couple quick newbie questions.....

[53 willys]

hello My name is Mark..I used to BMX out at the old Provo river bottoms BMX park and also at Twin peaks when I was 5-10 years old....Been out of the BMX scene since about 1990.....fast forward to now and I have a son of my own...I have been looking at getting him into BMX racing..he loves riding bikes and I think he would really enjoy it.
anyway I picked up a brand new older model GT power series JR bike for him..I wanna take him to the RAD canyon practice this tuesday...but I cant seem to find ANY local bike shops that really carry BMX stuff??
I need to find him some bike bar pads(cross bar, goose neck pad and main frame bar pad) these are required by the rules right?
anyway any leads on some good bike shops that carry youth BMX stuff or online places would really help me out..
also any local shops carry youth full face helmets?? he has a ATV helmet now..but it seems kinda heavy for his head(he is only 4)

thanks for any tips or info you have
mark

[53 willys]

BTW are number plates required for pratice?

[bnd]

Welcome back Mark.

That's pretty cool you used to race at the Provo track & Twin Peaks. Getting to your questions......

- Pads are no longer required by the ABA for bikes so don't worry about it.

- There are two really decent BMX only shops in town. Performance Bike Shop is ran by Heather Allred & Ian Elliot, they have a mobile (trailer) shop that is most always out at the track parked next to the sign up building. Introduce yourself & they will absolutley take care of your every need. Both are excellent wrenches so if any adjustments need to be done on the spot they can take care of that too.

- Staats bike shop in Sandy, just east (next door) of Smiths at 9400S. & 2300E.
You'll find some really nice high end stuff in there & an owner who races BMX.

Rad Canyon is a great track but if it is alittle too "rad" for the kid, make a trip out to Deseret Peak BMX in Tooele on Saturday nights. The track is more geared for the beginner/intermediate rider plus after the races are over you can ride until you can't ride anymore.
Let him go at his own pace & see if he takes to it. Good luck!


b.

[JAlvey]

Go-Ride on 3300 S and 400 E is a mountain bike shop that started carrying a full line of BMX stuff this year. You can check out what they have at www.go-ridebmx.com

Heather and Ian at Performance Bike at the track will have everything you need too.

[53 willys]

Great thanks for the fast reply's guys...I really hope he likes the RAD canyon...I have to work sat nights so I would not be able to take him to tooele
Rad's Schedule works great with mine..so I hope it's not to extreme.



are old GT mach one frames worth anything?? I still have my old BMX bike..it's a mach one..uni seat..lol and about 20 different sprockets.....

[b2]

Mark, your post sounds a bit familiar... except I never raced as a kid--just rode my bike everywhere and wanted to race. My son and I came out to the track just over one and a half years ago when he was 4. He first rode his 16" Specialized and then we moved him to a Redline Micro Mini--then to an older GT Micro (bigger than the RL but smaller than a regular mini) and now he's on an Intense frame.

Heather and Ian are the best. And as Bruce (bnd) mentioned, pads are NOT required but if you're REALLY interested in running them, I think I have some that came with a 2006 GT Cruiser I might be able to find in my parts bin. I don't run any nor does my 5 year-old.

You don't need a number plate for practice and you'll get a temp plate/number when you sign him up. You can run that until you get your "permanent" number from the ABA--they'll send you the numbers to run in your welcome kit. But then you'll need to pick up a better, more permanent plate--check with Ian and Heather (Performance Bike Parts).

Welcome Mark! Next thing you know you'll be looking for a bike for yourself! I promise!

Justin, I didn't know Go-Ride started carrying BMX stuff! That's cool! They're not far from me, I'll have to check them out.

[ZDM]

As far as the value of your Mach One, everything has a value, but how much will be determined by the vintage. Early '80s models bring better money if you are looking to sell. When you get into the '90s, you would probably be looking at about $75.00-$200.00 depending on condition, and who happens to be looking for one at the time. I'm not joking about that last line. I've seen a frame go for $50.00 one week, then $150.00(both in comparable condition) a couple of weeks later. The beauty(or curse, depending on how you look at it) of the "Vintage" BMX hobby is that there is no set in stone method of determining value.

With all that said, I think you should clean the old ride up, and ride it with your son! If you need any help with getting it back in shape, let me or any other member of the board know. A lot of wrench turners here would love to help you out-expecially me, I love the "old stuff".

[greg]

as others have mentioned, Performance Bikes is great, but if you want other options or to just be able to compaire, here are a few other places to check out:

Lake Town Bikes - 90th So. just east of Redwood - carry GT

Taylors Bikes - approx. 5400 so. 3600 west - carry Redline, diamond back

Golsan's - 106th so redwood - carry SE

Sports Challet - Jordan Landing and others - carry SE, diamond back, Free Agent as well as helmets, gloves, etc

I always suggest that whenever visiting bikes shops around town, make sure to mention that you heard of them at Rad Canyon and UtahBMX.com, and that you're glad they support BMX racing by carrying BMX bikes and parts. They need to know that there is a market out here.

[53 willys]

GREAT INFO GUYS!! thanks
I'm going to head out to some shops today...but what the address to "performance bikes" I tried a google search but cant find the company info?
thanks guys you have been a big help so far...and your right..I'm starting to think the cruiser class might be real fun!!

[53 willys]

GREAT INFO GUYS!! thanks
I'm going to head out to some shops today...but what the address to "performance bikes" I tried a google search but cant find the company info?
thanks guys you have been a big help so far...and your right..I'm starting to think the cruiser class might be real fun!!

never mind...I called Ian...what a cool cat..
he gave me tons of great tips and info over the phone!!

thanks guys!