Freestyle BMX – Drive Yourself To The Limits
Freestyle BMX
otherwise also known as Bike Stunt is
actually the trick of maneuvering
bicycles. Well, these bicycles are not
your ordinary ones and they come with
20” wheelbase that are originally meant
for races. Started in the late 70s and
the early 80s, bike stunt reached the
pinnacle of its popularity in the 80s
decade but was soon robbed of it in the
90s. However, this temporary decline in
popularity brought to the market
rider-owned bicycle companies, which
gave a fresh lease of life to the
bicycles.
The Bike Stunt is divided into five
major genres, namely Street, Skateparks,
Vert, Trails and Flatland riding.
Street riding is exactly what it sounds
like, the players use anything on the
street to show their skills. Be it
walls, banks, rails, gaps or anything
that forms an obstacle, the best thing
about being a street freestyler is that
there are no limits and no stopping.
However, those who try BMX Street have a
different bike than the other types like
Park or Dirt. Firstly, they are the
heaviest and strongest types of bikes
for these tricks, and secondly, they
have two or four stunt pegs for
grinding. In fact, these features make
it hard to do Park or Dirt with the same
bike.
Skateparks is the name derived from the
parks that are meant for skateboarders,
but due to scarcity of space, the BMX
bikers are forced to practice there.
Hence, much of the Saktepark tricks are
influenced by the tricks that
skateboarders do.
In Vert riding, two players ride on a
Vert ramp that consists of two ‘quarter
pipes’ that face each other. It is
around 10 to 13 feet high and both faces
of the ramp have an extended vertical
transition.
Trails consist of a series of jumps
built from dirt that is usually compact
mud. The trick usually consists of
taking a steep jump and landing at a
slightly plainer ground.
Flatland is almost a lost form of art
which has seen no popularity in recent
years but has a loyal fan following.
Flatland is usually performed on smooth
ground and the tricks are usually
spinning and balancing.
Different types
of tricks
The basics of the
freestyling tricks have always been the
same and whatever new tricks that are
found are usually based on these ones.
1. Air seems to be the most
common and most preferred one. It
basically consists of jumping in the air
and landing with both legs on the pedal.
2. Bunny hop- making the bike
jump off the ground without actually
performing a jump.
3. Manual – where freestylers
ride with the front wheel in the air,
without pedaling.
4. Fakie – It simply consists of
riding backwards
5. Grind – Slithering down any
object without using the wheels.
6. Endo – where the bike is
stopped with the front wheel and raining
the back wheel in the air.
7. Wallride – riding along a
vertical wall or anything similar to it.
There are sub divisions to these tricks,
but these remain to be the foundation of
all freestyling BMX tricks.
About the
Author
Robert Sheehan is a freelance writer and
co-owner of
www.bicycles-are-us.com. Visit
Robert and read more about bicycles at
www.bicycles-are-us.com/BMX-Bikes.html
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