Rider not allowed to ride the ramps

There is going to be some event coming up soon and one of the riders went down to try it out. He was not allowed to ride the track but the funny thing was, other riders were allowed to ride on the track, as can be seen in the picture here. He was rather disappointed to say the least and I think I can empathise with him. The reason he was told why the other riders could ride was because the other riders were supposed to test the track. But the rider that is complaining was an ex-national rider and one of the best in the cycling scene in Singapore so why the double standards?

Selamat Hari Raya Aidul Fitr

We here at Singapore BMX would like to wish all our Muslim friends and riders a very Selamat Hari Raya Aidul Fitri 

BMX Night Race - 4x Mountain Biking Eliminator

Yep, you read right. There is going to be a race at night here in Singapore at the Tampines BMX track. It is gonna be held at the Tampines BMX Track on Saturday 8th September 2012 from 6pm - 830pm. That is indeed good news and it looks like our dream of finally holding a race at night is about to come through. Check out this site for more details. Get ready for a night of serious racing folks!

Interbike reaches out to BMX

This news comes courtesy of Bike Retailer. This looks interesting!

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA (BRAIN) Monday July 16 2012 5:50 AM MT—Interbike is reaching out to tbe BMX industry with several new features at this fall's expo in Las Vegas.

The show will again designate a special section of the floor plan for BMX-only products called the BMX Zone. Additionally, partnerships have been formed with industry leaders for educational seminars, a brand-neutral freestyle BMX history area within the BMX Zone, and a new alliance with the Ride BMX NORA Cup Awards will be launched.

Interbike formed a BMX advisory panel earlier this year.

“BMX has such an important history within our industry, and with the category making its second appearance at the Olympics this year, the sport is growing,” said Pat Hus, Interbike’s managing director.

“We wanted to get the leaders in the segment together to help us understand what we as a business can do to help them get the most out of their experience at Interbike. We’ve had some great discussions since forming the advisory panel, and with their guidance I’m confident that we’re moving in the right direction.”

The advisory panel consists of executives from a cross section of the sport, including Dave Wooten of Stolen BMX, Joe Hawk of Haro Bikes, Bernie Doll of QBP, Robert Morales of Cult and several more.

The BMX Zone will be located in the upstairs show area and will showcase companies from all categories within BMX.

QBP will also sponsor and present educational seminars designed to help retailers learn more about the category and the new opportunities that exist within the segment.

“QBP has a tradition of partnering with dealers to help their businesses grow through educational opportunities,” said Glenn Dussl, QBP’s BMX sales manager. “With BMX being an enigmatic topic for many dealers we want to make this category easier to integrate into their stores and show that there is money to be made. We’ll have two seminars at Interbike this year with different levels of concepts and strategies to help dealers expose the BMX potential in their community.”

The Generations of Freestyle area will show off historical assets from many companies within the freestyle community and will serve as a meeting place for autograph sessions. The area, sponsored by Interbike in association with Haro Bikes, is being designed by industry veteran Mark Losey. Losey has worked heavily in the media-side of BMX (Vital BMX, Ride BMX, BMX Plus!), and is currently the US BMX Freestyle Manager for Nike.

Those interested in sharing items with the Generations of Freestyle display should email Losey at marklosey@gmail.com.

Interbike is also a new sponsor of the Ride BMX NORA Cup BMX Awards. TransWorld Ride BMX Magazine has previously held its invitation-only awards ceremony in Las Vegas during the same week as Interbike, but the two companies have never formally worked together. The 2012 Ride BMX NORA Cup Awards will be held in the Venetian Hotel & Casino in The Venetian Showroom on Thursday, September 20.

http://www.bicycleretailer.com/news/newsDetail/6994.html    

BMX "National Championships"

There is a so-called BMX National Championships coming up in a couple of days but the thing is, people do not know much about it. All people have to see is this poster above, and even that one I got from a closed group in Facebook. I have not been to the Tampines BMX Track lately so I hope that posters were put up there. All I know is that I have gotten quite a few emails asking me about the time of the race, where its located (mostly from foreigners). It led to someone posting in that closed BMX group:

One of the emails I got goes like this:

Do you know what times etc?
Do you know where to buy a second hand BMX or even hire one for a week or so?
He has a BMX in the UK, but not here.
Thanks

So What is happening out there? When you run a race as important as this, communication is very important. People need information and timing, Looks like some people got goosed.

Media wants BMXers for a local drama

We had an email yesterday from our local media folks and it went like this:

Urgently looking for BMX riders aged between 15 to 25 to act for a (local channel) drama. The filming is next Tues to Thurs. The auditions will be from tomorrow to Sun. Interested talents kindly contact me at (number deleted) or (email account deleted for privacy). Thank you.

We replied to her and told her that we could not help much but we are willing to try again. Anyone needing more info can contact us at admin@osbmx.com

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Guthrie FMC and the Tampines BMX track Singapore

Just the other day, I came across this on Facebook. Someone made some comments about the Tampines BMX track. Apparently, Guthrie FMC is now in charge of the Tampines BMX track and now it seems that people have to pay to use the park if you are conducting clinics. Fair enough...it is maintained by them and I suppose one has to pay for wear and tear. But this posting yesterday really was the last straw:

What the heck is this about? This is going too far! So apparently now we have to pay to take pictures at the BMX park? It seems that pictures taken for commercial use will be subject to payment to Guthrie but apparently, pictures for keepsakes and non-profit use will be free. The thing is, how do we separate the two? Its really exasperating that this is happening. Somehow, I knew something like this would happen after the YOG games.

So what did I do? I did the only thing possible. Call up the Guthrie FMC office and ask for an explanation. But more often than not, I was taken for the run-around. Left my phone number but people did not call me back, sent emails but no response as well.

Alexander Guthrie and his nephew James Guthrie must be rolling in their graves. Imagine, when Guthrie asked William Farquhar for permission to build his godowns near the Singapore River way back then, he was not given permission. When Guthrie threatened to leave Singapore and do business somewhere else, Farquhar and later, Raffles, caved in because they knew that Guthrie was right. It is a shame that the company that he founded, the one that bears his name till today, could be like this.

In any case, I have said what I want to say and I had a chat with someone who looks after the Tampines BMX park. Apparently, even those who come into the park to take pictures with a new bike (probably to capture some of the surrounding scenery) will be levied with a charge as well. I did tell the Guthrie representative that I did not see eye-to-eye with this as this does not constitute wear-and-tear of the BMX park. And I also told him that there is a very fine line to draw between what photographs are commercial and which are not and I did not see eye to eye with that, as it does not help with the development of the sport. At least we agreed t disagree. A nice gentleman and a pleasure to talk too. Thanks Bobby!

Supercross SLT 20mm forks are out!

Got an email to inform us that Supercross BMX is now shipping these 20mm thru-axle SLTs and most Supercross BMX dealers in the USA have them already. They look pretty good too!

BMX star Shanaze Reade: I still feel ten years old

Photo Courtesy of Metro UK

Shanaze Reade is a long way from Beijing.

Four years ago, the Crewe rider was the nearest thing Britain had to a nailed-on Olympic gold. At just 19, the reigning world champion had won almost every meaningful race she had ever entered until her first Games.

But, finding herself second to Anne-Caroline Chausson of France entering the final bend, she committed herself to a last-gasp attempt to pass.

It failed. Reade hit the dirt, finished eighth, and the devastated teenager considered quitting.

‘I just stepped back and thought: I got into sport for the fun, for the enjoyment. Talent mixed with determination and everything else equalled good things. But I didn’t get into it to feel so low and depressed. I was in a very dark place after Beijing.’

Four years later, her commitment to her sport fully restored, Reade is sat in British Cycling’s world-leading indoor BMX track in Manchester, discussing a year which will see her compete on home soil in the world championships, in Birmingham, before seeking Olympic redemption in London.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/olympics/896466-bmx-star-shanaze-reade-i-still-feel-ten-years-old#ixzz1sMDXnlQE

Greg Hill Products (GHP) Pro XL BMX race bike

I have always been admirer of Greg, even from the early 80s when I used to race BMX. He has always been totally dedicated to the sport and that is something I can respect. He has a stable of bikes for sale and from what I can see, they are specced out pretty good. Take the Pro XL one pictured above. According to the website:

The 2012 GHP Pro XL race bike features a 7005 series aluminum frame with 1-1/8" integrated headtube, chromoly GHP fork with tapered legs, alloy frontload stem, 8" rise chromoly GHP bars, mushroom grips, alloy V-brake and lever, GHP 180mm alloy 2-pc cranks with sealed External Euro BB, 44T alloy 4-bolt chainring, 3/8" sealed flip/flop alloy hubs with 16T Dicta freewheel, 32H GHP double-wall rims, Tioga Powerblock 1.95 front/1.75 rear tires, GHP Pivotal seat, quick release seat clamp and Wellgo alloy platform pedals. 21.25" Toptube (20.4 lbs) 

Not too shabby! This would be great for the discerning rider who in Singapore only has the likes of ABD or Polygon to choose. I would even take these over the Kuwahara bike sthat are being released now. One thing I can say is, Greg knows his stuff. And we know that