Who has a child that does BMX races?

[CloudBee]

DS (8) tried 4H yesterday, and today it's BMX. Ha!

We are (probably) going to an open house at a BMX track this afternoon. DS loves riding his scooter, bike, and skateboard at the local skatepark. He has no fear going down ramps. The park we go to really isn't suited for bikes, so when we found out about the open house at the BMX facility today we decided we should give it a try.

I need to call when they open to confirm what today will be like, but it sounds like he will get a chance to ride his bike on the track. We'll actually be a bit tight on time with trying to get a call in to ask questions. The place is almost an hour away, they open when the event starts, and the event is only 3 hrs long. So I might just call when we're driving up.

He has a skateboard style helmet. One of the types that goes a bit lower all around. For a trial day, do you think they'll let him use that? Or do you think they would require him to rent a full face helmet? I'm hoping we don't have to rent a helmet with Covid going around...

He rides a Specialized Riprock 20". (Has 2 of them, actually. Ha!) It's more of a dirt bike than a mountain bike. (No gears.) I think it's totally fine for this kind of track. Am I right? He has a 20" dirt bike collecting dust in the garage at a house we're renovating. It's a bit too heavy for him and just doesn't fit as well as the Riprock, so I don't want to drive over and grab that. 

The bike we're bringing:


They say to wear long pants and long sleeves. Any other tips? He has knee and elbow pads. Should we pack those?

Their website goes above and beyond to talk about how they want kids of every ability to participate, how they encourage beginners of every age, etc. Sounds like a pretty welcoming track, so we're excited to see what it's like.

Share your experiences, please! TY!

[ilikedonuts]

My kids are not BMX riders (they are triathletes/road cyclists), but my youngest has the same bike for every day riding and takes it on our local dirt pump course and she’s had no issues!

[expectantsteelerfan]

CloudBee, how was it?

[ellipses84]

Mine don’t yet but we have an outdoor track about 20 minutes away and all the neighborhood kids have gotten into it due to Covid (searching for new, outdoor masked activities). The kids are ages 5-10 and the track does an intro/safety course.

[CloudBee]

Sorry for the delay! He had a great time, and really wants to return. His bike worked great, and should be ok if he goes on occasion. If he goes regularly we may look at getting a used BMX bike.

I did go ahead and order him a full face helmet, as he's only allowed at the track once without full face gear. He's in the computer system so he won't be allowed back without it. And with Covid, we won't rent.