I just don't get this kind of experience on my MTB. Maybe it's because I'm too busy chasing Strava segments. Anyway.
Sunday is my designated BMX day... and that's when I injure myself so much, it's actually relaxing to MTB. Currently I have random bruises, scrapes, and a kinked neck. I tell people this: the reason why I don't crash on my MTB is because I use all my crash tokens riding my BMX. It's true.
Whenever I ride, I always end up passing by BMX groms (little pre-teen kids) and they always check out what I'm riding, and wondering why a guy their Dad's age is scooting around on a 20" bike. I busted some manuals, 360 bunnyhops and a couple hang 5's and that got them clamoring up and asking a million questions. Here are the one's that made me LOL:
1) Do you know Ryan Nyquist? (because I ride a Haro in S. San Jose)
2) Can you bunnyhop over that? (pointing at a rail that was literally 4ft. high)
3) Can you barspin?
4) Can you flat 3?
5) How do you keep your balance like that?
6) Did you ride in the Dew Tour?
7) Do you have a son that rides BMX?
8) Why is your seat so high? (I have a WHOPPING 5" of seatpost showing)
9) Why do you have so many pegs? (4)
10) Why is your bike so quiet? (Freecoaster)
11) What's a freecoaster?
12) Why don't you have a better bike? (I love my Haro! LOL.)
13) Why do you have a front brake?
14) Can you jump these stairs?
15) When did you start riding? ("When I was your age")
16) etc.
The BMX scene down here in Almaden is literally nonexistent. These kids never seen flatland, or even a hop to fastplant. Their minds were filled with barspins and tailwhips. They loved it all. Then I realized, I may be able to inspire these kids to keep riding just by being an old man on a bike showing them how to do a few things.
Then I realized I'd be a fuggin' awesome BMX dad. THEN I realized, this is how BMX has survived over the years. This is why us old guys can't stop. There are generations ahead of us that need to be inspired. Anyway, I taught them how to to footjam tailwhips and got them thinking about wall rides. One kid even learned how to peg manual. My work was done... so I thought.
Then there was this chick:
So, I'm riding home (jazzed for a little Game of Thrones action) and I see this female stumbling across the parking lot with bare feet. Then she went up to a Ford Club Wagon and was trying to open it with a Scion key. Then she paused, got all wobbly, then tried some more. So I stopped her, and asked her some questions - then I asked her if I could try and I took her keys from her. She was so high, she didn't even resist. I told her to sit down and asked her if there was anybody she knew or family or friends that could come get her. No cell, no ID... she said her boyfriend jumped out of the car. I stayed with her and she was talking gibberish, talking about how "Jared cheated on her with a girl from Facebook" and "...you can be from Jupiter and align with the spirits. Then I asked if she was drinking and if she took some pills.
"I took some pills last night..."
"What about today?"
Dead stare. Like Walking Dead. PILL ZOMBIE!
So I called 911 and P-Marshall's doppelganger showed up and I took off.
Nobody was going to help this poor girl and God forbid the Club Wagon was actually her's and she went off driving, high on 'scrips.
BMX always provides weird adventures. I highly recommend you get one.
All those who have been invited to OSBMXR 2013 and are attending are starting to post comments, pictures and videos. I am so friggin' amped to go, I haven't been this excited about BMX in a long time. I'm starting to feel really dialed with my Haro, and it's time to start going for things like fakie tree rides and 360's off things now. It's strange, because after getting back into BMX, I thought I was pretty much keeping it to flatland - but now that I have a do-it-all bike, I've found joy in street riding again. I forgot how decent I was at it, so the new bike has opened up new doors for me.
Here's Maurice "Drob" Meyer (of the infamous Curb Dogs) and old school freestyler, Rick Allison, doing it right. I don't know neither Drob nor Rick outside of just a little back and forth on Facebook, but it looks like both freestyle icons are ready to roll. According to Rick's FaceBook posts, he is now here in California (SoCal). I remember him being a total showman - looks like nothing has changed! If you ever come up to NorCal, Rick, you got a crew to ride with.
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| Maurice "Drob" Meyer - hip transfer with a flattie |
Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2013/04/adventures-in-bmx-bmx-groms-saving-pill.html
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