BMX bikes

In recent years skateparks have been widely used by skateboarders, inline skaters and riders of freestyle BMX. Freestyle BMX riding styles will vary depending on the overall design of the park and kind of obstacles included. They are commonly made of wood, concrete or metal. Wood tends to be more popular because of several reasons, they are cheaper to make, easier to handle, more flexible and would probably result less painful in the event of a fall as opposed to perhaps concrete. However, skateparks made of concrete have become increasingly popular due to their lasting nature.

A concrete skatepark can end up lasting decades with little or no maintenance, while a wood park will require costly and constant attention. It also common to see combinations in park design which will include water puddles, or a mix of the materials together in order to create an alternative experience. But a new kind of park has shown up aiming to entertain the thousands of freestyle BMX fans, and best of all they are completely free. These skateparks where freestyle BMX fans can enjoy the sport for free are virtual, and can be found online with your favorite web browser.

Just like in the real world, online BMX game applications exists in which the player can engage in this Freestyle discipline and experience all the aspects of the sport. When you first engage in one of these games you will need to configure a number of options, like the design of your bike, the riders appearance, the type of park you’ll be riding in and the level of difficulty. Once selected, it is on the game in a virtual skatepark just like the ones you would see on the X Games in ESPN. The BMX game BMX Park is a good example of an online BMX game which takes place in a wooden ramp, following all the characteristics of the Park discipline. The player would control the rider by means of keyboard keys designated for movement, and also for performing stunts. Points are awarded for the number of stunts performed within the given time frame. This online BMX game is not among the easiest games in the web, but it does offer one of the most complete gaming packages related to the freestyle park discipline.

Other free BMX game titles like Backflips and Alex Trax, are also complete entertainment packages with their unique set of features, but are more cartoonish and aimed at a younger crowd. BMX games online like BMX Park are completely free to play for as long as you want, and won’t hurt at all when you fall. Perhaps bmx games are not able to provide all the thrills of a real backflip, but never the less they remain an excellent choice for novice riders and fans alike who just wish to have a taste of the real thing.

By: Damian Cross

More and more people find the great sport BMX and fall in love with it. They see all the amazing tricks the pro biker do in the popular YouTube videos and want to ride their bike like them. It looks just so cool and smooth and the tricks have much style. You can also ride from point a to b with your BMX bikes whereas it would take much more time to do so with a skateboard.

There is the big decision: skateboard or BMX? It is no secret that both are very cool and popular. It is just fun and that is why so many kids want to give it a try. Skateboards are much cheaper than BMX bikes so many people go for the skateboard. The other ones who want to try the BMX often don’t have a clue what kind of BMX bike they should buy. There are many different models out there and everyone has its own good and bad sites.

Some factors you should think of: The frame must be of full chromoly steel otherwise the bike will brake sooner or later and that’s not what we want. Also the bars must be ChrMo.

You have to decide on your own if you want to ride with brakes or you want to go the brakeless way. Riding without brakes is rather for experienced bikers who aren’t afraid of speed and have a good control over their little bike. If you are a beginner then you should go with a back break so you can control the bike much better and for some tricks you even need to have a break.

Then you have to decide if you want to ride street, park, dirt or flatland. Street is the way you ride through the city and jump on park benches, rails and ledges. Park is riding in a skate park with ramps etc and dirt is riding in the “dirt” for example on routes in the forest. For flatland you must have a good balance and you ride only on the land without jumps or grinds. You do spins and you “walk” on your bike.

By: Paul Michael Johnson

BMX is a sport that praises the do it yourself ethic, and one should always search out and find independent movies if they can. Many of the best BMX videos are underground, but they can usually only be found regionally. Therefore, while we would have liked to include them in this list, it’s somewhat difficult to do so. What we consider to be the Top Five BMX Movies of All Time, in no particular order, are:

1) Insight: Ever wonder how BMX videos are made? Insight, by TransWorld, provides a look into what it takes to put one together. Instead of flash, the film offers a pretty gritty look at Dakota Roche, Darryl Tocco, Davey Wastson and others as they create a film from start to finish. Insight also features some hard riding that isn’t often found outside of this sort of production. The hardcore BMX fans should certainly be satisfied.

2) 48 Hours: Featuring Just Inman, Jerry Bagley and Adam Baker, 48 Hours is an interesting example of the art inherent in the best BMX videos. As well as offering a bonus making of section on the DVD, the film offers rides through some of the best BMX trails in Oregon, Tennessee and Arizona.

3) Electronical: Mike Aitken, Mike Gonzales, Brandon Turner, Steve Kennedy and many other riders joined with Nine to Five Productions to film this movie all over the world. Tracks in America, New Zealand, Spain, Canada, South Africa, China and Germany were conquered by these riders in the pursuit of putting together one of the better offerings out there. This is certainly something to look at if one wants a sheer number of locations.

4) Joe Kid on a String-Ray: This film is completely different, and tries not to follow a specific set of riders so much as it tries to act as a documentary on the history of BMX. It certainly does that job well, and tries to capture the feeling of everything from suburban riding in the 1960s to today’s standing room only events.

5) Flipside: This video offers an interesting combination of the underground and the mainstream. Featuring several unknown riders, who meet up with names as big as Dave Mirra, Flipside seems just as much a clinic as it does a video. Some of the sponsorship came from GT Bicycles and MirraCo, but it doesn’t seem too overdone.

By: Erinna Smith

The importance of bike fit can’t be overstated. You pedal thousand of revolutions per ride, putting thousands of pounds of pressure on the joints. If you aren’t aligned well the joints are getting loaded improperly which can lead to over use injuries. Cycling can be pretty kind to the body as it doesn’t have the impact of running but you can still hurt yourself if you are set up wrong.

You and your bike must work like a fine tuned machine. Think of you knee as a hinge. If a hinge isn’t side loaded it will eventually bind and wear prematurely. Your knees work the same way. If even one aspect of fit is misaligned you can hurt yourself. The good thing is that bike fit, while a little complicated due to all of the inter-relationships of machine and body, isn’t rocket science.

If you can’t get into see a professional bike fitter, these rules will help you improve your bike comfort and performance.

Rule 1: Everything is connected.

If you move your seat back you will need to lower your saddle and possibly shorten your stem. Everything on the body is interconnected so you can’t just move one piece without is affecting all the other adjustments to some degree. Remember that song about the shin bone being connected to the knee bone. When fitting a bike, I start with the cleat set up and work up from there. Cleats need to be anywhere from 5-15 mm behind the ball of the foot. Your saddle height needs to be high enough that you get a good extension at the bottom of the pedal stroke (around a 30 degree knee bend at the bottom) but no so high that the hips rock when pedaling. A slightly lower saddle will feel smoother pedaling at high cadence while a slightly higher position will maximize leverage when pushing bigger gears. Depending on your riding style this can influence where in the range you want to position the saddle.

Rule 2: Fit you bike to your body as you body won’t adapt to your bike

If you need a higher bar position or shorter reach, then make the changes as your body won’t adapt to a position that is much out of your comfort zone. In particular are side to side balance issues. If your hips sit twisted on the saddle you will need to adjust slightly to the opposite side of the forward hip. If one leg is longer than the other or just behaves that way on the bike, you should shim the shorter leg for half the the difference. With road pedals, you can put a shim between you cleat and shoe. If you have mountain bike clipless pedals, then it’s best to fix build up the insole in the shoe of the shorter leg if you have the room within your shoe. If you shim the cleat on a mountain bike it can create instability as the cleats are so small.

Rule 3: Look for balance when riding

If any body part protests (hurts) when you are going hard then look to re-balance your position. If you get numb hand you may need to move your saddle back and down, shorten your reach or raise your bar. It’s often a combination of these to achieve a balanced position that lets you put out your maximum sustainable power with minimal body fatigue. By having your cleats back on your shoes, your saddle back and your bar position adjusted to match, the postural muscles will have the least amount of engagement making for a more comfortable ride. This combination will also tend to increase the involvement of the hamstrings and glute muscles there by increasing endurance as the load is spread over more muscles.

Overview

Bike fit is both an art and science. There are no magic formulas to get in the right position. It’s a combination of bio-mechanics, experience and understanding that the body works as a unit can help figure out how to fix discomfort and performance issues.

By: Winston Endall

When you start cycling, you will certainly read about the distances and speeds achieved by the other cyclists. Then you will find out that your cycling efforts seemingly fall short of what is expected. Many professional cyclists can cover 55 miles at 20-25 miles per hour few times a week and enthusiasts can cover even much more distance and at faster speed. Equipping yourself with this knowledge will eventually help you push harder in the times when you can only cover 10 miles at 15 miles per hour.

The first thing that you should realize is that cycling is a kind of long term sport. For the first few years your muscles slowly changes and get used to greater speeds and distances. Cycle road training can be very useful for cyclists. Your cycle road training must consist of these four main systems which are aerobic conditioning, reduction of lactic acid production, fast twitch muscle fibers and slow twitch muscle endurance.

Aerobic conditioning takes place during 70 – 80 percent of max rate of heart beat. If you increase the volume of your lungs and build up your muscles, so they can use oxygen more effectively. Your body will become fit for training in this phase. This is done by capillarisation. During this process the capillaries that provide oxygen to the muscle are increased in number due to which muscles can use more oxygen and can work at higher rate.

The training for the reduction of lactic acid production is done between 80-90 percent of max rate of heart beat. Approximately one fifth of complete cycle road training must be done in this phase. The most efficient method for training of lactic acid system is performing 2 twenty minutes intervals in this phase; anyway this training program is very hard and also a little boring. This training will help your body to get used to produce less amount of lactic acid, and will also help your body to remove it more effectively.

The training of fast twitch muscle is done from 90 to 100 percent of your max rate of heart beat. You should do only a small part of training in this zone. Interval training is the best method to train these muscle fibers. Intervals must be less than a minute and with sufficient time for recovery. Your body gets used to training in this phase by using and developing the fast twitch muscle fibers more effectively.

The training of slow twitch muscle fibers is done between 65-80 percent of max heart rate. Most of your road bike training should be done in this zone of heart rate. Training in this zone will allow your body to use slow twitch fibers more effectively and your body will also begin to develop slow twitch fibers.

By: Marek Salzman

Many car manufacturers, nowadays, include some features like racks, crossbars, and hitches attached. These features aid in carrying your sport gear in more convenient places. Depending on your car, the features will help you choose what car bike carrier is best for your vehicle.

Starting with the most common type of carriers, the strap-on trunk rack, hitch mount rack, and roof-mounted rack, these car bike carriers have their own distinct designs that may suit your car frame.

The strap-on trunk is the least expensive of all carriers. The straps are easy to attach on the rack and easy to assemble into your car. It can carry as much as 3 bikes. The best thing about the strap-on trunk rack is that it is not vehicle-specific. This is very convenient for those who avail of car rentals and own different cars.

The weak point of carriers is that the straps will eventually wear out and become loose. This will jeopardize the racks and your bike’s safety. Another type of car bike carrier is the hitch mount rack, which has an easy to install system that works with just a slide on the hitch. It gives a good hold on your bikes and gives premium security. Hitch mount racks have different sizes that only match the exact hitch of your car.

The class I hitch is best for almost all cars. On the other hand, the class III hitch is usually best for truck pick-up SUVs. It is also noticeable that it gives a lesser chance of scratching your car. The price of this type of car bike carrier may be costly, but, it provides a safe travel of your gears.

The roof-mounted rack allows more than 5 bicycles on your car’s rooftop. A roof-mounted rack is preferable with cars that have built-in roof racks and crossbars.

Roof-mounted racks give a flexible purpose. Even if it is another season it can be used as a snowboard rack or kayak rack. The downside with this car bike carrier is that it limits the number of allowable clearance. It has also been reported to be producing dragging noises during travels. In some instances, cars with curved rooftops may not find this type of carrier suitable.

A manufacturer’s fit guide is available when you purchase different types of car bike carriers. Since safety is the top priority, always check the allowable weight that the manufacturers provide to prevent rollover accidents.

By: Athena McDonald

Most fans of BMX bikes have probably heard of BMX games online available to play free. These multimedia applications related to Freestyle BMX aim to entertain an increasing number of fans looking for even more thrills and spills that go along with the sport. Some fans are just not willing to risk an injury on a half pipe, yet want to become part of the action. Online BMX games give fans an opportunity to do a backflip on a virtual ramp, without the need to risk a serious injury. There are many popular BMX game titles, all of which aim to provide some of the excitement which have made this sport so popular.

Some of the best moments of a BMX online game are offered while riding your bike on a ramp. The player is able to pedal with his fingers, as he would with his feet, and gather speed as he rides up the slope and fly off the lip to perform a grind or a backflip. Such an experience can be better observed while playing titles like BMX Boy. You can just imagine the excitement on an eager BMX fan as he pedals with his index and middle finger in order to gather the speed necessary to jump in mid air and perform a stunt. The laughter and cheers are abundant as she lands safely on the ramp in celebration of his successful stunt. Emotions run just as intense when the speed required to complete the jump is not obtained and the player falls miserable to the ground. The cheers and laughter are replaced with frowns and gripes as the player feels the disappointment of a failed attempt. These feelings of distress are further incremented and turned into frustration as the player continues to fail and time and time again, not being able to perform the stunt successfully. However, his enjoyment and feelings of satisfaction will be that much more, if he doesn’t quit and sticks to the chore until acquiring the skills to successfully complete the stunt.

The thrills and spills of playing BMX games online can be greatly accentuated by engaging these games in groups. Friends and family have a way of making your success look like much more than it is, and your failures much more disappointing than they really are. Perhaps all you needed was a couple of tries before you got the hang of it, but an unfriendly companion could throw out a few discouraging words which may push the player to quit before he has even started. You are best advised to try BMX games online for the first time, only with your closest friends who are most like to support you even if you fail, before trying you luck with more hostile, and not so close characters who may prove to be hostile and discouraging.

By: Damian Cross

While some websites will allow you to play Monopoly online with their own special applications there are some specific Monopoly computer games that can be used instead. These games allow you to connect to networks where people meet or connect you to people you know from far away places.

Hasbro Interactive’s Monopoly game is considered to be the official game of most online Monopoly players. It is used as one of the more popular online games on the market. It offers network and Internet support and it features fully customizable rules so that you can play a standard game, a custom game, a tournament game or short game. It also works on Windows 98, ME and XP. It should be noted that Games.com, a website that offered support for this game, no longer exists.

An older edition of the game is also popular too. Westwood Studios’ version of Monopoly was made in the middle part of the 1990′s. You can connect online through various servers, including Case’s Ladder, for playing with other people.

You can play with some newer editions of the game as well. For instance, Yahoo has the new Here and Now edition of Monopoly available for play. You can download a free trial of it and then purchase the full version and download the entire thing onto your computer. You’ll be able to not only play with other people in your home and with computer opponents but you can also play with others in the Yahoo network. While this is a direct to drive download you will be able to have the Yahoo system remember that you bought the program so that you can download it again if you ever have to for reasons like buying a new computer.

It should be noted that the Monopoly editions that will be played in most software programs are those of the original format. This includes the standard properties from Mediterranean Avenue to Boardwalk. Some programs do have localized editions or are of the new Here and Now edition with new properties and updated currency amounts and Chance and Community Chest cards.

All sorts of different Monopoly computer games can be used as online games for playing with others. The versions from Hasbro Interactive and Westwood Studios are among the most notable versions that are available. Playing with newer editions like on Yahoo can work as well. Be sure to visit your local software store for information on these and other options for Monopoly online games.

By: Kurt Naulaerts

OK let me teach you some general strategy about Starcraft 2.

Starcraft 2 in general is a game of resources and production. It isn’t so important which units you build than it is that you build a lot of units. That is one major difference between Starcraft 2 and Warcraft 3.

Zerg are very difficult to learn, so take heed. If you decide you want to learn Zerg first, good luck too you. Terran are probably the easiest race for a beginner, they also have the potential to be the best race. It is just that the Terran buildings and units sound vaguely familiar, whereas with Protoss and Zerg you need to learn a whole new vocabulary to understand them.

When you first start a game, the goal is to grow your economy and figure out what your opponent is doing. Read that line twice. It is that important.

Building your economy is a no-brainer, you have to get this pumping or you’ll guaranteed lose. Scouting the opponent lets you know what to expect. The more you play Starcraft 2, the more you learn how many different strategies players can go. Early scouting gives you a heads up, and it is a requirement.

As far as hotkeys go, learn all the single letter keyboard buttons for all the icons, at least the ones you typically hit. Not having to click individual icons saves you plenty of time. Then as far as number hot keys go, hotkey up any group of units or buildings you are frequently clicking on, again to save yourself time.

By: Johnny Z Scarelli

When looking at BMX bikes, there are many important decisions to be made. How much money do I want to spend? What is more important: a lightweight bike or a durable one? Do I want to ride mostly on the streets or in the dirt? Knowing the answers to these questions can lead to you finding your perfect bike.

There are three styles of BMX bikes: classic BMX, jump bikes and freestyle BMX. What you will be doing with your bike gives you a good idea of which is right for you. If you intend to ride mostly on asphalt, choose the classic BMX (though it is dirt ready if you want to hit the track) or the freestyle BMX (sturdier, and equipped with road tires). Jump bikes are great if you want to ride on ramps, and freestyle bikes are perfect for trick cycling on the street, in the dirt and at a skate park. Freestyle bikes are built the sturdiest of all BMX bikes, so they come out of the shop ready to take a beating.

What type of frame is right for you? Steel(Chromoly) frames are cheaper and sturdier, so they make sense for trick bikes- if you intend to beat up your bike, best to buy one with an affordable replacement cost. Aluminum frames are lightweight, so they are more convenient for casual or street riders. The benefit of an aluminum frame for ramp and jump riding is that their lightness makes the frame easier to lift. Another benefit of aluminum frames is that they don’t rust as quickly as steel frames.

Once you have these important differences sorted out, you need to decide on rims and breaks. Each bike has a style of rim generally associated with it, though you can deter from these standards: Freestyle bikes have mag or 48-spoke rims. Jumpers need strong rims, so they generally come with 48-spoke or 36 ultra-heavy-duty 13 gauge spokes. Classic BMX bikes come with 32-spoke rims.

BMX and jump bikes have rear brakes; freestyle bikes have front and rear. Though they can be tailored to your liking, these standards are generally followed, as they are what’s most logical for the styles of riding the bikes are designed for.

By: Geoff James