BMX Term
Hang-up
A hang-up in BMX is when the rear wheel, peg or pedal catches on the coping or lip of a ramp during a trick, stopping the bike and often causing a crash.
Updated 2 min read344 words
A hang-up is when the rear wheel, a peg or the frame catches on the coping or lip of a ramp during a trick. The bike stops while the rider keeps moving, and the result is often a hard fall. It is one of the most common ways riders crash on ramps.
Meaning
Hang-ups usually happen on a quarter pipe, mini ramp or vert ramp. A rider goes up the transition, does a trick at the top and comes back in. If the rider is slightly late or short, the wheel or a peg drops onto the coping instead of the ramp. The bike snags, stops dead and throws the rider towards the flat.
Typical causes include:
- Landing the trick late or short of the coping.
- Over-rotating or under-rotating.
- Leaning back when coming in.
- Dropping a peg onto the coping while landing.
- Misjudging speed.
Fear can make it worse. A rider who hesitates mid-air is more likely to be late.
Origin and usage
The phrase comes from the plain English meaning of getting hung up, caught on something. It is used in skateboarding and inline skating as well as BMX. When BMX riders began saying hang-up is not documented.
Hang-ups are a standard risk of ramp riding, and many riders have a story about one. Pads, helmets and wrist protection help reduce injuries, though they do not remove the risk.
Practice reduces the odds. Riders learn tricks on lower transitions, build speed and rotation, and learn how to bail when they feel the wheel catch. Letting go and tucking is usually safer than trying to ride it out.
Examples
- "He got hung up on the coping and slid down the whole ramp."
- "I had a bad hang-up on my first try, so I dropped the height."
- "Don't hang up on this one, you need to come in earlier."
Related terms
- Coping: the metal or concrete edge at the top of a ramp.
- Quarter pipe: where hang-ups often happen.
- Transition: the curved surface of a ramp.
- Bail: abandoning a trick.
- Pegs: can catch the coping.
Frequently asked questions about Hang-up
What causes a hang-up in BMX?
Usually the rider lands or comes back to the ramp with the rear wheel or peg in the wrong place. The bike snags on the coping, stops moving and the rider is thrown forward.
How do you avoid a hang-up?
Keep your weight forward, commit to the trick, rotate far enough and look at the landing. If it goes wrong, bail early instead of leaning back.
Related articles
Coping
Coping is the rounded metal or concrete edge along the top of a ramp or bowl, used by BMX riders to grind, stall and transfer between surfaces.
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A quarter pipe is a ramp with a curved, quarter-circle transition that rises from flat to a vertical or near vertical top edge, used for airs.
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Transition is the curved surface of a ramp that connects flat ground to the top edge, and it is often shortened to tranny in BMX and skateboarding.
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To bail in BMX is to abandon a trick mid-air or to crash, and a bail is the act of dropping the attempt, often by jumping off the bike.
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Pegs are cylindrical metal or plastic tubes bolted to the axle of a BMX wheel so a rider can stand on them or grind along ledges and rails.
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An abubaca is a BMX ramp trick where the rider stalls the back wheel on the coping or lip, front wheel up, then hops back in and rolls away fakie.
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