Last month, while over in the UK, I made the trip down to Kent to spend the day with Malcolm Jarvis and his family. It was an incredible opportunity to sit down and capture the story of the early days of British BMX. For those who may not know, Malcolm was responsible for bringing BMX to the UK. In 1979, after hearing about the sport, he flew to Los Angeles, immersed himself in the emerging BMX scene, and returned home inspired to build something from the ground up. That trip proved pivotal, visiting BMX Plus! and Bob Osborn at BMX Action, meeting the likes of Bob Haro, watching him ride, and visiting the Corona downhill and Azusa track while meeting Scott Breithaupt and Stu Thomsen. It was during this time that Malcolm began his relationship with Mongoose, laying the foundation for what would become a defining chapter in UK BMX history. Back in Britain after that trip, Malcolm helped shape the sport from its earliest days, developing rule books, building tracks, organizing races, and driving promotion and media, even bringing BMX onto television screens. He went on to create one of the most successful and influential teams in British BMX history, the Ammaco Mongoose team, with the likes of Andy Ruffell, Pete Middleton, Craig Schofield, Chris Young, Brian Jones, and the Llewellyn brothers, and many more. Malcolm reflects on those formative years, the rapid rise of BMX in the UK, and the peak of the boom before the bubble eventually burst. He also shares what life looked like for the Jarvis family after stepping away, and how he reconnected with many friends decades later at the launch of the British BMX Hall of Fame in 2022. We also dive into the behind-the-scenes stories of the early UK scene, highlighting key figures such as Don Smith, Geoff Wiles, and David Duffield, as well as relationships with Halfords and Raleigh. Malcolm recounts making the portable track that he took around the country, the family backyard track at Knockhurst, the lead-up to the very first official BMX race in the UK at Redditch in 1980, Buckmore Park, and many more moments that helped shape the sport’s foundation and so much more. A huge thank you to Malcolm and his family for their hospitality and for sharing such an important piece of BMX history.
