Bicycle Moto Cross or BMX started in the late 60’s as a race format. It was a dirt sport then, comprised of competitors who modified their racing bikes into more chunky MX style bikes. The sport grew in the 70’s – more races, better equipment – and by the end of the decade, BMX was an international sport.

In 1980, a new style of riding emerged that showcased jumping and wheelies. Bob Haro started to get attention when he snuck his bike into the concrete skate parks and pools already popularized by skateboarders.

By 1983, with the release of ET and the advent of a new sports network called ESPN, BMX was exploding. The King of Skateparks competition series took off in Southern California. Haro began manufacturing stunt specific frames and soon other manufacturers followed suit. When BMX Action magazine launched Freestylin’ magazine to cover the trends in trick riding, bike stunt’s arrival was official.

By the late 80’s, BMX had become an international phenomenon. Riders like Eddie Fiola, Ron Wilkerson and Mike Dominguez pushed the sport to dizzying new heights. Factory teams were swamped with demos, The movie Rad hit the screens featuring fifty or so of the top riders. Sponsors threw dizzying prize purses at competition winners like Dennis McCoy, who won a truck for his first AFA title. But all this fame came at a price. By 1990, fickle sponsors had become enamored of mountain biking and freestyle’s glory began to fade into obscurity.

In 1990, Matt Hoffman, then 17 years old, started the Sprocket Jockey Bicycle Stunt Team. He designed a portable vert ramp and pulled it around the country behind a semi, showcasing bike stunt in fairs and events. He developed the Bicycle Stunt Series (BSS), which would become the sanctioning body for professional freestyle for the next decade.

By the mid 90’s, BMX tricks had advanced to the point where everybody was taking notice. ESPN launched the X Games in 1995 and brought bikes into the homes of millions of new fans. Today, professional BMX athletes make six figure salaries, own homes and attend signings of their own biographies. It’s a new world out there and bike riders are on top of it.