Freestyle BMX

Freestyle BMX is a creative way of using bicycles originally designed for bicycle motocross racing. It can be split into several disciplines, although riders will generally participate in more than one discipline. These are Street, Park, Vert, Trails (sometimes called Dirt) and Flatland.

Disciplines

Park

Skateparks are used by BMXers as well as skateboarders, inline skaters and sometimes scooter-riders. Skateparks themselves can be made of wood, concrete or metal. Styles of riding will depend on the style of the parks. Concrete is more suited to a flowing style, with riders searching for gaps, and aiming to air higher from the coping. Concrete parks usually tend to contain bowls and pools. However, it is not unusual for riders to merge the two styles in either type of park.

Concrete parks are commonly built outdoors due to their ability to withstand years of exposure to the elements. Concrete parks are also often publicly funded due to their permanent and costly nature. Parks made from wood are popular with commercial skateparks due to ease of construction, availability of materials, cost, and the relative safety associated with falling on wood instead of concrete. Parks designed with BMX use in mind will typically have steel coping that is less prone to damage than concrete or pool coping.

Vert

Perhaps the most extreme of the BMX disciplines, a half pipe consists of two quarter pipes set facing each other (much like a mini ramp), but at around 10-15 feet tall (around 2.5 to 3.5 metres) high. The biggest ramp ever used in competition is the X-Games big air ramp at 27 feet tall. Both 'faces' of the ramp have an extension to the transition that is vertical, hence the name.

Riders go up each jump, performing tricks in the air before landing into the transition having turned 180 degrees (assumptively. variations include 540, 900). A typical run involves going from one side to the other, airing above the coping each side. Also possible are 'lip tricks' - tricks on the platform at the top of the ramps before dropping into the ramp.

Mat Hoffman popularized the sport in the early 90s, until recently holding the record for the highest jump of 27' out of a 25' ramps, beaten by Kevin Robinson in 2008 (a total of over 15.5 metres from the ground). He achieved this by being dragged along a field by a friend with a motorbike and hitting one face of the ramp. On one attempt, he lost control at the peak of his jump, and the resulting crash caused life-threatening injuries involving losing his spleen. Remarkably, despite his age and history of injuries, he still competes to this day.

The danger of the discipline (and scarcity of full-size vert ramps) puts most riders off, and as such, there are a small number of top professionals who remain at the top of the sport for many years. Notable vert riders include Dave Mirra, Chad Kagy, and Jamie Bestwick (who has won the majority of all the major international competitions in recent years). Other up-and-coming vert riders include 18 year old Zack Warden, who landed the first tailwhip to opposite tailwhip back in vert ramp, commonly referred to as a "windshield wiper".

Trails

Trails are, as the name suggests, lines of jumps built from dirt (heavily compacted mud).It can also be named as a pack such as a 4 pack, 6 pack and 8 pack. The jumps consist of a steep take off, called a lip, with an often slightly less steep landing. The lip and landing are usually built as separate mounds, divided by a gap. The gap is measured from the topmost part of the lip, horizontally to the topmost part of the far side of the landing. Gaps typically range from only a couple of feet to over twenty feet. A moderate gap is around twelve feet.

Trails riding is sometimes also referred to as 'dirt jumping'. Most riders that ride trails maintain that a subtle difference exists in the style and flow of "dirt jumps" and "trails"; trails riders focus more on of a flowing smooth style from one jump to the next whilst performing more stylish tricks, while dirt jumpers try to perform the craziest tricks they can over larger, less flow-orientated jumps. This flowing trails style is popularized by riders such as Mike Aitken, Chase Hawk and Chris Doyle.

Although many regard trails and street as being completely opposite, the attraction is similar—trails riders build their own jumps so their riding is limited only by their creativity and resourcefulness.

Dirt jumping bikes are heavier than BMX racing bikes but lighter than freestyle bikes. Trails riders usually run a rear brake only as they have no use for a front brake, and usually a gyro to make it easier to do barspins as they do not have to spins the bars back the other way to untangle it, which is hard to do on trails. In general, trail/dirt jumping bikes have longer wheelbases then other BMXs to aid with stability.

With trails you do not need to pedal so much in between jumps. By pumping you gain speed to clear the jumps. Pumping involves landing smoothly on the backside of the lander, bending your knees and crouching down between jumps, and then extending your legs and springing upward off the next lip. The upward springing motion is very similar to that of a bunny hop, only you are using your legs to boost higher off a jump rather than your sole method of vertical propulsion. This pumping action works like swinging on a swing, you can keep swinging indefinitely by continuing the pumping action.

Flatland

Flatland BMX occupies a position somewhat removed from the rest of freestyle BMX. People who ride in the above disciplines will generally take part in at least one of the others, but flatlanders tend to only ride flatland. They are often very dedicated and will spend several hours a day perfecting their technique.

Flatland also differs from the others in that the terrain used is nothing but a smooth, flat surface (e.g. an asphalt parking lot, basketball courts, etc.). Tricks are performed by spinning and balancing in a variety of body and bicycle positions. Riders almost always use gnurled aluminum pegs to stand on to manipulate the bike into even stranger positions.

Flatland bikes typically have a shorter wheelbase than other freestyle bikes. Flatland bikes differ from dirt jumping bikes and freestyle bikes in one way. The frames are often more heavily reinforced because the people riding flatland often stand on the frames. This shorter wheelbase requires less effort to make the bike spin or to position the bike on one wheel. One of the primary reasons flatlanders often ride only flatland is a result of the decreased stability of using a shorter bike on ramps, dirt and street.

A variety of options are commonly found on flatland bikes. The most unifying feature of flatland bikes is the use of four pegs, one on the end of each wheel axle. Flatland riders will choose to run either a front brake, a rear brake, both brakes, or no brakes at all, depending on stylistic preference.

Bikes

The vast majority of freestyle bikes utilize 20 inch wheels. Frame sizes and geometry vary, but the top tubes are usually between 20 to 22 inches long. Beginner riders tend to purchase store bought complete bikes and often customize their bike with after-market parts, generally as parts break such as forks, pedals and cranks to suit their specific needs. More experienced riders however usually build custom bikes from the ground up to suit their preferences and style of riding, which is much more expensive but allows for greatest customization based on personal preference.

Generally, street riders use slicker tires for more grip on concrete, and may use up to four axle pegs for grinding. Riders generally have a preferred side for grinding and may run 2 pegs only on one side. However, adding an additional 2 pegs to the non-preferred side can open up a great deal of trick variations such as crooked grinds. Street riders also tend to ride big bars for easier tailwhips. Smaller gearing is also preferred among street riders. Street riders tend to run brakeless for many reasons such as "barspins are smoother" and "you have more control over the bike".

Park riders use a very similar setup to street riders. Some park riders however prefer to use brakes (rear or both) for an increased variety of tricks and more control. Park bikes may differ to street bikes in the fact that they are not as reliant on heavy duty high-strength parts as park riding is often much less stressful on the bike.

Dirt riders usually don't have pegs unless they want to do peg specific non-grind tricks such as rocket airs, and use knobby tires for better grip in the loose dirt. Dirt bikes also tend to run only a rear brake as they do not have a need for a front brake, and have longer top tubes and wheelbases. Many riders use bigger bars for more control, although big bars have become a trend among kids and popular professional riders. Dirt bikes generally at least have chromoly top and down/seat tubes and forks to increase durability and prevent bending of parts (especially forks) when landing large jumps.

A professional who primarily competes in park contests will probably have a gyro with rear brakes only, zero to 4 pegs, and a lightweight bike. This is because riders in contests usually have a limited time, 60 seconds or less, and have to perform very difficult tricks consistently.

Vert bikes are relatively heavy for stability and control, with four pegs.

Flatland riders bikes usually run four oversize pegs, and smaller, lighter frames often with pre-bent tubes to make it easier to do flatland tricks. Flatland BMXs most of the time have both front and rear brakes, as many tricks require them to exit a trick or aid in weight distribution. Top tubes on flatland bikes are also shorter (about 17-19 inches) Flatland bikes almost always have small sprockets (25 to 30 teeth) and low gearing, to make it easier to pedal out of tricks, as there is no need for them to ride fast.

Before there was a "true" freestyle bicycle, riders used BMX racing frames for jumping and for performing flatland maneuvers. Bob Haro was the founder of the first freestyle bicycles company, Haro Bikes. Most of the early Haro Freestyler bicycles are collectible items that sell for several thousand dollars. [1] The first freestyle bicycles were not as riding style-specific as modern ones; what made them suitable for flatland usually was the addition of bolt-on components, like standing pegs, platforms for the frame, the forks or the chain stays near the rear dropouts, and front and rear brake cable detangler systems like the ACS Rotor for the rear brake and the Potts Mod, a hollow stem wedge bolt for the front brake. By mid-90s, riding style differentiation in frames and components became the norm.

Coming into the 2000s BMX bikes have taken a turn for technology. Past trends of strength over weight have flipped once again and now new technologies have led to stronger parts at lighter weights. Many innovations are coming from MTB, Road, and other forms of cycling. New innovations in the BMX world include:

Integrated / Internal headsets

Commonplace in road-bikes for many years, they are now the norm for BMX, replacing the tried and true press fit cups seen in the past.

Mid / Spanish / European bottom brackets (BB)

All smaller than the traditional American bottom brackets seen on many older BMX bikes, these save weight, clean up appearances, and add ease of use with threads and straight push fit bearings. Mid and Spanish bottom brackets use bearings that press directly into the frames, the basic design of which was used on road bikes years ago. No cups are used. Mid BB's use larger bearings than Spanish.

Integrated seatclamps

Old technology making its way to BMX once again.

Integrated seat/Seatpost combination

An innovation from BMX that is now being used for all forms of cycling. These seats are much easier to fit and much lighter.

Pivotal seatposts

Pivotal seats and posts utilize a single bolt locking mechanism to hold the seat is place. The seat is adjusted with an allen wrench through a small slit in the top or side of the seat. Pivotal posts hold the seat on much better than normal rail posts and are lighter.

Kevlar beaded tires - Kevlar is much stronger, lighter and more expensive than steel which is used as the bead for traditional tires. Some companies have started combining Kevlar beads with very thin tire carcasses, which make for super-light and very expensive tires. The primary function of these tires is to reduce rotating weight, which has a substantial effect on the feel of a bike.

Over time, many parts have been popular for strength, comfort and such, thus making many riders enjoy them/buy them, but some rebel and choose not to ride these parts, and then have an excuse to call riders with those parts "trend posers". Some of the parts include small sprockets (25 or less teeth), big bars (26-29" width, 7.5-8.25" rise) etc.

Other products have emerged from companies that have pushed the envelope of what technology can do in BMX, from one-bolt stems, to antique ideas making a come back with modifications, BMX is in a new era, parts are more reliable and bikes are lighter, the BMX world is getting in key with other cycling sports.

Freestyle BMX-specific bicycle parts

Detangler / Gyro / Rotor

A device that prevents the rear brake cable from becoming tangled during barspins, tailwhips, or any tricks that require the handlebars to spin 360 degrees or more. A 'gyro' is a two piece device that floats under the stem and rotates on ball bearings. The top cable from the rear brake lever connects to one half of the device while the bottom cable from the rear brake connects to the other half. When the brake lever is pulled the 'gyro' raises and in turn pulls the lower cable attached to the brake. This allows the bars to be spun around infinitely.

Pott's mod bolt

A hollow stem bolt (Also Known as a "Star Nut" )that allows the front brake cable to be run through the stem and fork. This allows the bars to be spun 360 degrees or more without tangling the front brake cable.

Axle Pegs

Short 3 to 5 inch long tubes. Street pegs used for grinding tend to be made of chromoly. Some street pegs designed for lightness will either have a thinner chromoly sleeve over an aluminum body, or simply be made out of a tough plastic compound. Flatland pegs tend to be made of aluminum, have a larger diameter than street pegs, and have grippy surfaces for the feet. (In rare cases, this surface is made of sandpaper or rubber)

Coaster Brake

Freewheel vs coaster brake was a debatable topic in the BMX freestyle flatland arena. Each had its own advantages and disadvantages. Freewheel allowed the rider to set his pedals in a desired location by immediately back pedaling. In addition the the freewheel hub is much lighter than a coaster brake hub. The biggest advantage of a coaster brake was that pedals would stay in their set position as the bike rolled in a backwards motion; no backpedal.

ACS developed a revolutionary device called the Freecoaster. The Freecoaster was a coaster brake with the unique ability to be set in freewheel mode. Two screw mechanisms on the hub adjusted the brake pads. When in freewheel mode the Freecoaster had no backpedal. Still, it was no lighter than a coaster brake, and was mechanical complex compared to the freewheel hub.

Odessey came out with a semi true freewheel hub with no backpedal. Despite heavy marketing campaigns and endorsements from then top pro R.L. Osborne Odyssey's device never caught on. Its failure was mostly because it did not come with many pre-built wheels or new bikes.

In the beginning coaster brakes were commonplace. As the sport grew freewheel become much more popular. Chris Day, a jam circle phenom, was trademark coaster brake rider.

Tricks

Grinds

Grinds are where a riders bike will slide along a surface (such as a rail, ledge or lip of a ramp) on a part of the bike other than the wheels. Usually 'stunt pegs' are used, these are short tubes that are attached inline with axle and prudent out from the main frame so that they can slide along the surface they which grind. Some grinds also involve the cranks and pedals.

Double peg: The most basic grind to do on a rail (can still be done on a ledge). The rider must bunny-hop on and land both pegs on the rail or ledge (wheels must be off the ground for all grinds).
Feeble grind: The most basic grind to do on a ledge. The rider must bunny hop and land the rear peg and the front wheel on the ledge. This is easy to do on a ledge because ledges are generally much lower and wider than rails.
Smith grind: The step up from a feeble. The rider must bunny-hop and land the front peg and rear wheel on the ledge or rail.
Luc-e grind: An advanced grind. The rider must bunny-hop, turn the handlebars 45 degrees, and land the back peg and the pedal on the ledge and lean back, keeping the front wheel off the ground but not grinding the front peg on the top of the ledge either.
Rollercoaster grind: Another advanced grind. The rider must find two rails or ledges close enough together so they can bunny hop and grind with at least one peg on each rail.
Icepick grind: A rear peg grind were the rider is riding on the back peg only with the front wheel above the rail or ledge they are grinding on.
Crooked grind: When alternate pegs are on either side of the rail, the rider must run four pegs to perform this grind.
Predator grind: When the rider does a double peg grind on a rail then hops over to his alternate pegs.
Tooth pick grind: The rider slides on the front peg only with the rear wheel in mid air.
Toothy hangover : Essentially a toothpick grind where the rider hangs the rear end of their bike over the opposite side of the rail or ledge they are grinding.

Air tricks

These tricks take place almost exclusively in the air, often in the vein of freestyle motocross. Freestyle dirt BMX involves many air tricks.

Tabletop: While in the air the rider will bring the bike up to one side of him/her by turning the handlebars and using body movement making the bike look like it is flat like the top of a table.
Barspin: Spinning the handle bars 360° while in the air.
Tailwhip: The rider throws the bike out to one side of them while still holding onto the handle bars so the main frame goes 360° around the steer tube, the rider then catches the frame again and stands back on the pedals.
Backflip: Both rider and bike do a backward flip while in the air, usually from one ramp to another.
Frontflip: Both rider and bike do a forward flip while in the air, again, usually from one ramp to another.
180°: The rider and bike spin 180° in the air and land backwards, in what is called fakie (riding backwards).
360°: The rider and bike spin 360°.

Variations and combinations of these tricks also exist, for example a 360° tailwhip would be where the rider spins 360° in one direction and the bike spins 360° around the steer tube in the other direction, both bike and rider will then meet again, with the rider catching the pedals, facing the same direction as before the trick.

Flatland tricks

Flatland tricks are not just used within flatland BMX, but also in street BMX. Flatland tricks usually involve much balance, more often than not with only one wheel in contact with the ground.

Wheelie: The most basic of flatland tricks, the wheelie is when the rider rides the bike on only the back wheel whilst pedaling.
Manual: A step-up from the wheelie, the manual is essentially the same only the rider does not pedal; this makes the trick more difficult to perform as point of balance between the front and back of the bike has to be reached. Professional riders can often do this until their bike runs out of momentum.
Nose manual: The same concept as a manual, only performed with the back wheel in the air and the front wheel on the ground, often this is achieved while standing with one foot on a stunt peg mounted to one side of the front wheel, while the other foot is used to help keep balance.
Bunny hop: A bunny hop is achieved when a rider jumps the bike into the air from flat ground (this can also be done close to the lip of ramp to gain more height) so that neither wheels are touching the ground. there is bob 2 lol

External links

A rather complete history of freestyle bmx can be read here (some parts are written in French):

23mag History of Freestyle posts/blog