FEATURE “
If you want to come into BMX for the Olympics, that’s great, but if you just want to ride bikes and have fun, that’s also great. That’s what BMX is about.
“BMX freestyle hasn’t been as popular in the past few years as it had been previously, whereas it seems that racing has remained relatively stable.” But there has been a significant opportunity for BMX supporters in the industry in recent years, following the inclusion of BMX in the Summer Olympics - first racing in 2008, followed by the introduction of freestyle BMX at the Tokyo Games in 2021. While the Olympics offers airtime on mainstream
television for many fringe sports, it was the unprecedented success of the British BMX squad that many hoped would provide a springboard for BMX brands in the UK.
A British success story Out of the four medal opportunities on offer in BMX disciplines in last year’s Olympics, Team GB took home four, including two golds - Bethany Shriever took gold in the women’s BMX racing, Kye Whyte won silver in the men’s racing, while Charlotte Worthington took gold in the women’s freestyle, and Declan Brooks claimed bronze in the men’s freestyle.
Brooks told BikeBiz: “I think if we didn’t get medals, it wouldn’t have been half as big as it was. It started making front page news, it went to a whole new level. “Charlotte and Beth were making the front page, so that was quite surreal, for people in the industry I think as well. “A lot of people watched [the Olympics] and might have
known what BMX was, but didn’t know what you could do on it, or thought it was just a kid’s bike. “But I think maybe the stigma has gone a little bit, so hopefully it will carry on in that direction.” While Brooks, who is sponsored by TSG Helmets and British brand Mafia Bikes, said while he noticed a major boost in the number of people riding bikes at skateparks immediately following the Olympics, the wave may be losing momentum. In the past 10 years or so, BMX in the UK has struggled to
reach previous heights, as BMX media languished, and events vanished from the calendar. Brooks hopes, however, that the return of events like Backyard Jam, a series of contests hosted by indoor skateparks around the country, run by iconic BMX distributor Seventies and backed by British Cycling, marks a return of high-level BMX competition in this country. But have brands seen the benefit from the increased media focus following the Olympics?
The Olympic legacy Mafia Bikes, founded in 2009 and based in Hampshire, said the answer, so far at least, is no. CEO Marc Brotherton said: “To be quite frank, the answer
to that is no and we didn’t expect any increase in sales. It’s a positive thing that BMX has been included in a mainstream event such as the Olympics, it’s good for general exposure and a real boost for the supported riders. However, to be honest the potential customer base isn’t really interested in the Olympics.” Saensawat, who manages Volume and Demolition for Ison,
said: “In freestyle, I haven’t seen much of a boost in business as such.
“Because there’s not really an obvious or low-cost route
to get into freestyle for folks who might have seen it on TV. Many other sports have easy to connect with grass route clubs, activities, and so on, whereas BMX freestyle perhaps isn’t quite so easy or obvious as to how to get into. “Also, the growth of freestyle scooters hasn’t especially helped the BMX industry, perhaps because scooters are more affordable and arguably ‘easier’ to start using. We would
www.bikebiz.com June 2022 | 17
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