cruiser revolution

The movie Rad, a cult classic for BMXers of all stripes, was way ahead of it’s time in some ways.

(Watching the story of the small-town kid with dreams of racing in the big race is a rite of passage for most riders.)

Sure, the racing depicted was a bit wack but that sorta added to the movie’s charm.

Now looking back, it’s interesting to see how prophetic it was.

The giant start hill of Helltrack looks like it might have been the inspiration for the big starting hills of today’s SX tracks.

Mongoose bikes were “going to be in every department store across the nation” (can’t remember the exact line)….which seemed ridiculous at the time but now ,of course, you can visit any Wal-Mart and pick up a Mongoose bicycle.

And the way the big corporate interests would try to stamp down the energetic upstart/hometown kid, Cru Jones, from making a go of it.

Who could forget, Cru, the rider in the hockey helmet and jeans (before the big final, when he finally gets some proper racing duds)  practicing and then racing against the “factory hot-shots”.

Now it seems like the UCI is ready to pull a similar move on riders that have the audacity to show up for a race in jeans.

According to the new UCI rule book:

The following items are not permitted for BMX pants:
– One piece skin suits
– Tight fitted pants that needs to be stretched in order to cover
the legs
– Lycra pants
– Track and Field pants /jogging pants
– Road/Track cycling pants
– Denim / Jeans

It just seems like a step too far.

Jeans have been part of the “first race day” uniform of just about every BMX racer (minus the hockey helmet) since the sport began.

Is nothing sacred anymore?