FEATURE Wheelie bikes are a major new trend for many BMX brands
have hoped that many scooter riders would have naturally progressed over to BMX bikes in large numbers, but it seems that didn’t happen. That said, BMX freestyle being on mainstream terrestrial TV is never going to be a bad thing, and it may be that the positive Olympic eff ect isn’t quite as instant as it may have been in BMX racing.” Townsend added: “Interest in BMX racing has grown a lot with the inspirational performance of Beth Shriever and Kye Whyte in Japan. It seems the biggest problem now is a severe lack of availability of products. This may be related to many of the production factories not being as interested in running small batches of specialist parts when demand for other products is so high. “I think the diff erence in the ‘Olympic
interest’ between freestyle and racing is perhaps mostly down to the longer established and more obvious routes for new riders to get into the sport. “After all, BMX racing was in the Olympics in 2008, so has had at least a 13-year head start on freestyle.” But the boom and bust of the BMX market continues, and
despite all the benefi ts of Olympic coverage, the industry appears to be going through another lull. As I was writing this article, news emerged that stalwart
BMX store Custom Riders, one of the biggest players in the online marketplace in BMX, announced it would be closing its doors after almost 40 years in business. Owner Mason Smith said the BMX market is slower than
in recent years, and that increasing prices had made business unsustainable. Traditionally, BMX sales have been dominated by specialist action sports retailers like Custom Riders and others, which often combine into skateboard, scooter, and bike specialists.
A new era? A recent emerging trend that is changing the face of the BMX market is demand for BMX-inspired bikes with larger wheels, colloquially known as ‘wheelie bikes’. With impromptu wheelie bike events springing up in cities
across the country, this trick-based riding comes with much of the appeal of a BMX bike for youngsters, but without the need for high-quality purpose built facilities like skateparks and dirt jumps. For Mafi a, these bikes are a signifi cant aspect of the business, according to Brotherton: “Obviously I can’t speak for other brands, however for us, the current trend has moved away from 20” bikes into cruisers (26”-29”). “We often refer to these models as ‘wheelie bikes’.
Demand is pretty strong in this area right now and these bikes fi t really nicely alongside more traditional bikes as
18 | June 2022
urban transport or even ‘pub bikes,’ or beach cruisers. Based on this, yes we would love to see more traditional retailers having a go at selling BMX products. They are bright, exciting and fun and will certainly invite a new customer-base into cycle stores.” For Ison, it is also larger-wheeled bikes that appear to be
the growth area, albeit in another discipline altogether. Saensawat said he has noticed a spike in dirt jump mountain bikes in skateparks, as he noted these often outnumbered BMX bikes in major skateparks like Adrenaline Alley in Corby.
Opportunities for cycling retailers But there are opportunities in the BMX for more conventional cycling retailers, according to the Ison team. “The demand for BMX parts in a traditional retailer has always been small, because it’s a very specialist area of cycling,” said Saensawat. “That said, there are literally thousands of BMX bikes being used out in the market overall, and they still need the relatively common ‘consumable type’ parts such as tyres, pedals, grips, saddles, chains and wheels.” While BMX appears to still be struggling with oscillations in sales as demand ebbs and fl ows, it remains an important, if niche, corner of the wider cycling industry. Despite the struggles it won’t be going away. As Brooks said: “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. “I want to see new kids come through and push us out of the way, then you know the sport is in good hands.” ■
www.bikebiz.com
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