BMX.

[ThoseTheBrokes]

I've been into mountain biking for a while, there's a few local tracks footpaths around my village which I used to thrash the [cabbage] out of, but my hardtail has laid dormant for well over half a year, I'm just not interested in it anymore.

 

 

 

There was a local set of dirtjumps which I enjoyed, but living in a village, there were only two of us using it, it soon was either destroyed by scummy chavs or the weeds took over,

 

 

 

I tried my hand at street jumps which I really enjoyed & was quite good at, but I was often given dirty looks from the locals for jumping of the church garden walls into the road, and my hardtail was made for smooth landings of the dirtjumps and not concrete, I'm scared of breaking a perfectly good ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã700+ hardtail, probably topping ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã900 with all the upgrades.

 

 

 

So, I'm turning my hand to BMX, I'd be more interested in street riding to be honest, as opposed to indoor ramps.

 

 

 

Does anyone else ride?

 

I need some advice on a bike, (ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã200-ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã300 tops).

 

and just tell us your stories and such.

[jokemaster]

I don't ride but I you want I'll give ya some information

 

 

 

 

 

[hide=Flatland]Flatland is a freestyle BMX riding style performed on smooth flat surfaces that do not include any ramps, jumps, or grindrails. It is sometimes described as a blend of breakdancing, ballet, or figure skating on a bicycle.

 

 

 

Flatland 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. Tricks are performed by spinning and balancing on the bike in a variety of unexpected 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. 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 ride 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.

 

 

 

 

 

The flatland bike

 

 

 

Although the flatland bicycle is similar to most other BMX bicycles, flatland is often performed with specially designed frames with geometry (head tube angle, top tube length, etc)suited to the needs of a flatland rider. Front and rear bolt-on axle pegs, a hollow compression bolt on the forks for the front brake cable, and a rear brake cable detangler or "gyro" to allow the bars to rotate endlessly without tangling the brake cables. A lot of riders use only a front brake, some riders use none at all. Also invented specifically for flatland BMX riding is the rear hub mechanism known as a "freecoaster", which allows the rear wheel to roll backwards without engaging the hub to make the pedals rotate backwards as they would on a normal freewheel or cassette style hub. Other technical bicycle setup specifics can include zero offset forks, narrow handlebars, very high pressure tires, and a very small front sprocket. But in theory, any BMX bike with axle pegs could be used for flatland riding although a good bike makes a big difference to the rider.

 

 

 

 

 

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[hide=Freestyle BMX]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, (skate)Park, Vert, Trails and Flatland. Rather confusingly, in competitions, park riding is often referred to as 'Street'.

 

 

 

 

 

street

 

Street riding occurs on public streets or private property, typically within cities and towns, but can be also referred to when riding in parks. the bikes are usually the same set-up wise. Without purpose-made ramps, riders have to improvise with banks, walls, rails, gaps, etc. In fact, almost anything can be used as an obstacle, and it is precisely this that draws people to street riding. Riders enjoy street riding because they are not constrained to what a skatepark designer has planned for them to ride, so it allows a good deal of creativity. Street riding progresses relentlessly. Obstacles and tricks that were considered too big or technical to attempt become commonplace.

 

 

 

Many professional BMXers are street riders who are employed for the exposure they get through video parts and magazines, rather than for their competition results. These riders generally don't get paid the huge sums that the big competition riders get, as most of the big money comes from placing in events such as the X Games. However, riders like Van Homan, who is a progressive street rider, often enter the X Games and manage to place quite high.

 

 

 

Street bikes are different from those used on park or dirt. Typically they will have two or four stunt (axle) pegs for grinding. They are usually the heaviest and strongest type of BMX bike. A considerable number of street riders set up their bikes without hand brakes.

 

 

 

Most street riders ride street because of a lack of parks or trails, or dirt jumps in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

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[hide=Flatland Tricks]G-Turn - Whipping the back frame into a spinning backwards rolling endo with feet on the pedals

 

Decade - Placing the front frame up and rotating the body around the frame usually by catching the other side of the frame, pedals, or pegs

 

Rolaid - Same as a decade, but rolling and without brake tapping. The Decade and Rolaid can be done in multiples

 

Whiplash - Pushing the frame around the bike while stepping over the pegs for each rotation while rolling

 

Cliffhanger - A rolling endo with one foot on each front peg and the torso behind the seat for a balance point

 

Hang-5 - Placing one foot on one of the front pegs and pulling the frame up until seat meets contact and a balance point is established; a rolling endo. The foot not on the peg hangs down and is used as a counter balance.

 

Hang-10 - Similar to the Hang-5, but with a foot on either peg.

 

Hang-nothing - Similar to the Hang-5 but without either foot on the peg. Both feet are used as a counterbalance.

 

Elbow-Glide - Placing one foot on one of the front pegs with one side of the body and the opposite elbow tucked with the seat to control the balance point

 

Hitchhiker - Placing the frame up while rolling; balance point established with the back of the frame

 

Backpacker - Related to the Hitchhiker, but with the body positioned forward from the frame

 

Cow maneouvre - Placing the frame up and tucking a rotation on the pegs backwards into the pedals; this trick has many variants and can be performed without brakes (Chase Gouin)

 

Surfer - Placing one foot on the seat and one foot on the handlebars while rolling; popular in some videos and commercials

 

Scurfer - Same as the Surfer, but with only one foot on the handlebars

 

Deathtruck - Rolling a back peg wheelie and pulling the body over the handlebars; one of the most feared tricks in Flatland BMX not because of its difficulty, but because of the tangled bail

 

Bar Ride - Placing both feet on the grips of the bars and using only the torso and hands for a balance point while rolling

 

Backyard - A scuffing trick performed by a foot push and control on the tires, while facing away from the frame on the back pegs

 

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[Tribal]

I rode from the time I was about 9-16. So a pretty long while, only stopped because injuries were taking a toll on my performance in my sports (Baseball, Basketball, Football) and i'd rather have not ruined my shots at scholarships. When I was 9 I got a GT Vertigo, then later on I bought a DK and then a Haro Dave Mira series. I rode all types of terrain, street, indoor and dirt and dirt was always my favorite, but I excelled the most at indoor skateparks and outdoor parks. I was a big rider at FDR in Philadelphia about 45 minutes away. Used to go there for weekends, or in the summer matter (weeks) at a time. Awsome course. The injuries suck, but nothing is better than landing a trick that you've been practicing (and failing) at for so long. The feeling is great, and is hard matched.

 

 

 

I loved my Mira bike, but my friend had a Nyquist which is a Haro R2-R3 series now I believe, and it was awsome for dirt riding, as well as with the DK's that lots of us had.

[Bmms]

good choice personally id rather ride street over park or dirt

 

there is just more style in it i think, but dont get me wrong dirt have lots of style in its own

 

 

 

but ya good choice with street, but i wouldnt put down park

 

streets gets boring after you ride the same place for years, so you need a little changed and parks do that for you since they swap them around every so often

[ThoseTheBrokes]

yeah, well when I can start driving early next year (hopefully :)

 

 

 

I'll be able to get to different cities, stick my bmx in the back and head to college, go out riding on my breaks and such.

 

 

 

Any recommendation's on a bmx though lads? ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã200-ÃÆââ¬Å¡Ãâã300.