The History of Freestyle BMX Bikes
While kids of all ages have pulled tricks on two wheels since the birth of the bicycle itself, BMX freestyle riding is believed to have been developed in 1979 at a southern California skateboard park. This is where a group of cyclists formed the BMX Action Trick Team, the first organized freestyle BMX team. These groundbreaking adventure athletes used BMX bikes instead of skateboards to perform revolutionary tricks on the concrete ramps, half-pipes and camel humps at the skatepark, doing things on their bikes that seemed impossible.
From its humble beginnings at a San Diego skatepark, the sport of freestyle BMX became wildly popular throughout the world, gaining legitimacy as a sport with the founding of the American Freestyle Association in 1982. The sport remained strong throughout the 80s with frequent new product launches, televised events and mainstream recognition.
Freestyle BMX is closely connected to the success of Mongoose Bikes, a cycle company launched in 1974 by part-time drag racer Skip Hess in his Southern California garage. Mongoose Bikes are widely credited with the development of modern BMX bikes with 20" mag wheels. Mongoose BMX bikes like the Motomag and California Special were staples in the skate parks and tracks of Southern California, where bikes often outnumbered boarders.
Since the 1970s, a number of BMX bikes have been launched by both large cycle companies and small startups. While the sport of freestyle BMX fell out of favor throughout the early 1990s, the introduction of ESPN's X-Games in 1995 introduced freestyle BMX to a new generation of riders. BMX riders can now aspire to achieve corporate sponsorship and six-figure salaries on par with other professional athletes.
One of the most prominent names in the sport today is Stolen BMX, founded in 2001 by Anthony Revell, a former European BMX Champion and avid rider. This brand has quickly developed a solid reputation among both riders and BMX bike dealers for building high-quality, innovative cycles.
