Another local track closes-And how to get youth riding again

mikec265
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Edinboro, PA US
10/23/2018 8:03pm
aeffertz wrote:
I feel like there are more mini kids making a name for themselves than ever before. If you want your kid to ride buy them a...
I feel like there are more mini kids making a name for themselves than ever before. If you want your kid to ride buy them a mini bike, or four wheeler if you're too nervous, and see if they enjoy it.

I would say more of an issue of getting kids to race is parents being too afraid to let their kids do anything. Let them ride bikes or skateboards around and get hurt. Kids still love motorcycles and bikes, just give them one and you'll see.

Comparing today to the 90's is dumb.. Everything was better in the 90s. And shit, I bet your parents thought everything was better in the 70s.
Bry145 wrote:
My history teacher in 1999: "These are the good old days. No war and the economy is good." He was right! The only problem we had...
My history teacher in 1999: "These are the good old days. No war and the economy is good."

He was right!

The only problem we had in the 90s was a BJ in the White House.

Be honest. If your wife looked like Hilary you would be looking for fun elsewhere too.
10/23/2018 8:10pm
I second the Stacyc recommendations. My boy has a Strider, a bicycle, a TT-R50 and a PW-50 and has zero interest in any of them. I borrowed a Stacyc from a local dealer, and I can’t keep him off it! Next week I’m buying one (along with a spare battery).
Adam43
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WF
10/23/2018 8:18pm
It is a very complicated and multi-faceted problem.

Number one is probably the overall reduction of families living a rural lifestyle and having easy access to riding areas.

Somewhat related, MX is an extremely difficult sport to get started in. Those of us who had parents or close friends already involved were provided an easy gateway. To an urban-raised high school kid, landing on the moon would seem more accessible.

Technology and costs is huge. Racing tends to become more elitist as technology increases. When things are in the cruder and more nascent stages, they actually seem to be more quickly embraced by the public. As vehicles become more perfect, more capable, and more costly, they become detached from what attracted many to the sport in the first place. This happened to Indycar in the '70s, NASCAR in the late 80s, mtb and snowmobiling in the '90s, F1 and motocross in the 2000s.

So, if you want the sport to grow (everyone may not agree), we need access, ambassadors/gateway programs, and bikes need to be simple, cheap and fun.
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STLSharky
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Edwardsville, IL US
10/23/2018 8:37pm
nickm wrote:
When we were kids you'd ride your mini-bike somewhere in the fields behind your house and nobody would care much. Today there are no fields behind...
When we were kids you'd ride your mini-bike somewhere in the fields behind your house and nobody would care much.

Today there are no fields behind your house, and if you were a kid trying to ride a mini-bike anywhere 15 neighbors would be calling the cops within 30 seconds.

The world has unfortunately changed. Easier to just be stuck to a screen so that way nobody is offended.
People that sue are the first enemies, lawyers and judges are next. Then, kids today are fags.
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1

The Shop

mx216
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Portland, OR US
10/23/2018 9:12pm Edited Date/Time 10/23/2018 9:15pm
Racing is definitely expensive and i feel for my parents and how much they invested. Now I see why my dad always drove the shitty car of the family, worked the long hours and never let my ass sit in front of the TV. Because it was awesome, and now I work a lot, drive the shitty car of the family, and we have toys to go ride and get out to do things outside! Went out the other morning before work with the kiddo for a rip at sunrise! Gotta just make it happen. The kid would way rather go ride or hang in the garage already and he's only two. Parents, get off your ass and don't enable your kids to be sacks of garbage on the couch Tongue
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mxpro252
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Location
WA US
10/23/2018 9:19pm
str8line wrote:
Rocky Mountain Raceway in the heart of the Salt Lake City valley closed a few weeks ago. It was in an industrial area but from what...
Rocky Mountain Raceway in the heart of the Salt Lake City valley closed a few weeks ago. It was in an industrial area but from what I understand the property became valuable and the owners decided to sell. The motocross track, drag strip and racing oval all closed down after many decades of service.

Remember when bicycles were the gateway to motorcycles? Well kids barely ride bikes anymore. If they don't ride bikes they probably don't do much in the way of unorganized sports(skateboarding, skiing, motorcycling, etc.)

I ask my kids which of their friends mountain bike and the answer is not too many. High school MTB teams here in Utah are going off which is great but most of the training rides are organized. Kids just aren't going out of their own accord and ripping like we used to. It takes parents who pretty much force their kids to ride or take them camping, etc. to get them out to ride.

My buddy told me today about a new electric bike for toddlers, which seems like a good way to get little kids out riding places other than their driveway to start the progression. https://www.stacyc.com

And E-mountain bikes could revolutionize biking since you don't need to suffer on the climbs. Of course they're much more expensive than a basic bicycle.

People talk about the expense being a barrier but I don't think that's the main issue. It's about parents basically forcing their kids off their phones and either taking them riding or making/encouraging them to ride, even if it's to a friends house. Creating that love for outdoor pursuits isn't necessarily easy but once kids get a taste they'll evolve into it. And the logical progression is then motorcycles because, well, they're the holy grail of ripping.

Anyways, enough of my rambling, what do you guys think or what has been your experience with your kids?
I have 2 kids. Oldest is a three year old and we used to let him play on our phones / watch Kid videos and after seeing what that turned him in to, we agreed to never let him on our phones unless we have an emergency situation that requires him to be still and silent. Current technology looks like a replica of crack for kids. To say ours loves it and doesn’t care to do much else is a massive understatement.
10/23/2018 9:22pm Edited Date/Time 10/23/2018 9:24pm
Parents watch the news and fear their kid wrap then in cotton wool aka put them in front of a screen because they're fucking bored.

I honestly think this will make this world suffer far further than MX.

They're and their parents are hypnotized.
str8line
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Location
Sandy, UT US
10/24/2018 7:32am
mx216 wrote:
Racing is definitely expensive and i feel for my parents and how much they invested. Now I see why my dad always drove the shitty car...
Racing is definitely expensive and i feel for my parents and how much they invested. Now I see why my dad always drove the shitty car of the family, worked the long hours and never let my ass sit in front of the TV. Because it was awesome, and now I work a lot, drive the shitty car of the family, and we have toys to go ride and get out to do things outside! Went out the other morning before work with the kiddo for a rip at sunrise! Gotta just make it happen. The kid would way rather go ride or hang in the garage already and he's only two. Parents, get off your ass and don't enable your kids to be sacks of garbage on the couch Tongue
What bike is your kid on?
mx216
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817
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Location
Portland, OR US
10/24/2018 7:51am
str8line wrote:
What bike is your kid on?
https://osetbikes.com/us/bikes/oset-12-5-racing-24v-2/

He's still not quite big enough for a PW so this thing works out perfect. I found a 15mm shorter shock that lowered the seat height another 1.25" from stock so that helped too. It has dials for response and overall speed. When I first got it I just took the foot pegs off so he could ride it like his strider and that lasted about 3 weeks and foot pegs went back on. It runs for hours on a charge, and I can get on the bicycle and we can even go terrorize the local parks Woohoo
1
Crush
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Sydney AU
10/24/2018 8:27am
#twostrokes
Mossy
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7/6/2018
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Newport News, VA US
10/24/2018 10:06am
I think making bikes simple and cheap would make a decent impact. I’m 22 and I haven’t been able to ride for a whole year due to financial problems. I have all my own shit, but I need a truck to haul my bike around. And then I need a bike. I’m buying a new bike this Christmas because, well I’m going to make it happen. But then I am going to have to buy a truck so I can haul it around, and will have to rely on friends trucks until then Unsure

I’m sure all of that leads to people just completely dropping the sport. Also, it’s a lot easier to buy a $30k+ truck that’s lifted with $5k in tires and wheels so you can look cool and live with mom and pop, rather than go out on your own and not worry what people think of you. Literally 99% of people around my age care A LOT about their image. I would look like I have a lot of money if I stayed home and bought a brand new truck to take pics of and post on the gram too. With how big social media is these days, people care more than ever about showing off, looking cool, looking successful, blah blah blah. So that’s where the money goes, instead of going to a hobby, it goes to a “look.”

Having a beater truck with a bike in the back just doesn’t look successful I suppose. Though it’s literally all I want Grinning

If new bikes were cheaper, I do think more people would ride. I suppose truck prices could be to blame as well. People just can’t afford both, so they choose a new truck over a older truck and dirt bike. Meh, just a little rant Tongue

Oh and parents need to be involved with their kid, get them outside with them, not “go outside and play while I sit on my ass and binge a tv show and eat potato chips.” Kids see what their parents do, and typically replicate that.
1
Adam43
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3309
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
WF
10/24/2018 10:37am
Mossy wrote:
I think making bikes simple and cheap would make a decent impact. I’m 22 and I haven’t been able to ride for a whole year due...
I think making bikes simple and cheap would make a decent impact. I’m 22 and I haven’t been able to ride for a whole year due to financial problems. I have all my own shit, but I need a truck to haul my bike around. And then I need a bike. I’m buying a new bike this Christmas because, well I’m going to make it happen. But then I am going to have to buy a truck so I can haul it around, and will have to rely on friends trucks until then Unsure

I’m sure all of that leads to people just completely dropping the sport. Also, it’s a lot easier to buy a $30k+ truck that’s lifted with $5k in tires and wheels so you can look cool and live with mom and pop, rather than go out on your own and not worry what people think of you. Literally 99% of people around my age care A LOT about their image. I would look like I have a lot of money if I stayed home and bought a brand new truck to take pics of and post on the gram too. With how big social media is these days, people care more than ever about showing off, looking cool, looking successful, blah blah blah. So that’s where the money goes, instead of going to a hobby, it goes to a “look.”

Having a beater truck with a bike in the back just doesn’t look successful I suppose. Though it’s literally all I want Grinning

If new bikes were cheaper, I do think more people would ride. I suppose truck prices could be to blame as well. People just can’t afford both, so they choose a new truck over a older truck and dirt bike. Meh, just a little rant Tongue

Oh and parents need to be involved with their kid, get them outside with them, not “go outside and play while I sit on my ass and binge a tv show and eat potato chips.” Kids see what their parents do, and typically replicate that.
As you get a little older you will start to see that the majority of what people envy is an illusion, financed by debt.

There is no end to the things we think we need. This is consumerism at work.

Being happy with what you have is a superpower.
2

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