The history of BMX Freestyle begins in the skateparks of San Diego (California) in the mid-1970s. The discipline was inspired by Bob Haro, the "godfather of BMX Freestyle", a figure who has become iconic in the BMX community. At 17, he was one of the first to take his BMX onto the modules of skateparks, where he worked on and strung together stylish tricks. Through his brand, his publications and his spectacular demonstrations, Haro made a major contribution to spreading the culture of Freestyle cycling.
BMX Freestyle had its golden age in the 1980s. It experienced a resurgence of popularity in the 2000s through the X Games and the FISE, before becoming an Olympic discipline (in the BMX Park speciality) at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
To get started or to progress in your riding, you need to choose your BMX Freestyle carefully. Here is all the advice from Probikeshop to help guide your choice!
Overview of the different BMX Freestyle disciplines
BMX Freestyle riding evokes freedom, creativity and style. Over time, BMXers naturally explored different areas of expression. Today, BMX Freestyle encompasses several disciplines or specialities: Park, Dirt, Flat, Street and Vert (or the Ramp).
Park
Popularised by the X Games and the FISE, BMX Freestyle Park (or BMX Park) is the flagship discipline of Freestyle cycling. It was this discipline that was introduced at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The course is a Park specially designed with modules of various sizes and dimensions (funbox, quarter, volcano, step-up, wallride, hips). Competitors launch into runs of one minute, stringing together tricks in complete freedom. Judges award a score for each run.
BMX Park is known for its spectacular tricks: Tailwhip, Flair, Backflip, Frontflip, Barspin, Nothing Front Bike Flip, etc. In the Men's category, the discipline is dominated by Australian Logan Martin (double world champion, Olympic BMX Park champion). American Hannah Roberts has the finest women's record (Olympic silver medallist, triple world champion, overall World Cup winner on 4 occasions).
Dirt
BMX Dirt is another highly spectacular format that has produced memorable moments at the X Games. A Dirt contest is held on a dirt jump course, either outdoors or indoors. The jumps are shaped to offer a great amplitude of flight, with deep pits separating the take-off and the landing. The session is short and very intense, with tricks following one another at a high pace. Dirt features the most iconic BMX tricks (double or triple Tailwhip, 360 No-hand, Superman…). Dirt demands total commitment from the top of the ramp!
Flat
BMX Flat (or Flatland) is an ultra-technical discipline with its own UCI World Cup and World Championship. It involves performing figures on the ground with your bike, on flat terrain, in a display of balance and rotation. Flat has a strong artistic dimension, bringing it close to urban dance styles (breakdance, hip-hop), both in style and staging. In Flat, competitors often use the pegs as support, touching the tyres with their feet to manoeuvre the bike while balanced.
Frenchman Matthias Dandois is a reference in Flat: in 2021 he claimed his 9th world championship title.
Street
BMX Street goes back to the early days of Freestyle cycling. It is an alternative to Park, free from any constraints. The urban environment in the broadest sense becomes a playground for the BMX Street rider, who sees inclined planes, steps, benches and walls as supports for pulling stylish tricks. Ramps and railings are used for grinding (sliding on the pegs).
The Ramp (Vert)
The Ramp (Vert) is a fairly exclusive BMX discipline, as it requires a significant structure (half-pipe) that is not always found in public skateparks. The ramp takes the shape of a more or less tall "U".
Competitors ride inside the "U" for short sessions. Rolling from one side of the ramp to the other, they aim for a jump on each pass. The rider must maintain speed and achieve maximum amplitude on each push, in order to perform aerial tricks.
The greatest legends of BMX have shone on this ramp (Mat Hoffman, Jamie Bestwick…).
All the criteria for choosing your BMX Freestyle
Frame material, size, equipment, discipline, level, style… What are the most important criteria for choosing your BMX Freestyle?
Choosing the right size BMX Freestyle
When starting out, the question of style is truly secondary. The most important thing is to focus on the essentials: frame size. You need to feel comfortable on your BMX in order to ride with confidence, make progress and enjoy your Freestyle riding. If your BMX is too big, you risk losing interest in it quickly. It is often recommended to go a size down if you find yourself between two frame sizes.
It is the Top Tube length (the upper tube of the frame) that is used to define the size of a BMX Freestyle. This size is expressed in inches. Be careful not to confuse the top tube size with the wheel size (20-inch format for all adult BMX bikes).
Probikeshop offers the following size guide to help you find your BMX Freestyle:
| Frame size (Top Tube) | Wheel size | Tyre size | |
| 1 - 1.15 m | 12" | 12" | 12"x2.125 |
| 1.10 - 1.25 m | 16" | 16" | 16"x2.10 - 16"x2.20 |
| 1.25 - 1.35 m | 17" | 18" | 18"x2.10 - 18x2.35 |
| 1.35 - 1.45 m | 18,5" - 19,5" | 20" | 20"x2.10 - 20"x2.40 |
| 1.45 - 1.55 m | 20" - 20,20" | 20" | 20"x2.10 - 20"x2.40 |
| 1.55 - 1.65 m | 20,25" - 20,30" | 20" | 20"x2.10 - 20"x2.40 |
| 1.65 - 1.75 m | 20,50" - 20,75" | 20" | 20"x2.10 - 20"x2.40 |
| > 1.75 m | 20,80" - 21" | 20" | 20"x2.10 - 20"x2.50 |
What material should you choose for your BMX Freestyle?
BMX Freestyle frames are always made of steel. It is a robust, durable and easily repairable material that better withstands heavy impacts and hard landings. You will find 2 types of steel: hi-ten steel (high tensile steel) and chromoly steel (chrome-molybdenum steel, Cromo, Cr Mo).
More affordable but heavier and less resistant, hi-ten steel is used on entry-level BMX bikes. Stronger and lighter at the same time, chromoly steel is reserved for the best BMX bikes. It allows frames to be built with thinner yet highly resistant tubing. Chromoly steel helps reduce the weight of the BMX, giving it greater manoeuvrability.
Aluminium can be used on certain components, such as the stem or the seat post.
What frame geometry?
Generally speaking, BMX Freestyle bikes all look similar in terms of format (20 inches), dimensions and design. But on closer inspection, subtle differences can be observed depending on the type of discipline (Flat, Street, Park…).
BMX Flat bikes are the most distinctive. They use a compact frame, shorter and lower, which offers maximum manoeuvrability and enough room to perform tricks. The fork on a BMX Flat generally has no offset. That said, you can just as easily use a Street model for Flat riding — it all depends on the rider's feel, preferences and build.
In terms of geometry, BMX Street, Park and Dirt bikes share common characteristics. They aim for both manoeuvrability and stability. The steering angle is always close to 75°, combined with a fork that features a forward offset. The chainstay length varies very slightly, between 13" and 13.25".
To get started, we recommend choosing a BMX with a versatile geometry, which will allow you to explore the different freestyle disciplines and find your own path!
Which braking system for your BMX discipline?
While freestyle stars often ride brakeless (to reduce the weight of their bike to a minimum), it is strongly advised against removing the brake that comes fitted as standard on your BMX.
While a BMX brake has fairly limited use in Flat, it is particularly reassuring in Dirt or Park for controlling speed after landings.
BMX Freestyle bikes use U-brake callipers, which are centre-pull rim brakes. The most common setup is limited to a single rear brake with a direct cable of varying length. From a certain level of Park riding, the use of a brake with a rotor is essential if you want to attempt tricks such as the Tailwhip or the Barspin. The rotor is a mechanism that allows the handlebars to rotate 360° without interfering with the brake cable.
BMX Freestyle wheels: single or double wall?
BMX Freestyle bikes are fitted with single, double or triple-wall aluminium rims. The choice of rim type will depend on your discipline and level of commitment.
Double-wall reinforced rims are recommended for experienced riders who are starting to push hard in the Park. They offer versatile wheels with a good weight-to-strength ratio, providing reliable equipment for any freestyle discipline. Triple-wall rims are more suited to the most extreme disciplines (BMX Dirt).
BMX Freestyle components and accessories
Depending on your speciality, your BMX Freestyle will need to feature more or less specific equipment.
Pegs are the first thing that come to mind — they are iconic accessories for BMX Flat and BMX Street. Made from plastic, steel or aluminium, pegs are extensions fitted at the wheel axle level. In Flat, they allow riders to place their feet and perform tricks while balanced on the front or rear wheel. In Street, pegs are used to grind (slide) on street furniture.
BMX Park and Street bikes can use a cassette or freecoaster rear hub. Unlike a cassette hub, a freecoaster allows you to roll backwards without turning the cranks. This type of equipment becomes a necessity for every BMXer beyond a certain level of riding.
If you are planning to try BMX Dirt, opt for a model fitted with versatile tyres and knobby treads that will give you good grip on the dirt jumps.
On a BMX, the quality of the bearings directly influences durability. Sealed bearings have a longer lifespan than basic bearings.
What equipment do you need for BMX Freestyle?
For your BMX equipment, we advise you to take every precaution, whether you are in the learning phase or the progression phase. Protection is very important in BMX, as falling is part of the sport and can leave its mark.
The BMX helmet
In Freestyle, the BMX helmet takes the form of a bowl helmet or a full-face helmet.
With its distinctive wraparound design typical of urban sports, the bowl helmet offers effective protection for the skull while remaining light and stylish. The bowl helmet is used in the less extreme freestyle disciplines, such as Park, Street and Flat.
The full-face helmet envelops the rider's entire head. It provides a superior level of protection, incorporating for example an additional safety feature such as the MIPS system (Multi Directional Impact Protection System). The use of a full-face helmet is justified for Dirt and Ramp riding, where the rider performs aerial tricks with maximum amplitude.
Elbow pads, knee pads, shin guards and ankle guards
Elbow pads and knee pads protect the joints from heavy impacts. They also help prevent burns and grazes from minor falls in Park/Street.
Shin guards protect you against pedal strikes, which can deliver (very) painful blows to the shin.
Ankle guards are particularly useful for riders with weak ankles. Reassuring on heavy landings or missed landings, they help stabilise support on the pedal or on the ground. Ankle guards reduce the risk of sprains.
Gloves
The primary purpose of long gloves is to protect the palms of your hands in the event of a fall. BMX gloves are also designed to secure your grip on the handlebar grips.
Shoes for BMX Freestyle
We recommend wearing fairly sturdy shoes with a thick rubber sole. A grooved/waffle sole (Vans-style) helps grip the pedal well, allows you to launch your tricks more effectively, and ensures solid landings.
