BMX Discipline
Flatland
Flatland is the BMX discipline of performing balance and rotation tricks on flat ground with no ramps, using a short bike with zero offset forks and four pegs.
Updated 5 min read1,144 words
Flatland is the BMX discipline of performing tricks on flat, smooth ground without ramps, jumps or obstacles. Riders balance on pegs, frame and wheels while spinning and scuffing the bike through linked positions, often with only one wheel on the ground. It is the most technical form of BMX and uses a bike built specifically for the purpose.
What it is
Flatland grew out of the earliest freestyle tricks of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when riders like Bob Haro did wheelies, endos and bar tricks in car parks between races. Through the 1980s freestyle boom it became a judged contest discipline alongside ramp riding, and by the end of that decade it had developed into something far more complex than its origins.
A modern flatland run is a series of linked tricks called a combo. The rider might roll backwards on the front wheel while standing on a front peg, swing the frame around, step to the rear pegs, scuff the rear tyre to maintain speed and then transition to another position, all without touching a foot to the ground. Tricks are grouped into families: rolling tricks, where the bike rolls on one wheel; scuffing tricks, where the rider kicks a tyre to keep momentum; and spinning tricks, where the bike pivots on a wheel or peg.
Contest flatland is judged on difficulty, originality, consistency and flow. Touching down with a foot is a mistake. Falling off is a disaster. The best riders can link combos lasting a minute or more.
Where it is ridden
Flatland needs nothing except smooth, flat concrete or asphalt and enough space to roll. Favourite spots include:
- Empty car parks, especially multi-storey ones that stay dry
- Basketball and tennis courts
- Plazas and civic squares with polished surfaces
- Indoor halls and gymnasiums in winter
Because it needs so little, flatland is ridden everywhere, but the strongest scenes are in Japan, France, Germany, Hungary, the United States and Canada. Japan in particular has produced many of the discipline's most inventive riders since the 1990s.
Flatland riders tend to ride alone or in small groups, often at night, and a single spot can serve a rider for years.
Typical bike setup
Flatland bikes are the most specialised in BMX. Almost every part is chosen to make the bike balance well and spin in place.
| Part | Typical choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | 18 to 19.5 inch top tube, short chainstay, high standover | Short and compact so the rider can move around the bike |
| Forks | Zero offset | The front wheel sits directly below the steering axis so it spins without wandering, see forks |
| Pegs | Four, often long and knurled or plastic | Standing platforms on both wheels, see pegs |
| Rear hub | Freecoaster | Lets the bike roll backwards without the cranks turning |
| Front hub | Standard, often with hub guards | Front wheel tricks put load on the hub, see front hub |
| Gearing | Very small, around 22 to 24 tooth with 9 tooth driver, or lower | Keeps the sprocket small and out of the way of feet |
| Brakes | None, or a front brake with a gyro | Front brake used for some tricks; many ride fully brakeless |
| Tyres | 1.75 to 1.95 inch, 100 psi or more | Narrow, hard tyres roll freely and spin easily |
| Bars | Low rise, often zero or two piece with a flat crossbar | Allow the rider to pass legs over the bars |
| Seat | Low or very low; some run a pivotal seat with a tall post for grabbing | Depends on which tricks the rider favours |
| Cranks | Short, around 150 to 160 mm | Clear the feet and pegs |
A flatland bike feels strange to a street rider. It is light, twitchy and almost impossible to ride fast. That is the point.
Key tricks and skills
Flatland tricks build on a handful of foundations:
- Balance on one wheel: the manual and nose manual are starting points, though flatland versions are done standing on pegs rather than pedals.
- Peg stands: standing on the front or rear pegs with the other wheel in the air.
- Scuffing: kicking a tyre with the foot to keep the bike rolling while balanced.
- Rolling tricks: positions held while the bike rolls on one wheel, such as hang-fives, steamrollers and hitchhikers.
- Spinning tricks: pivoting the bike on one wheel, including the decade, where the rider swings around the bars while the bike stays in place.
- Bar and body transitions: moving from one position to another, passing legs over the frame or bars.
- Switch and opposite: doing tricks on the non-preferred side, see switch and oppo.
Many tricks that are now common in street, including the barspin, the tailwhip and the footjam tailwhip, began as flatland tricks before being taken to ramps.
Culture and media
Flatland had a large contest presence in the 1980s through the AFA series and was included in the early X Games in the late 1990s, but was dropped from the Games around the turn of the century. Since then it has run its own circuit. FISE has kept flatland in its programme for many years, and a world circuit of dedicated flatland contests has operated across Europe, Japan and North America. The Nora Cup has long included a flatlander of the year award.
Matthias Dandois of France is the most successful contest flatlander of the 2010s and 2020s, with multiple world titles. The discipline is also known for riders whose influence came through video rather than contests. The Dorkin' in York series, made in Pennsylvania from the late 1980s, documented a crew that invented many of the rolling tricks still used today, and is considered foundational.
Flatland has a strong relationship with Props Video Magazine and other 1990s video series, which gave it exposure alongside street and ramp riding. In the web edit era, flatland found a natural home online, since a combo filmed in a car park at night needs no production budget.
The discipline is small compared with street and park, but it is stable and international, and its riders are known for supporting each other across borders.
How to get started
- Get a bike with four pegs. A dedicated flatland complete is best but any four-peg bike works for basics. See how to choose your first BMX.
- Find a smooth, empty car park or court.
- Learn to stand still on the pegs with the front wheel up (a rear peg stand), then roll it slowly.
- Learn to scuff the rear tyre to keep moving while balanced.
- Learn an endo and a front peg stand.
- Watch flatland videos slowly. Most tricks make sense only when seen frame by frame.
- Expect slow progress. One new trick a month is normal.
Flatland is low risk compared with other disciplines. Shin guards help, since pedals and pegs find shins often. See how to start riding BMX.
Related
Frequently asked questions about Flatland
Why do flatland bikes look different?
Flatland bikes have very short frames, forks with zero offset so the front wheel spins in place, four pegs to stand on, small gearing to keep the sprocket out of the way, and usually a freecoaster hub so the bike rolls backwards freely.
Is flatland the hardest BMX discipline?
It is widely considered the most technical. Tricks require fine balance held for seconds at a time and can take months or years to learn. Falls are less dangerous than in other disciplines, but progress is slow.
Can I learn flatland on a normal BMX?
You can learn the basics, such as manuals, endos and simple peg stands, on any bike with four pegs. Beyond that, a dedicated flatland frame and zero offset forks make a large difference.
Related articles
Street
Street BMX is the discipline of riding urban architecture such as ledges, rails, stairs and banks, with video parts rather than contests as the main measure.
5 min readFreestyle BMX boom of the 1980s
The 1980s freestyle boom was the decade when trick riding split from BMX racing, built its own contests, magazines, bikes and stars, then collapsed in 1989.
6 min readMatthias Dandois
Matthias Dandois is a French BMX flatland rider with numerous world titles and an X Games medal, known for a fluid style and a wide mainstream profile.
4 min readBob Haro
Bob Haro is an American rider and designer who helped invent freestyle BMX in the late 1970s and founded the Haro bike brand.
4 min readFreecoaster Hub
A freecoaster hub is a BMX rear hub with a clutch that lets the wheel roll backwards without turning the cranks, unlike a standard cassette hub.
3 min readForks
A BMX fork holds the front wheel and steers the bike, with offset, steerer size and dropout width setting how it fits and handles.
3 min read