I did love that ricketty old bike and indeed was grateful you must understand but I still looked on in envy at all the other BMX bikes. Perhaps because I believed I could fly over the garden, house and beyond at that point made me want one even more. I hadnt grasped the fact that the BMX bikes in the movie E.T. had more than a helping hand in getting them off the ground! Flying over large obstacles in BMX video games didnt seem to compensate.

Of course back in those days the whole BMX thing was brand new and on Christmas mornings the streets seemed to be full of kids zooming up and down pavements, which were littered with crude home made and often dangerous ramps, on their new bicycles, the large majority of which were the phenomena that was to become BMX.

Despite thousands of valiant attempts, no one ever did manage to fly their BMX over the house, although crazy Billy from the next street has the scars to prove he gave it a really good try. We all concluded that E.T must have had some kind of magical powers!

More than 30 years later and although BMX bikes still cannot fly they are still very cool and are more popular than ever. For the first time in its history in 2008 they became a successful part of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

At the 2008 Olympics, racing was the only BMX discipline to take part but with the ever growing popularity of the sport in general, it is only a matter of time before Freestyle is included too.

BMX also has Flatland in its arsenal of disciplines, this too is growing in popularity and as with other forms of BMX riding takes great skill to be a true pro.

With such a variety of styles it is not a surprise to find out just how many different models of BMX there are. Not only does each discipline generally require a different bike with regards to weight and structure but even within the disciplines themselves there are many different models and brands.

Famous riders get bikes designed not only with their name branding it, but often with their own specifications too.

If you are looking for a BMX bike for personal use or for a gift for someone else, never have you been better served by the choice and variety available and there should be no problem finding the one you want.