The Inside Track
Dave Osato is the kind of guy who gets a thrill out of propelling himself high into the air with nothing but a couple of 20-inch rubber tires and a lightweight metal frame between him and a fast-approaching slab of concrete. He started out like any other kid with a bike and an imagination, fueled by images of Evel Knievel-type exploits over cars and trucks and canyons. But jumping curbs and wiping out in deep sand as a 13-year-old evolved into more than just child’s play by the time Osato was in his late teens.
Now the 20-year-old Canadian is still riding his BMX bike for fun--but he also does it for a living.
Osato, the mini-ramp world champion, is one of five members of the Schwinn Bicycle Stunt Team, a group of cycle daredevils who will leap into action at the Los Angeles Bicycle Expo this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the L.A. Convention Center. In three shows each day, the team, a crowd-pleaser at fairs and shows around the country, will execute a state-of-the-art, monster half-pipe jump and flat-land routines to the pounding beat of rock ‘n’ roll music.
“It’s pretty exciting--really something to see,” said Osato, who calls the Schwinn tour his “dream job.” But he added that the type of riding they do is “the hard stuff,” stunts “kids shouldn’t be doing” until they’ve practiced. “Don’t try to go beyond your capability,” Osato advises young spectators.
Safety is always a consideration for stunt riders. Osato practices every day and wears what amounts to something just short of a suit of armor: helmet, pads, shin guards and thick gloves--all necessities for the serious bike rider.
But just how serious do you or your child want to get? The bike expo, which will feature about 100 vendors, may be just the place to find out. It is rare that a show like this is open to cyclists, allowing them to check out the latest in equipment and accessories.
“Usually, the public is denied entrance to industry trade shows,” said Troy Braswell, owner of Bicycle Center USA in Redondo Beach. “The need has been there, and this is a great opportunity to actually test-ride bikes as opposed to riding around at a bike shop.”
An obstacle course is among the expo attractions, giving riders a chance to check out such technological advancements as front and rear suspension. These shock systems increase the cost, complexity, stability, comfort and safety of a bike, said Braswell, who will man a booth at the show. For mountain bike riders like Ruth Braswell, Troy’s wife, this feature simply makes it easier to tackle a trail.
Mountain bike riding, which is especially popular with Southern Californians, requires upper-body strength, which can scare women away from it, she said. “But the technology has gotten so good that it’s relatively easy to steer and allows more access to technical riding--narrower trails, jumping over rocks and roots and logs.”
The expo also offers an opportunity for parents to educate themselves on how to choose a bike for their child. Size is one of the most important considerations--and often the most overlooked, said Troy Braswell, who builds custom bikes of all sizes at the shop that has been in his family for 30 years.
“Parents want to buy the largest size because they want it to last forever, but there is a safety issue. If the rider has a difficult time reaching the pedals or leans toward the handlebars . . . it can be hard to control the bike in traffic.”
Kids can do their part at the expo’s Safe Moves rodeo. Bikes and helmets will be provided so kids can learn safe cycling techniques in the saddle.
Other expo attractions include the Top Cop Cycling Challenge and Corporate Challenge on Friday, and the International Bike Trial Indoor Cup on Saturday and Sunday.
Among the most prominent bikes at the show will be the BMX models, currently the hottest wheels for kids. Professional BMX racers and stunt riders like Osato use the 20-inch model--one that is actually built for a 6- or 7-year-old. “They’re well designed, well built and tough,” says Osato, who uses only one bike for all his stunts.
The BMX is also one of the inspirations behind the design of mountain bikes--fat tires, wide frame and straight handlebars.
Kids’ bikes have come a long way, Braswell said, since the days that they were built without hand brakes or derailers (gear shifts), which made them harder to ride.
“Kids have a tendency to throw their bikes down,” which messes up the mechanisms, Braswell said. “Now they have a derailer guard to protect them,” he said. “Now the kids’ bikes are more capable.”
It may be the kid in all of us that keeps bike riding a favorite activity for adults as well as children.
“Getting out and exploring when you’re a kid--that’s what it’s about,” Braswell said. “Mountain-biking is another kind of adventure. . . . It’s almost a natural return.”
BE THERE
Bicycle Expo, L.A. Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. Friday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; $7; ages 7-17, $4. Information: (818) 878-0800.