BMX Discipline
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.
Updated 5 min read1,002 words
Street is the BMX discipline of riding the built environment: ledges, handrails, stair sets, banks, walls and gaps found in cities rather than in skateparks. It is defined by grinding and hopping on obstacles that were never designed for bikes, and by a culture that judges riders on filmed video parts more than contest results.
What it is
Street riding takes the tricks of park and flatland and applies them to architecture. A ledge becomes a grind rail, a hubba becomes a drop, a loading dock becomes a gap. Because nothing is built for riding, the rider has to read the spot, judge the run-up and work out how to get in and out safely.
The discipline grew out of the collapse of the 1980s freestyle boom and the influence of skateboarding in the 1990s. Riders fitted pegs to their axles and started grinding, first on kerbs and later on rails and ledges. By the 2000s street had become the dominant form of BMX in terms of participation and media. The full story is in the rise of street riding.
Street is also where most of the sport's technical progression now happens. Combinations of grinds, spins and barspins that were unthinkable in the 1990s are now standard in top-level video parts.
Where it is ridden
Street is ridden anywhere there is concrete. Classic spot types include:
- Ledges and hubbas for grinds and stalls
- Handrails, both down stairs and flat
- Stair sets for gaps and drops
- Banks and wall rides, see wallride
- Loading docks, planter boxes and kerb cuts for lines
Scenes have formed around cities with good architecture and tolerant weather. New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles were the early centres in the United States. Barcelona became a destination because of its smooth plazas and marble ledges. In Australia the main scenes are in the larger capital cities, but almost any town has a few spots.
Skateparks are also used by street riders for practice. Many parks now include street plazas with rails and ledges built to be ridden, and these are where most riders learn grinds before taking them to real street.
Typical bike setup
Street bikes are built for abuse. They are heavier than race or flatland bikes and the parts are chosen to survive repeated impacts.
| Part | Typical choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Frame | 20.75 to 21.25 inch top tube, 75.5 degree head angle | Length for stability on gaps, steep front for quick spins |
| Pegs | Two or four plastic-sleeved steel or alloy | Plastic slides on concrete and marble without wax |
| Rear hub | Freecoaster or cassette | Freecoaster allows rolling backwards without pedalling, cassette gives instant engagement |
| Brakes | None, or a rear U-brake | Brakeless frees the bars for spins; a rear brake helps on big setups |
| Gearing | 25 tooth sprocket with 9 tooth driver | Small sprocket clears ledges during grinds |
| Tyres | 2.3 to 2.5 inch, high pressure | Wide tyres absorb hard landings, pressure helps the bike roll fast |
| Hub guards | Front and rear | Protect spokes and hub shells during grinds, see hub guards |
| Cranks | Three-piece chromoly, 160 to 175 mm | Strength under heavy landings |
Riders who use four pegs often run a gyro detangler if they keep a brake, or simply go brakeless. The guide on brakes or brakeless covers the trade-offs.
Key tricks and skills
The foundation of street is the bunny hop. Everything else depends on being able to hop onto and over obstacles with control. From there the core skills are:
- Grinds: double peg, feeble, smith, icepick and toothpick. Grinds are what separate street from every other discipline.
- Manuals: the manual and nose manual link obstacles into lines and are central to pegless street.
- Spins: 180, 360 and riding fakie out of them. Spinning into and out of grinds is standard at a high level.
- Bar tricks: barspins and truck drivers, usually done over gaps or into banks.
- Wall rides: using banks and walls to redirect, see wallride.
- Crankflips: a crankflip is a technical flat ground trick often added to grinds and gaps.
Beyond tricks, street demands spot awareness. Reading the run-up, checking the landing, knowing when a ledge is too sketchy and when to bail are learned skills that keep riders in one piece.
Culture and media
Street culture is built on video. From the 1990s onward, riders earned their reputations by filming full video parts, and the climax of a part, the ender, is a career-defining clip. Landmark street videos include Can I Eat and All Day from Animal Bikes, Criminal Mischief, Writing on the Wall, Fit Life, Still United and Talk Is Cheap.
The move to online video is covered in the web edit era. Full-length DVDs gave way to brand web edits and then to Instagram clips. An NBD, a trick that is "never been done", can now spread around the world in hours.
Contests exist but are secondary. X Games added street in 2008, and Garrett Reynolds dominated it for years. Simple Session, Battle of Hastings and the Texas Toast Jam all run street-style courses. The Nora Cup awards, voted by riders and industry, are a better guide to who matters in street than contest standings.
Riders who define the discipline include Edwin Delarosa, Van Homan, Garrett Reynolds, Dennis Enarson, Chad Kerley, Nigel Sylvester, Dakota Roche and Brandon Begin. Brands with deep street roots include Animal, Cult, Fit, Federal, BSD, Kink, Wethepeople and Eclat.
How to get started
- Get a complete bike with pegs or buy pegs for the one you have. See how to choose your first BMX.
- Learn to bunny hop onto a kerb, then a higher ledge.
- Learn double peg grinds on a low, waxed ledge at a skatepark.
- Learn manuals and 180s on flat ground.
- Find local riders. A session with people who know the spots is the fastest way to learn.
- Respect spots. Clean up wax, do not damage property, and leave when asked.
How to start riding BMX covers the basics for any discipline.
Related
Frequently asked questions about Street
Do you need pegs for street riding?
Most street riders run at least two pegs for grinds, but a pegless style built on manuals, hops and spins is a recognised branch of street. Both are valid starting points.
Why do so many street riders ride brakeless?
Removing brakes cleans up the bars for spins, saves weight and forces the rider to control speed with their feet and body. It is a style choice, not a requirement, and many riders keep a rear brake.
Is street riding legal?
Riding in public space is usually legal, but grinding ledges or riding private property is often not. Most street riders expect to be asked to leave and treat spots with care so they stay rideable.
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