Who invented BMX?

[us56456712]

So far I’m thinking its the Dutch in the 1950s. They called it FX. The British were riding dirt track ovals in bombed out areas and quarries by 1946 with junk bikes they cobbled together from the devastation of WWII, but these tracks, while dirt, had no bumps or jumps. The British fad spread to Holland, where jumps and rougher stuff was added. MX was big in Holland then so it makes sense.

Dutch racing, 1957.

Sidecar BMX, now that’s a new one for me.

British event in 1946

UK championship team 1950

 

[ParkRNDL]

Wow. And here I would have said kids in California in the late '60s, stripping down Stingrays and riding them like their dirt bike heroes. Little did I know; I had no idea.

"Side" note (pun entirely intended): BMX side hack racing is absolutely a thing. I know a guy in the Pittsburgh area who has a couple of these.

Looks like there's a few more interesting ones here too:
http://anthonydomingo.com/hack/

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Atomic Cycles has Sidehack Races

BTW, if one were to ask fisher who invented BMX...

 

[us56456712]

Atomic Cycles has Sidehack Races

BTW, if one were to ask Gary Fisher who invented BMX...

I’m not sure if the Dutch invented a similar thing earlier than the BMX guys. I’m not even sure how similar they are, but from the pictures they look pretty similar and the photos are from 1957. I found the photos looking for something else. I put it out here to see if anyone had more info. I can’t find anything out about FX.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Maybe not the inventors of mountain biking or bikepacking, but as close as one can get to being at the forefront...contrary to what some milquetoast roadie from NorCal may claim.

https://www.historynet.com/the-buffalo-soldiers-who-rode-bikes.htm

 

[S.P.K]

"BMX racing began 5 minutes after the second one was built." -Karl von Drais, probably