I recently made a video reflecting on my "switch" from BMX to gravel riding and it got me thinking this morning about how many others might have had a similar experience.
For years, BMX was everything: the community, the filming, the skateparks… the slams. But as life shifted, so did my needs. I still love BMX and cruise when I can, but gravel riding (mix of road + trail) gave me something I didn’t expect… freedom in a whole new form.
It's unreal to NOT have to load up the car or plan a full day. I just roll out my front door and clip in… It’s helped me see my city differently, stay active in new ways, and honestly just reconnect with why I started riding bikes in the first place.
So I’m curious if anyone else here switched from one discipline to another and found it way better than you expected? What surprised you most?
Would love to hear some stories!
by jasonwlorenz
5 Comments
Mid School bmxer here and late convert to Gravel. Feels great to be riding a lot again. The vibes at my local group rides are awesome, almost feels like the old park days. I miss bmx but my body can’t take it anymore, though I like to take my MTB to the trails, I don’t jump much or do tricks. I do think a lot of bike control and handling transferred over. Especially compared to the guys who came from road biking.
bike is life. I’ve never stayed in one genre of bikes. Growing up, my first bikes were BMX style, but thats because they were single speed and easy for my dad to fix once in a while. As a teen I got a mtn bike, and then another mtn bike when I grew out of that. Both were essentially flat bar road bikes on cheap nubbly tires. They were my way to get around EVERYWHERE and I could still hit sweet jumps made from plywood and stumps like I did on my little kid bmx.
Today I ride with restored road bikes, and a mish mash of collected x bikes. I love bikes. They’re all different. I 2nd the idea of changing it up once in a while.
I ride all bikes. Got a XC mtb as my main discipline that i race, a bmx bike for hanging out with my friends who skateboard and dont bike, and a road bike for training / exploration.
Bikes are just fun.
Grew up riding BMX, switched to road biking when my Dad got me my first road bike in 8th grade, picked up mtbing when I bought my first hard tail in HS, then continued on down the path through college and adult life. I never felt locked into one particular discipline. I think I am naturally the closest to road biking and if I really had to nail myself to one discipline it would be that. But I have a feeling it is mostly because I truly despise driving to trail heads or bike parks to ride. I love just riding out the front door of my house and trundling on down the path.
yes, went from being a commuter for 2 years on a track bike no brakes. then i got a road bike for a change. when i got the road bike i was going so much faster so i picked up road racing. then moved to a more suburban area with trails nearby and i picked up a gravel bike. then while riding gravel bikes i found mtb trails while riding the gravel trails. now for the past 2 years ive been riding MTB only. I love everything about bikes. never was a person who watched any ball sports on tv either but now i cant get enough of watching pro road cycling and i know the whole peloton by looks and face just like any other sport fanatic.