Fockin BMX

I rode BMX for 10 years, got pretty good but then my body broke. Occasionally I see a vid on youtube that makes me want to get back on my BMX that's been sitting in the shed for 2 years, and I remember how fucking awesome it feels to pull some outdated shit like a no foot can can, barspin air or a 360 to fakie, but then I see shit like http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl4B8TlMtMAhappens all the time?". Granted, BMX crashes usually look worse than they actually are, but still, sometimes all it takes is a cursory glance at my shins to put me off getting back on that 20" stunt rod... still, I might build a light bmx and then just wrap myself in protective padding and see what happens

Share much of the same sentiments..

but,

on a BMX you pretty much decide when you are going to do sometheing which will cause you to stack. And it results in grazes, dislocations or at worst a broken bone.

Whilst being out on busy roads everyday, messengering. No matter how careful or skilled you are, theres always a huge risk of becoming a speed bump made of a mass of limbs.

No, that's bollocks. No-one chooses to do something that* will *cause them to crash, unless they're idiots, or masochists. They may crash as a result of trying new tricks, or as a result of error while performing tricks that they've already learnt, but no sane person chooses to do stuff that will result in a crash. Crashes don't always result in injury either, and if you think a broken bone is the worst injury you can get from BMX then you clearly have very little BMX experience.

The potential severity of injury sustained in a road accident is much worse than the average bmx crash, but the frequency of road accidents is far lower than the frequency of BMX crashes. If you're really pushing yourself at a skatepark you might crash hard once every few hours, perhaps more, perhaps less, whereas out on the road a messenger might crash once every few months.

What DFP is saying is that on a BMX you know when you are going to try something you havent done before or something with a higher risk of crashing. It is a risk you are willing to take for the possible feeling of pulling a new trick. I am a BMXer and I am over coursious. You can ride without killing yourself every half an hour. Having said all that. All my broken bones have come frome really lame, basic crashes doing tricks I can do with my eyes closed.

At the same time. When taking the fixed on the road one is also aware of the risks.

My shin still hurts.

What DFP is saying is that on a BMX you know when you are going to try something you havent done before or something with a higher risk of crashing. It is a risk you are willing to take for the possible feeling of pulling a new trick. I am a BMXer and I am over coursious.
Tru'dat. I'm the opposite of pink and try things that I know there is a slim chance I will land. The greater the risk the greater the reward. Consequently I've broken lots of bones and spent lots of time missing skin and the ability to move without pain. I'd say that, for me, it's all been worth it.

If I don't either crash at least 5 times an hour or learn a few new tricks, it's a boring session. It's too 'safe' and if it's safe it's not exciting.

That's why I quit - I wasn't learning anything new, and I got scared of crashing because it was hurting too much.

Funny how crashing didn't hurt much when I was 14-18, but nowadays one little fall and I can't ride for a week

Because - it feels great when you do.

There's nothing that even comes close to the feeling I get (or more accurately these days, got) when I first aired out of a quarter pipe and felt nothing but air between myself and the coping, when I cleared the spine at Skate and Ride, when I cleared the corner doubles at Bournemouth BMX track, when I cross-up aired the bowl at Slades Farm, when I did my first feeble grind...

When you're out riding with friends, they've all got your back, you're pushing each other to do new things, they'll help you up when you stack and they'll be as stoked as you are when you pull that trick you've been trying all afternoon to pull.

So what there have been times when I haven't been able to walk for days, or winced with pain whenever I've turned in the night and brushed that still-weeping gash on my arm. If you're thinking about crashing though, you've already lost.

Slades Farm is the best!

Slades Farm is the best!

Can't rep you for that, but yes - yes it is.

So many lines when you knew where to look. I've ridden a lot of concrete in my time - much bigger stuff with cleaner transitions and smoother concrete, but nothing compares to Slades Farm. It's where I learnt most of my stuff and it taught me how to ride smoothly. Haven't been back for a few years but there are lots of memories there - from the riding to midnight graf missions with my best mate...

Ahh...

For a park that really is quite unimpresive (even for an old 70s park) it was just so much fun to ride! I have just decided to do a winder trip down to Bournemouth.