lots of grip
43
Quiz
1
Where did BMX and mountain biking start?
2
What were the first mountain bikes called?
3
What is another name for a BMX race?
4
What is Kyle Bennet’s nickname?
5
What does ‘scuffing’ mean?
6
What is Sam Dale’s ambition?
7
What is the only mountain bike sport in the Olympic
Games?
8
What are the two kinds of XC mountain bike?
9
What type of event is a long distance XC race?
10 Name the 2005 World BikeTrial Champion.
44
Glossary of terms
berm
A banked corner.
California
State in the US.
customised
Changed to do its job better.
disc brake
Brake on the hub of the wheel.
formal
Follows set-down rules.
light-weight
Not heavy.
obstacles
Things that are in the way.
platform pedals
A flat surface for the foot. There are different kinds of
platform pedals.
rim brake
Brake on the rim of the wheel.
riser bar
Handlebars with grips that are higher above the ground
than the middle.
scuffing
Using your feet on the tyres of a bike to move or stop it.
sponsor
Company or person that gives riders money. In return,
the rider has to wear or ride his sponsor’s products.
travel
Distance that the wheel can move up and down from
the frame.
UCI
Holds MTB and BMX competitions.
X Games
Competition for extreme sports.
45
More resources
Books
BMX Biking, Uncle Buck, Radical Sports Series, Heinemann
Library (0-43103-695-0)
Mountain Biking, Kirk Bizley, Radical Sports Series, Heinemann
Library (0-43103-676-4)
These two books are good for beginners. They tell you how to get
started, how to do tricks and how to keep safe.
Magazines
Mountain Biking UK, Future Publishing
This is the UK’s biggest-selling mountain bike magazine. It has lots
of news, tips and great pictures.
Ride BMX, Transworld Publishing
A best-selling magazine that will keep you up-to-date with the world
of BMX.
Websites
http://www.bmxonline.com/bmx/
Ride BMX online
http://www.mbuk.com/text.asp?id=7
Mountain Biking UK online
These are the online versions of Ride BMX and Mountain Biking UK
magazines.
DVDs
Counterparts (2005) Duke Marketing Ltd (Cat. No. VHOT6740)
Lots of urban riding and dirt jumping – with a bit of downhill too!
Fundamentals (2004) Duke Marketing Ltd (Cat. No. VHOT6728)
All the advice you need to get you started in mountain biking.
46
Answers
1
California
2
Clunkers
3
Moto
4
‘Butter’
5
Using your feet on the tyres of a bike to move
or stop it
6
To have fun and become professional
7
Cross country
8
Hardtail and full suspension
9
An enduro
10 Danni Comas
47
Index
24 Hours of Canaan
33
Freeriding
Absalon, Julien
27
Holmes, Dale
Adams, Terry
13
Mirra, Dave
Bender, Josh
24
Moto
6
MountainBikes
5
Bennett, Kyle
9
24-25
9
17
Bestwick, James
14
MTB World Championship
Bohan, Corey
15
Olympics, The
BSX
Clunkers
26-27
Stunt park
Dale, Sam
22-23
Tailship
Downhill racing
Trials
14-15, 39, 40
39
Vert riders
Endo
12
X Games
Fisher, Gary
Flatland
16
11, 16
12
39, 42-43
UCI
20-21
Duel slalom
Enduro events
6
Street riders
43
Cross country racing
Dirt jumping
33
Start gate
5
Comas, Danni
26-27
Stamstad, John
39, 40
9
10, 14-15
13, 14-15, 17
XC
32-33
5
10, 12-13
48
27
26-27
XC full suspension bikes
28
XC hardtails
29
Jump down mountain tracks.
Learn tricks from the masters.
Ride a bike like a BMX pro.
Get on your bike and go!
£5.00
ISBN 1-905056-90-7
http://www.risingstars-uk.com
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