When learning to BMX bike, the first trick one will usually learn is the ollie, which is a jump where both bike tires leave the ground nearly simultaneously. At first, ollies will likely be very low and short, but with time, a BMX biker may ollie many feet off of the ground!

BMX is a thrilling and growing sport. Considered to be an “extreme sport”, BMX or a form of off-road racing, is a sport demanding of strength, agility, quick-handling response time, and stamina. While it is important to have a healthy body and a no-fear bravado to endure this sport, it is just as important to have the right equipment.

If you are looking to get involved in the sport of BMX riding and are concerned about what type of protective gear you will need to avoid any costly injuries, then check out the essential protection gear for BMX riders below.

The first thing that you want to have if you plan on doing any kind of bike riding, BMX or not, is a quality helmet. When looking for a right helmet for your personal needs you want to take into consideration what kind of terrain you will be riding on, and how much protection you will need to keep you from injuring your head. Wearing a helmet is the difference between getting a slight headache from a fall, and being hospitalized, so be sure to find a proper fitting one before you begin your rides.

After taking into account protection of your head, you want to look into protecting your connecting bones that are your elbows and knees with elbow and knee pads. There are several different brands of basic padding that you can purchase, but when looking to protect your knees and elbows it is essential that you get a hard plastic type of pad that completely covers the areas. Similar to the difference between getting a headache and getting hospitalized with a helmet, wearing elbow and knee pads can be the difference between getting a slight bump, or losing full functionability of one of your limbs, so be sure to take elbow and knee pads seriously.

Moving from knee and elbow pads in the line of essential gear to gloves you will find that a good quality pair of gloves is essential in the case that you ride on rocky terrain. Whenever you fall off of your bike the first thing you will find yourself doing is bracing your body with your hands first. When falling onto rocky terrain you will find rocks and dirt can become embedded in the palm of your hands, so be sure to find a properly fitting pair of gloves before your next dirt ride.

The final pieces of protection gear in the essential line up for BMX riders is often looked at as optional, being that they are an above the ankle covering pair of shoes, and a protective cup for all male riders. While these two items are not taken seriously, they can also mean the difference between a slight bruise and complete carnage, so be sure to ride fully protected. Overall if you are looking to get involved in BMX and want to keep your body free of injury, just check out the above guide on the essential protection gear for BMX riders.

Bicycles require regular maintenance and the ability to do these routine tasks yourself will save you time and money, and get back on the trail quickly on your jump bike. The ability to change a bike tire quickly is a useful and easy to learn skill. All you need to change a bike tire is a set of bicycle tools (which can be purchased at your local bike shop) and the replacement inner tube. Older bikes generally require different tools than newer models. You should know what tools you will need and have them on hand before you begin.

New to bmx? Here are the best bmx tricks for newcomers to start with.

Dirt jumping bikes are really starting to take off as a popular alternative to BMX’s. Their sleek look combined with their tough appearance has many people suddenly interested in owning one.

What parts make up a good jump bike however?

1) Gears (or lack of them) – A lot of jump bikes emulate the single speed design, similar to the system used on BMX’s. A high gear ratio of XXX is frequently used, which gives the rider just the right amount of torque to instantly shift the bike when required. Lack of gears also means that there are fewer moving parts to go wrong, making the bike more reliable. Some jump bikes, such as the Specialized P2, do offer a choice of a gear, but they also usually have the option to convert quickly into a single speed as well. Horizontal dropouts on the rear of the frame allow the chain tension to be set perfectly.

2) An ultra-strong, lightweight frame – Jump bikes need to go high up in the air, and the best way to make this easier is to make the frame as light as possible . Common materials used in the frame construction are chromoly (Cro Mo) or 7005 aluminium. The geometry of a typical dirt jumping frame tends to be very squashed, with a very low seat post to give the rider maximum range of motion.

3) Wide treaded tyres – The tyres on a jump bike tend to be very broad, and are deliberately underinflated to cushion landings in addition to the suspension. Slicks are out, since the tyres need all the grip they can get!

4) Tough wheel rims – The wheels of a jump bike need to undergo some intense pressures form repeated high-impact landings. Reinforced rims prevent buckling when springing some massive hucks (high drops off objects).

5) Mechanical disc brakes – These kind of bikes need some serious stopping power, so they almost always come fitted with disc brakes. The best dj bikes come with hydraulic versions, which prevents any dirt from interfering with the brake mechanism.

6) Awesome suspension – The vast majority of jump bikes have front shock suspension only. Really high quality absorbers tend to be used, with adjustable travel to get just right amount of firmness to suit the terrain.

All of the above combine to form one mean dirt jumping bike machine!

It can be a lot trickier than with other bicycle types to find a jump bike that is the correct fit for your height. Ideally you are looking for the seat of the jump bike to be as low as possible without it hitting the seat, allowing you to squeeze out as much mobility as possible when tricking out.

To get a favourable reference frame for your height, the basic rule of thumb is to take the frame size that you would normally ride on a mountain bike and subtract 2-3 inches. So if you usually ride a 19″ mtb frame, jump bikes with a frame size of 17″ or lower would be a good place to start. Generally, large jump bikes have a 17″ frame, medium 15.5 to 5″ and small 14″ to 15″ – these are the manufacturers recommendations.
Despite this, many tall riders prefer a smaller frame than the manufacturers suggest. A smaller frame requires less effort to spin and pull tricks on, due to the rotational mechanics involved. In reality, a suitable frame side for a jump bike is only limited by how close your feet are to the front wheel – you will know when a frame size is too small for you when your feet are hitting off it!

So with this in mind, it is worthwhile having a good idea what kind of use you expect to get out of the bike – will it be used for racing or for tricking out on? Racing jump bikes will perform better with a longer top tube length since this gives the rider added stability when cornering. Dirt jump bike riders will prefer a frame with a shorter top tube, since this will make it a lot edgier when spinning and attacking jumps mid air. Not all manufacturers list the top tube length in their catalogues so the local bike shop is your friend. If you are looking for some suggested models that can be found ‘off the peg’ , have a look at the P1 jump bike made by Specialized, or any of the Kona jump bikes.

If you are looking to buy your first dirt jumping bike, start by going for a bike frame 2 inches less than the size of mountain bike frame you would usually ride. Next, depending on what kind of rider you are, select a top tube length to suit your style of riding. There are a couple of good makes of jump bike available in shops these days, so the best thing to do is to go out and test them before buying – there is nothing worse than getting a new bike delivered only to discover it’s an unsuitable size!

Picture the scene – your new custom jump bike has just been delivered, and you are full of excitement. You can’t wait to wield the handlebars and take her out for a quick spin. You push off and start pedalling furiously down the street, only to find your shoulders are hunched up and your feet hitting the front wheel with every turn – you stop, angered by your realisation – the frame size is too small, the handlebars too close, the suspension is as hard as marshmallow. You have just wasted £300!
Such a mistake can easily be avoided by knowing what to look for before making a purchasing decision. Jump bikes are relatively new to bike shops, and because of this it is hard to find good advice over what features to look for. Here’s what to bear in mind:

Correct size: If you are approaching 6 foot, it is important to consider the length of the top tube on the bike before buying. Too short and you may find that the frame is too small for you, and your feet may hit the front wheel while doing slow turns. The lower the seat is the better, since you will have more room between you and the frame. Try to test one out before buying.

Suspension: Strength and firmness are the key factors to consider when it comes to suspension systems. Jump bikes need to have reinforced shocks to absorb the high impact landings – they are similar to the ones used on mountain bikes but they have slightly thicker posts. It is preferable to have firm shocks with not a lot of movement as this affords the rider more control during tricks. If you are going to be dirt jumping over high air gaps you might want slightly spongier shocks with more travel, but they should still be pretty solid.

Gears: Gearing on dirt jumping bikes is not essential but if you are going to be using it for other purposes then it can be useful to have. A lot of models are single speed which is a lot more robust and makes it a lot less likely that the chain will fall off during landing. Single speed bikes tend to require less maintenance too since there is no derailleur to take care of.

You can now buy a good selection of ‘off the peg’ bikes at local bicycle shops, which wasn’t the case a few years ago. This means that you can try before buying, although the shop owner may be hesitant about letting you out of the shop to do tricks! You can also get some good bargain second hand jump bikes by looking at Ebay and Gumtree, the latter being preferable as you can again try them out.

Jump bikes are a type of hybrid bike, somewhere in-between bmxs and standard mountain bikes. As the name suggests, they are mainly used for jumping stunts, although there are also a wide selection of tricks that a jump bike rider can pull off. While initially it may seem as though they are similar to a mountain bike, if you look closer you will find that there are a lot of differences in the design of a jump bike. They are smaller, more mobile, and are specifically designed to handle the stress of repeatedly landing on their tyres from great heights.

Jump bikes feature several characteristics that separate them from other bike types:

Lower, reinforced frames: The upper tube of a jump bike frame slopes upward from the seat post, giving the rider more room to manoeuvre. The frames themselves tend to be stronger than regular bike frames, so that they can withstand the large forces involved when landing stunts – they are built for rugged use

Smaller wheels: Jump bikes feature small wheels; around 24” to 26” wheels in considered best.

Firm suspension: To help to deal with high jump bike tricks, most frames have a suspension forks for the front wheel. They are typically set to the least springy setting to give the bike a better feel.

Fewer gears: High torque gear ratios are all that are needed to flip the jump bike up fast and give the rider instant control over the bike’s balance.

There are two main styles that involve the use of jump bikes:
Urban jump riding takes its name from the streets, with riders performing all manner of skilful tricks and jumping using everyday objects such as benches, stairs, walls, and so on. A street jump bike has a lot of similarities with trial bikes.

Dirt jump biking is a relatively new sport where jumps are done in parks, woods, and trails, with ramps specifically designed to get as much height as possible for the rider. Competitions involve high or long jumps where the riders of jump dirt bikes are graded on the difficulty of the tricks performed.

Jump bikes may be a new type of hybrid bike, but their popularity is increasing every day with more manufacturers releasing specific models all the time. Mountain bikes enjoyed rapid growth when they first appeared – expect the same from jump bikes!