FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The youngest we have had ride at our track is around 3 and a half years old. The oldest rider in New Zealand is in his seventies!

If your child is confident on his/her bike, then there's no reason they can't race BMX. BMX has classes for all age groups. The younger kids race in Striders and Sprocket classes. Their results are not scored, as the emphasis is on having fun, not who wins or loses.

Sometimes, if we have enough of the younger kids, we run what we call a "Striders" class. The kids ride over a shortened course and Mum or Dad can walk alongside to help out.

If you've never been to the track, we suggest that you start your child at the lower half of the start ramp until they gain the confidence to start higher up. Starting your child lower down on the ramp will mean that they won't be going too fast when arriving at the first jump.

If your child knows to use the brakes, it's important that they use them to begin with.

You may be best to walk alongside your child while they learn the track. There are some steep sections of track that they may require your assistance on (don't worry though, the kids always adjust very quickly and likely won't require your help for long!)

Please make sure your child wears a helmet, gloves and has his/her skin covered. Make sure he/she is wearing snug fitting lace-up shoes.

It most likely will be, yes. Pretty much any BMX bike can be raced.

Freestyle BMX bikes (or the sort of bike you might buy at the Warehouse or K-Mart) are often made of heavier steel materials, will have a different gearratio and will have front brakes and sometimes include 'footpegs' on the front and rear axle to aid the rider during freestyle moves. For racing, the footpegs are considered a hazard and must be removed from the bike (at Waitakere we can help you remove, then re-fit, those pegs so that you can race). We also recommend that the front brakes are removed as these can cause easily cause a crash if used during a race.

Heavier bikes are harder to get around a track fast, but most kids don't even really notice - they're busy having too much fun. Purpose-built race bikes are made of aluminium and other light-weight materials.

Once you get serious with your racing, you'll most like want to shift to a purpose-built race bike. Brands like Redline, Chase and GT are popular choices. They're all readily available in New Zealand, so you don't need to get something in from overseas.

We don't stop people from riding in the sport just because they don't have a flash looking race bike. We have a saying at Waitakere BMX club, "All riders are welcome" - and we mean it.

If your bike is safe and can handle the demands of the track, it'll be OK for club racing. Here at Waitakere, we often have kids riding on smaller mountain bikes (with gears), because they are the bikes they already own - and they are comfortable with them. We've also had adult riders turn up on their mountain bikes.

For you parents out there, it's often cheaper to allow your child to ride a bike they are comfortable on to begin with, rather than spend money on a flash BMX bike.

The main concern is that each bike that is raced at Waitakere is safe, has working brakes and is in a good enough condition that it does not pose a risk to the person riding it, or to other riders. If your bike is not right for racing at Waitakere - we'll let you know and help you get it into a race-ready state if we can.

If you don't have a bike at all, but you want to give BMX racing a go, come to one of our club nights and let us know. Some of us are more than happy to give you a ride on our bikes to see if you like the sport. We do have a very limited supply of hire/loan bikes available to us, but we need to know in advance if you need to use one. Just contact us and let us know prior to the time you want to ride.

The bare minimum you need to race BMX at Waitakere is;​

• A BMX bike (or a bike that can handle racing).
• A full-face helmet.
• Full fingered gloves.
• Long pants and a long-sleeved top.
• Lace-up shoes that cover your entire foot

​A limited supply of BMX bikes, helmets nd gloves are available for hire from the registration hut on club nights if required.

We strongly recommend the wearing of elbow and knee/shin guards.

Riders choose between 20" and Cruiser for personal preference. Most adults choose a Cruiser due to the extra size. Cruisers and 20" are raced in separete classes during bigger events. On a club night depending on numbers the adult classes may be raced together.

18" Wheel Diameter

• Micro Mini - Children aged 5 or under who are shorted than 120cm
  
  

20" Wheel Diameter

• Mini - Between 115 - 135cm tall
• Junior - Between 130 - 145cm tall
• Expert - Between 140 - 160cm tall
• Pro - Between 155 - 175 cm tall
• Pro XL, XXL, XXXL - for those who prefer a longer frame
  
  

24" Wheel Diameter (Cruiser)

This is what most of the Mums & Dads ride.

Like most sports out there, you can spend as much money as you want to get the equipment you might want. There is no real single answer to this question, but we will give you an idea of the price ranges of various items.

• Racing Licence and club fees

  • ​​​​​​​You can come along for three free club nights to try it out. After that, you will need to apply for a BMXNZ racing licence. A standard licence costs $115. For "Sprockets" (riders under 8 yrs) that fee is $85.
    
  • After your first three free club nights, the cost is $5 per rider.
  • Entry fees for race meets outside of club nights generally cost around $25 to $30. Entry to the larger meetings such as the North & South Island Titles, or the National Championship meeting costs are approximatelt $100 each.

• Transponders

  • It is recommended for all riders over the age of 7 to have a Transponder. These provide your race times and finish positions in races. If you are racing outside of the club they are compulsory. The initial cost is $93.50 which includes a 1 year subscription. After that the annual subscription cost is approximatly $45.

Everything you need to race BMX (bike and riding gear) can be purchased second hand - you don't have to spend a lot of money. Please be very cautious if buying a second-hand helmet - we cannot stress that enough.

• BMX Bikes

  • BMX bikes can go for as little as $150 second-hand, through to $3000-$4000 brand new (for a top of line custom build).
  • If you have a child who wants to race and needs a BMX race bike, we would strongly urge you to contact us before you buy. There are three or four different sizes of bikes available for kids, so it can be confusing to start with. Contact us and come to a race night to have a look at what size bikes are available.
  • Trade Me and Facebook are very good options for a BMX bike for a child, as kids are always growing out of bikes, so there is always a good supply of second-hand bikes available in great condition. Good condition BMX bikes suitable for younger kids can be bought for as little as $150, and brand new they are often available for between $350-$800. Like all sports, the brand of the equipment can have a big effect on price!
  • Adult sized BMX bikes can be bought for $250-$1000 second hand, and start from around $600-$800 dollars brand new. There's really no limit on how much you can spend, but a $600-$800 dollar bike is absolutely fine for most riders.

• Helmets

  • The helmet is likely the most important piece of safety equipment you'll need, so 'going cheap' when buying a helmet is not necessarily a wise decision. Safety equipment can be expensive, but there are affordable, good quality brands out there. Generally speaking, helmets go from around $200-$1000 brand new (you can spend much, much more - if you want to). $300 will get you a very good helmet at most bike stores. Remember, only full-face helmets are allowed for racing.
  • If you want to race, but don't have a full-face helmet, we hire them out for $5 on club nights and during training sessions.
  • Helmets can be bought second hand from Trade Me and Facebook, but be very careful as the history of a pre-used helmet cannot be guaranteed. You might be buying a helmet that has been involved in a big crash already.

• Gloves

  • Generally speaking, gloves start at around $35 and go through to a few hundred dollars. However, you can also use cotton gardening gloves with rubber dimples on them if you like - you can buy them from the local supermarket for less than $10.
  • We have a range of gloves available through the points hut.
  • Most bike stores have gloves for sale. Gloves must be full-fingered gloves.

• Shoes

  • Any lace-up shoes in good condition are fine for racing. If you are wanting to ride with clip-in pedals, shoes will cost anywhere from $150-600. Several of our riders ride in $30 shoes from the Number 1 shoes, or the Warehouse. Flat-soled shoes with a grid-style tread pattern are the best for riding, so that the feet don't slip on the pedals when pedalling fast. Please note that riders 12yrs and younger are not permitted to ride in clip-in shoes. This is a rule within BMXNZ.

• Pads & Safety Gear

  • Elbow pads generally start at around $50, but can be purchased much cheaper second hand. Likewise, knee and shin guards also start at around $50. Most bike stores have a reasonable selection of pads available. It's probably worth coming down to the track to see what sort of gear riders are using before you purchase any gear.

  • Shoulder and body protection suits can be purchased and normally start from $300 or so.

There are a number of local stores that stock a range of BMX gear to suit those just starting out to those who are at the top of their game and where every gram is important.

We always recommend supporting your local bike store as they will be able to provide the best advice and support as you grow into the sport. Below are our recommended Auckland based stores, all are heavily involved in the BMX circuit and you will see their owners at most race meets both locally and nationally.

Riders must use the correct colour combinations as below when ordering plates:

• Men Elite / Women Elite - White Plate, Black Numbers
• Mens Juniors / Womens Juniors - Black Plate, White Numbers
• Male 20" - Yellow Plate, Black Numbers
• Female 20" - Blue Plate, White Numbers
• Cruisers - Red Plate, White Numbers

Waitākere offer a range of numbmer plates suitable for use when racing within NZ. 

1. Firstly email your club and put in a request for a number.
   
2. Provide three different sets of numbers between 50 - 1000 that you might like (eg 65, 398, and 949) and advise which class you are racing (20" or Cruiser). Please note Numbers 1 -50 are protected for National rankings.
   
3. Your club will advise which number selection is available for you to have and allocate it to you on the club database.
   
4. Next order your number plate here.

Riders must have the correct plate attached for all National race meetings and club nights.

Yes! The track is open for public use, free of charge, at any time that it is not being used by the club. Waitākere BMX club uses the track on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, and sometimes on weekends when big meetings or training sessions take place. But most of the time, the track is open for use. Just turn up and have a go.

If the track is wet or soft please do not ride it can cause considerable damage to the surface with rutting and tire marks. A good guide is if you can leave a footprint or tire print on the surface it is too soft to ride.​​​​​​​​

If you do ride at the track, please wear a helmet and gloves, and cover any exposed skin (long-sleeved tops, and long pants are a very good idea). If you have knee/shin pads, wear those. The same goes for elbow pads, if you have them, wear them.

The NZ BMX racing season runs from September through till April (with some movement either side of those dates sometimes).

Yes and no. The Olympic track is what is known as a 'BMX Supercross' track. Supercross tracks have higher, steeper start ramps - and much, much bigger jumps. You won't be riding anything quite as extreme as that when you ride at Waitākere BMX club. There are, however, several similarities between what you saw at the Olympics and standard BMX racing. For instance, our racing starts with an electronic start gate, you race up to 7 other people at a time and you do get to do jumps if you want to.

There are no parts of the Waitākere track that you 'have' to jump - you can choose to just ride over everything and stay firmly on the ground - if you like.

It's worth noting that the riders competing at the Olympics are true athletes who also happen to have exceptional bike skills. If the average rider attempted what they do, it probably wouldn't end well.....

However, BMX is a sport that anyone who can ride a bike can compete in. You don't have to be an amazing bike rider to enjoy it. Several of our members ride simply because they enjoy riding their BMX bikes.

No. There is a lot of confusion in the public eye about what BMX is. Originally BMX started as a racing-only form of cycling. The term 'B.M.X.' actually stands for "Bicycle Moto-X" (Bicycle Motor Cross).

Nowadays, when people say "BMX" they might mean freestyle riding, dirt jumping or racing. "BMX" also refers to the bike itself (the bikes are called BMX bikes)

Waitākere BMX club is a BMX racing club. We don't do freestyle or dirt jump competitions.

Our track is approximately 360 metres long. It's an all-dirt track with crushed concrete sprinkled on its surface to form a hard crust and asphalt corners. The track consists of 4 straights, with 3 banked corners.​

The fastest riders get around it in approximately 34 seconds.

ABSOLUTELY NOT! The Waitākere BMX Track is for bicycle use only. The use of motorised vehicles of any sort is prohibited on our track. This means;

• NO motorbikes
• NO mini-bikes
• NO scooters (motorised or push)
• NO radio controlled cars

​Motorised equipment on our track causes huge damage to the track's surface and costs us a lot in terms of time and money to repair. Our standard procedure is to call the police if/when we find people using motorised vehicles on the track.

The riding of horses on the grounds is also prohibited.