Flatland (BMX)

Flatland is the name of a sub-discipline of freestyle BMX Sports, takes place at the acrobatics on the bike on flat ground. As sports facilities to offer well-paved parking.

Flatland includes different maneuvers and tricks that theoretically infinite number of combinations (combos ) can be connected. The transition between the individual figures takes place within a few seconds or even fluent. Most BMX Flatland create their own tricks, combinations and their individual style.

Development

Flatland crystallized within the BMX family more and more as its own sport out, as it is increasingly distancing in style and attitude from the rest of the BMX scene - like in the 1980s, the discipline of " Race" from "Freestyle" demarcated. So were invited to the X Games 2005 in Los Angeles no flatlander. Due to this development, establish professional flatlander their own companies to no longer having to rely on sponsors (eg the company l' essence that manufactures BMX frame since the mid-1990s and the owner of the Flatlander Alexis Desolneux is ).

Recent years have increasingly raise more drivers to claim this anyway quite difficult balancing sport by driving " brakeless " (without brakes). One of the pioneers of this type of driving, Chase Gouin.

Sports Equipment

A flatland BMX bike different from other freestyle BMX bikes with a shorter often crossed or bent (or both) top and down tube, a shorter rear triangle of the frame, a shorter stem and the four " pegs ", the characteristic prolongation the wheel axles. In recent years, a trend towards weight savings came on, for example, by the shortest possible forks without preprocessing ( Also offers better control ), short crank arms, chainrings extremely small (often even only 15 teeth) and smaller chains. It handlebars without "sweep " are often ( the anatomically correct bend of the arm in the vertical ) is used, as this will allow a better control of the wheel. A new variant of the handlebars are so-called " bar / stem combos " (handlebar - stem combinations) in which the link is already welded to the stem.

For rear wheel tricks imperative is " freecoaster ", a special type of rear hub that allows the rear wheel can also rotate backwards, without passing on the motion of the chain to the crank.

• Cycling term
• BMX