By now you've probably seen them flying around your local skatepark or BMX track - Wildcat, Fatboy, Venom, Rocker, R4, just some of the brands in existence today... so just where did these crazy little bikes come from? We thought it was time to dive a little deeper and pay homage to the real pioneers of MiniBMX, as well as shine a spotlight on Wildcat’s foundation as a true OG in the MiniBMX movement.
To begin, the correct term for the style is ‘MiniBMX’, the uninitiated often misquote it as ‘rocker’ or 'minirocker'. This is only a brand name, and just one of the myriad of companies that kicked off around the same time, well after the conception of MiniBMX. The true story goes back many years before this.
Unconfirmed accounts pinpoint origins in Indonesia circa the 1960s (pre-dating BMX!). Legend has it that riders adapted cart wheels onto crude frames making tiny, fully functioning bikes. However, ahead of their time and with only a small following, these miniature bikes faded into the mists of time.
Fast forward to 2011. True credit for the first modern day MiniBMX must be given to several young Indonesian BMX riders working at ‘Kate Bike’ (pronounced kah-teh) who discovered these mythical tales of MiniBMX. Inspired by what they found, they assembled rudimentary set-ups and made videos, giving birth to the modern sport. Thanks to Youtube and social media it spread rapidly, attracting several British and American companies into production and commercialisation. Check out early Kate Bike footage here. Header image: the first Kate bike MiniBMX in production, circa 2011-2012.
At this time MiniBMXs were a still completely new product with no specialised design parts available, so new MiniBMX productions could only use cart wheels, baby stroller parts and inferior parts from kids bikes to make simple assemblies. These early incarnations were not strong enough for advanced riding and often failed, resulting in the birth and death of a series of brands.
...and so, Wildcat was born
The MiniBMX factory began producing parts in 2012 for ODM during the initial explosion of the sport (ODM = Original Design Manufacture - design, manufacture and supply to other name brands). After nearly three years of refinement and a hunger to step out of the shadows to deliver the very best, WILDCAT was born in Spain. With a professional team of researchers and developers working alongside the REDBULL riders, WILDCAT successfully developed the first generation of ORIGINAL MiniBMX, the first full strength MiniBMX with 100% specialised design and true BMX bloodline characteristics across their full range.
To this day Wildcat is the ONLY true MiniBMX brand (to our knowledge!) that owns and operates their own production lines. This allows constant evolution and innovation of their offering, keeping Wildcat well ahead of the competition.
One of the very first MiniBMXs made by the MiniBMX Factory
2015 - Wildcat successfully designed and developed professional accessories compatible with full size freestyle BMX use, standards of production and specialised processes
2016 - Wildcat developed new lighter, stronger and truer heat treated wheel hubs, replacing the inferior cart style wheel still used by some brands today... Also the CNC9t driver and the integrated CNC steering tube
2017 - Wildcat developed a specialised removable disk brake system
2018 - the new generation and worlds first aluminium alloy MiniBMX frame was successfully developed alongside the new Turbo wheel. Total bike weight has been reduced to just over 7kg making this the lightest and strongest MiniBMX in existence by a long shot. The new design is an astonishing 3kg lighter than it’s predecessor, the Wildcat Pro-Series. This will be in production soon!
The new gen Turbo wheel will be available soon - also shown on the Pro-Series update. More on this and the full aluminium alloy frame soon.
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To date, WILDCAT holds more than 20 different patents, and continues to lead the charge in innovation and evolution of MiniBMX design and manufacturing, as well as supply genuine parts for other brands worldwide. WILDCAT lays claim to the highest weight and strength rating globally, and also offers the best warranty policy of any MiniBMX brand. This is but one of the many reasons we chose to bring WILDCAT to the New Zealand market over any other brand.
WILDCAT uses only high quality materials such as high carbon steel, chrome molybdenum steel and aluminum alloy, and through innovative design and specific processes of welding, casting, forging, precision CNC, thermal treatments, polishing and coating bring you the highest quality performance MiniBMX in the world. Why would you ride anything else?
About MiniBMX NZ
We’re a small family business and we’re incredibly proud to bring you the BEST MINIBMX IN THE GAME. Other brands say similar things, but saying you are the best and being the best - as it turns out, are not quite the same thing. We started out looking for the highest quality offering available, so we checked out every brand in existence, you name it, we tested it... and to cut a very long story short nothing comes close to the quality, technical innovation, and warranty support that Wildcat brings to the table. This means not only are we bringing you the best MiniBMX, we’ve got your back 100% and with our extensive parts range you can maintain, upgrade and customise your ride.
So what are you waiting for? Come join the Wildcat family and get shredding!
Just some of Wildcat's extensive high-spec parts range