Helmets required at XG Asia BMX StreetHelmets required at XG Asia BMX Street

Helmets are now required for pro BMX riders in the BMX Street category at the 2011 Kia X Games Asia in Shanghai, China. 

Formerly recommended but not mandatory, the new helmet ruling comes following a head injury suffered by Fit Bike Co. pro Van Homan at X Games 16 in Los Angeles, Calif. last August. Homan fell backwards off his bike during Street practice and suffered a fractured skull and bruising and bleeding on his skull. He was hospitalized for several days and out of commission for close to three months.

According to X Games Director of Sports and Competition Tim Reed, the decision did not come hastily. "After each X Games, we evaluate every aspect of the event including the safety of the athletes and courses. As part of the evaluation we recognized that the speed and size of the tricks that were being executed during the street competition warranted helmets. In collaboration with our BMX sport organizer, Mat Hoffman, we made the decision to require helmets for those athletes who participate in BMX Street. With this decision we look forward to supporting the growth and the safe progression of BMX street in the years ahead."

Many BMX pros seemed unfazed by the decision.

More here: http://sports.espn.go.com/action/xgames/news/story?id=6450021

Emails

We get lots of emails and most of them are replied to, with advice given sometimes. We got this one fairly recently:

Good day and I hope this email finds you well. This is (name withheld) and I writing to you from (company name withheld); we're a local production house and we are currently working on a 'daredevil' video and would like to feature a BMX biker perform high level trick in an urban environment, i.e. along the pavements, stairs etc. As a gauge, I'm looking for someone who can and dares to cycle down a long flight of stairs. But this is just a gauge and I'd love to explore other options. I'd be elated if you can introduce or recommend anyone you might find suitable! I'm looking to shoot this video by the end of this month. Thank you very much for your time!

We answered this query and gave the person some advice as to who to contact and at the same time, informed that person of the differences between BMX racing and BMX freestyle. I think they had a bit of a BMX education!

We also had a letter from this gentleman. I thank you sir, for the kind words!

I just ran across your blog, nice work. You guys seem to know what you're talking about. Could you recommend some bike shops in Singapore that sell BMX bikes?  I'm having a hard time finding a place that sells more than mountain bikes and I figured you guys would know of a few reputable shops I could check out.

Thanks,
 

Well, able to help him we did. gave him a link to some good bike shops. Hope he managed to find a good bike!

So remember, keep those emails coming in! Always willing to help you with any BMX advice!