| BMX Biking, which is similar to mountain biking, is a | | | | – formed by compacting mud – and is |
| multi-faceted sport with many different disciplines. | | | | sometimes known as “dirty jumping.” In |
| There are four major BMX concentrations – park, | | | | order to do this kind of riding, the biker will need a |
| vertical, trails, and flatlands. They each have their | | | | heavier, more reinforced bike, and it will usually only |
| own rules and specifics which will be outlined in this | | | | have rear brakes, as the terrain is very rough and |
| article. | | | | hard on the rider. There are a lot of gaps in the mud |
| Park riding is often done in standard skate parks, as | | | | and dirt that the rider has to deal with, with the gaps |
| BMX park riding takes a great amount of inspiration | | | | ranging anywhere from three feet to up to 20 feet. |
| from skateboarding. Skate parks have all kinds of | | | | On average, the gaps are about 12 feet. |
| different obstacles and they can be made from | | | | Flatland BMX is one of the least popular BMX sports. |
| wood, metal, or concrete, which makes them the | | | | It is done on any simple flat surface, most |
| perfect grounds for BMX riding as well. Depending on | | | | commonly, concrete. The tricks involve balance and |
| the type of obstacle, the rider’s style will change. | | | | spinning tricks more than high jumps found in other |
| Some of the most common obstacles one will see in | | | | types of BMX riding. The bikes are usually equipped |
| a park include quarter pipes, spines, flat banks, walls, | | | | with pegs that the bikers can stand on, enabling |
| mini ramps, boxes, hips, and pyramids. All are used | | | | them to do even more diverse and strange tricks |
| for different tricks, and in sanctioned competitions, | | | | with their bikes. The bikes are often short and light, |
| the speed, skill, and fluidity of the trick is rated and | | | | which enables the jumping and spinning type tricks |
| judged to determine a points-based winner. | | | | that the bikers will be attempting. Some of the |
| Vertical riding, which is commonly called by its slang | | | | popular tricks include the bunnyhop, air, grinding, |
| variant, “vert,” is an extreme form of BMX. | | | | fakies, manuals, wallrides, endos, roll-backs, and |
| The standard ramp consists of two half pipes that | | | | catwalks. |
| have been joined to form what looks like an | | | | As for grinding, the most common tricks include |
| expanded “u” shape. The record for the | | | | feeble, smith, double-peg, icepick, toothpick, crooked, |
| biggest ramp is the 27-foot tall X-Games “big | | | | and pedal grinds, though there are many other |
| air” ramp. This is the most dangerous form of | | | | variations on the grind. |
| BMX racing, and there are very few professionals | | | | Air tricks include X-up, one handed riding, no handed |
| who go into this discipline, or stay at it for a very | | | | riding, seat grabs, tire grabs, 180/360/540/720/900 |
| long time. Matt Hoffman, who is probably one of the | | | | 1080 spins, backflips, frontflips, flairs, tabletops, |
| best known BMX vertical riders, has nearly lost his life | | | | lookbacks, barspins, can-cans, and many others. |
| on several attempts to set new records for height | | | | As you can see, there are many different aspects to |
| and speed. | | | | BMX biking. |
| Trail riding involves dealing with huge mounds of dirt | | | | |